But more than this: the hushing of it up may, in a perfectly
candid and honest mind, grow into a deliberate religious policy,
or parti pris. Much of what we call evil is due entirely to the
way men take the phenomenon. It can so often be converted into a
bracing and tonic good by a simple change of the sufferer's inner
attitude from one of fear to one of fight; its sting so often
departs and turns into a relish when, after vainly seeking to
shun it, we agree to face about and bear it cheerfully, that a
man is simply bound in honor, with reference to many of the facts
that seem at first to disconcert his peace, to adopt this way of
escape. Refuse to admit their badness; despise their power;
ignore their presence; turn your attention the other way; and so
far as you yourself are concerned at any rate, though the facts
may still exist, their evil character exists no longer. Since
you make them evil or good by your own thoughts about them, it is
the ruling of your thoughts which proves to be your principal
concern.
The deliberate adoption of an optimistic turn of mind thus makes
its entrance into philosophy.
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