MDF Magazine Issue 53 August 2017

Sandra’s thoughts on…
“there is nothing either good or
bad, but thinking makes it so”
Sandra Bredell (MSW)
Yes, this is the famous saying of Hamlet in the
well-known play Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare was a very clever man – not only did he
manage to write well and was talented in theatre work,
but he seemed to have a clever way of getting people
to think. I mean, how many people do not know of his
work? To this day, 400 hundred years later, people are
still reading and studying his work. If you think that I
am going to share some ideas on English literature and
how to understand Shakespeare’s work, you are definitely
mis-sing the mark. This is all about what and how
we think about certain experiences in our life.
In philosophy a typical question would be, “How should
I live?” But, as so appropriately pointed out by Prof.
Bernard Williams of Princeton University, people rather
focus on asking “What is my duty?” (Mace, 2015). We
are all faced with different situations in life and each
one of us perceives and experiences these situations
differently. This is embedded in our spiritual and moral
beliefs and is further influenced by preconceived ideas
and the society’s standards. These internal values and
the way we understand and process information lead
and guide us in making decisions. Therefore, when we
make decisions, we might focus on what is expected of
us rather than how we should live according to our set
of beliefs (CareerRide.com, 2014).
I would like to share a story with you that I read on
the internet the other day (Falland, ©2009–2013). The
story is about a young man who had been in an accident
in which his motor bike was damaged and he
had ended up in hospital. Immediately people started to
respond by sharing the terrible news among his family
and friends by focusing on the fact that he had recently
bought the bike and how unlucky he was. On the other
hand, the young man held the belief that everything in
life happens for a reason. While he was recovering in
hospital, his house had been vandalised and burnt to
the ground. Now people responded by saying that he
was so lucky to still have been in hospital, otherwise he
could have been killed in the fire, and by posing questions
like, “How can people do that?” But the young man
stuck to his belief that things happen for a reason. Fully
recovered from the accident, the young man stood in
front of the ruins that once had been his house, when a
man in a suit walked up to him. It turned out that he was
working for a property development company and that
they were interested in buying this property. A joint project
for the property was discussed and they sealed the
deal. Townhouses were built and the young man made
a good profit from this business deal. The response
from the family and friends was that if his house had
not burnt down he would not have had this business opportunity.
The young man’s reply was that this might be
true, but everything happens for a reason.
What does this say about you and me? What would
your thoughts have been and how would you have responded
if you had been in the young man’s situation?
In our country, we have experienced flooding, drought,
water restriction and very recently the devastating
Knysna fires. People think differently about these experiences
as well. What stood out for me when all of
this was happening in Knysna was the caring behaviour
of the people of South Africa. Volunteers joined the
firefighters, other volunteers cared for the firefighters,
nationally people donated goods and money towards
people in need, churches offered help and accommodation,
holiday property owners assisted with accommodation,
volunteers cared for animals, school stationery
was provided for scholars, and trauma counselling was
provided to the people of Knysna. Terrible circumstances
like this, could easily influence people’s perceptions
and experiences and make them think negatively about
them, but they could also easily do the opposite.
Does this make you think about your own beliefs and
thoughts and how they influence the decisions you
make, especially concerning the question “How should
I live my life?” You can change the way you think about
things, but this remains your choice.
References
CareerRide.com. 2014. Good or bad – your thinking
makes it so. http://www.careerride.com/view/good-orbad-your-thinking-makes-it-so-15357.aspx
Falland, C. ©2009-2013. There is nothing either good
or bad but thinking makes it so. Blog – Conversations
to inspire, no date. http://candeecefalland.com/mindset/there-is-nothing-either-good-or-bad-but-thinkingmakes-it-so/
Mace, W.L. 2015. There is nothing either good or bad but
thinking makes it so: The case against moralism. Blog
– Campus confidential: Coping with college, January
08. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.
com/blog/campus-confidential-coping-college/201501/
there-is-nothing-either-good-or-bad-thinking-makes-it
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