Our attitude is a combination of our thoughts, feelings, opinions and beliefs. This is manifested in three basic ways: emotional, behavioural and underlying beliefs. Attitude is the pivotal point of balance between awareness and action. As is our awareness, so is our attitude, and as is our attitude, so is our vision, and as is our vision, so is our action. Our attitude shapes our behaviour and also the way we face the challenges that life presents.
Attitude can also be said to create an atmosphere which can be positive or negative and can be a magnet that attracts others or that drives them away from us. For example, if we are caring and loving, accepting and understanding, people will enjoy our company. If we are always critical, sad or hopeless, then others will find being with us to be difficult.
So, how do we adjust our attitude? A benevolent attitude is very powerful. Benevolence is the source of kindness, compassion, inclusivity and acceptance. One of the ways to strengthen a benevolent attitude is to ‘find the silver lining’. A very good practice for this is to start, and maintain, a daily gratitude journal. We can look back over the day and write down events, moments or encounters that filled us with joy and appreciation. A small act of kindness, perhaps, or moments of deep peace.
Start with small things and watch them grow. Another practice is to make sure that we spend time with as many optimists as possible. Optimists notice the beautiful moments and like to share them.
These activities, small as they are, help us to look more closely at the self. I may then notice that I have the habit of viewing situations and perhaps even people, with a tendency to hold prejudices or have a biased attitude towards one set of people, or even discriminate against another set of people.
These observations will make me realise that if I want to emanate benevolence, I need to shift perspective. This requires great honesty and great courage. To strengthen a benevolent attitude, I need to consider looking at those who hold different beliefs through a lens of inclusivity and equality.
Adjustments to our attitude serve to imbue our lives with optimism, and this builds inner strength. This strength is sustained through contemplative and reflective practices. We may not be able to change situations or circumstances, but we can change our attitude towards them.
For this we need spiritual growth, and this is the primary and fundamental reason to adopt the daily assimilation, in meditation, of light and strength developed through a deepening relationship with the source of all benevolence, God.
Gayatri Naraine represents the Brahma Kumaris at the United Nations in New York.