Why there is a spiritual solution to every problem

By Samuel Baligidde

A high-profile Judge who donated a classic paperback titled The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy to me autographed it with the words: "to Sam Herbert Baligidde Esq, in the hope that you will find the contents between the two covers of some interest and use" [Much obliged, my Lord]; a little bit of which I wish to share with whoever will read this comment.

In the book, Murphy narrates how a man reacted to the daily news headlines that caused him ‘constant anger, suppressed rage and bleeding ulcers'! His physician recommended ‘emotional reconditioning', prompting his wife to seek help from Dr Murphy who subsequently invited him for counselling which ended with the man realizing he should have given the newspaperman freedom to express himself even if he disagreed with him politically, religiously or in any other way. The newspaperman would likewise give him freedom to write to the offending newspaper disagreeing with the published stories that irritated him. He awakened to the reality that it was never what the writers of the opinions or the headlines said that affected him but his reaction to what was said that mattered and learned that he could disagree without being disagreeable.

Murphy's narrative reminded me of the [fallacious] quotation attributed to Voltaire, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" which seems to be in tandem with the wisdom of Confucius who said, "to see what is right and not to do it is want of courage" but noteworthy too is Thomas Carlyle's opinion that "Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better". In his 16 September 1943 Speech, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said, "the Empires of the future are empires of the mind". The citizens of this country should perhaps change their mindsets to effectively deal with fear and circumspection; therapeutically laugh at themselves and at what the headlines want them to believe; religiously read but deny the ‘terrifying' headlines the power to disturb, annoy and irritate if they can.

It's not for me to speak for everybody but shouldn't we for once mutually allow the other person to be right at a time when the centrifuges of fear, anxiety, stress and anger are threatening to leave us behind the curve of civilisation? When people insist on being right; they argue, get frustrated and angry. We shouldn't perceive every circumstance in terms of whether it meets our individual standards; rather we should seek national and universal standards if we are to wisely lay our future in the hands of thy Country as the National Anthem proclaims. That does not mean we become indifferent or apathetic but implies making ourselves instruments of peace by being optimistic about the future in the face of seemingly unsurmountable challenges which undermine our resolve to transform a country, which Prof. Ali Mazrui contended Paleontologists believed may have been part of the Biblical Garden of Aden!

I am inclined to concur with Wayne Dyer that there is a spiritual solution to every problem; hence the need for religious leaders' spiritual guidance in reconciliation and peace-building. Laughing at our problems cannot cure the fear of the unknown but breaking any attachment to gloom and despair by shifting from pessimism to optimism might. Findings elicited from robust social science research, negotiation and mediation experiential knowledge indicate that when people are steadfast in their abstention from harming others in any way, they cease to feel enmity in their presence. Psychologist-cum-theologian Dyer might be right; any situation where people experience discomfort involves thoughts of enmity but being steadfast in abstaining from harmful thoughts is a potent tool for accessing a spiritual solution. To love thy Country, our Country ought to be lovely; nonetheless, For God and My Country.

Writer is a Lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University-Nkozi