Fred's Book Club: I Think I Can!

Welcome to another Wednesday, and thus another episode of the Humpback Writers, so named for the day of the week and not any humps whatever. Let's kick things off with a song:

Now, Fred's an intellectual, brings a book to every meal
He likes the deep philosophers, like Norman Vincent Peale
He thinks the army's just the thing
Because he finds it broadening
It makes a fellow proud to be a soldier!

Of course Tom Lehrer was not referring to me as the Fred in his song "It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be a Soldier," but he does make a reference to one of the most popular writers of his time, Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote this little tome:

"This book is written to suggest techniques and to give examples which demonstrate that you do not need to be defeated by anything, that you can have peace of mind, improved health, and a never-ceasing flow of energy" writes Dr. Peale in the introduction. "In short, your life can be full of joy and satisfaction. Of this I have no doubt at all for I have watched countless persons learn and apply a system of simple procedures that has brought about the foregoing benefits in their lives."

Sounds like a massive promise, doesn't it? And indeed The Power of Positive Thinking had and continues to have a massive impact on modern culture in a number of ways I know. It was published in 1952, when America was in a new war having just gotten through the big one, and the world had been exposed to the staggering effects of evil ambition; yet this little seeming Pollyana of a book struck a chord with millions that reverberates to this day. It spoke to the aspirational soul of America, but its appeal reached beyond our national borders. The idea that one could change one's circumstances by changing one's mental condition was not new (Émile Coué had led the pack on that) but Peale tied it to our characteristic evangelism and made it much more than Emersonian self-reliance.

The book is mostly made up of anecdotes of biblical-based optimism and fervent, steady prayer leading to amazing results. This was not the way most of our European ancestors saw prayer -- beseeching a distant and dangerous God. This was a scripture-based plan to attune one's self to a loving and helping God; what could be more positive than that? Take the obstacle man:

He then reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. Under the isinglass window was a card on which were written some words. He shoved the wallet across the table and said, "There, son, read that. That is my formula, and don't give me the song and dance that it won't work either. I know better from experience."
     The obstacle man picked up the wallet and with a strange look on his face read the words to himself.
      "Read them out loud," urged the owner of the wallet.
     This is what he read in a slow, dubious voice, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)
     The owner of the wallet put it back in his pocket and said, "I have lived a long time and have faced a lot of difficulties in my time, but there is power in those words -- actual power -- and with them you can remove any obstacle."

The rest of it is basic, practical, easy-to-understand instructions, as in this list at the end of the chapter "Try Prayer Power":

1. Set aside a few minutes every day. Do not say anything. Simply practice thinking about God. This will make your mind spiritually receptive.
2. Then pray orally, using simple, natural words. Tell God anything that is on your mind. Do not think you must use stereotyped pious phrases. Talk to God in your own language. He understands it.
3. Pray as you go about the business of the day, on the subway or bus or at your desk. Utilize minute prayers by closing your eyes to shut out the world and concentrating briefly on God's presence. The more you do this every day the nearer you will feel God's presence.

And so on, ten tips in all, gently leading the reader to a better prayer life.

You may wonder how a dazzling sophisticate like myself came to read a book with such homespun cheerfulness. Well, it was a particularly dark spot in my young manhood. I'd been dumped by four girlfriends in a row; I had a crap nowheresville job taken from hunger after a long layoff; my dad was very sick; everything looked bleak. I'd certainly heard of the book; everyone had for fifty years after its introduction. The chapter titles really appealed to me -- "I Don't Believe in Defeat" (I did); "How to Break the Worry Habit" (I had it); "The Power to Solve Personal Problems" (I had those in spades). When I found out I was working near the church where Peale had been senior minister for 52 years (the lovely Marble Collegiate Church on Fifth Avenue at 29th), it seemed like fate. Even the story of how Peale got that position seemed to back up his thesis -- one day in 1932 he had to fill in for another preacher unexpectedly, and he held the job until 1984. He lived to a ripe old age of 95. (Incidentally, Donald Trump attended Marble Collegiate growing up, and married Ivana there, for what that's worth.)

Peale's great message was turning prayer into a hard tool people could use to transform their lives. Although explicitly Christian, this had some similarity to  Pragmatism, the "whatever works" religious school of William James and Charles Peirce. Alcoholics Anonymous had adopted it as a means of using a spiritual basis for recovery in the 1930s. Whether Peale knew anything about this or not, there was a practicality for people in distress that he shared with average readers to improve their lot.

I had some stumbling blocks when I read the book, and I still do, and they're not all the same. Take for example his story of the salesman;

"I'm a traveling salesman," he explained, "and I drive around all day calling on my customers, I have discovered that while a man drives he thinks all kinds of thoughts. If his pattern of thought is negative, he will think many negative thoughts during the day and that, of course, is bad for him; but that is the way I used to be. I used to drive around between calls thinking fear and defeat thoughts, and incidentally that is one reason my sales were down. But since I have been using these cards [scriptural cards with Matthew 17:20 and Romans 8:31] as I drive and committing the words to memory, I have learned to think differently. The old insecurities that used to haunt me are just about all gone, and instead of thinking fear thoughts of defeat and ineffectiveness, I think thoughts of faith and courage. It is really wonderful the way this method has changed me. It has helped my business, too, for how can one expect to make a sale if he drives up to a customer's place of business thinking he is not going to make a sale?" 

It's hard to argue with that. But what if this man was a salesman for a company that made cheap crap that broke after the first use? Or useless snake oil? Or Chinese medical supplies? Ought he to expect divine help for selling this garbage, no matter how virtuous he may be?

Also, I have to think that Peale's legacy includes the so-called Prosperity Gospel movement, which seems to me like a complete reversal of the actual Gospels' love and humility, even a shameful and childish worship of wealth disguised as altruism. What happens when followers fail to achieve prosperity, as some must? Goodness knows there are plenty of people around who are deluded about their own talents. Will they blame God, become atheists, fall into despair? Does belief that God will help you become healthy and rich if you pray enough set believers up for a catastrophic failure of faith? I suspect so.

As I've noted elsewhere, "when bad things happen to good people" is not just a ponderous question in life; for Catholics, it's kind of our mission statement. But Peale never meant that Divine Worship was a money machine that would drop sacks of cash into the laps of believers. He simply meant that people who expect to fail will, and these people can be helped by a higher power that can change their attitudes. He made a brilliant career of it and probably helped a lot of people.

Maybe I'm still just too pessimistic. I will say that the book was only of limited help when I read it first, mainly because I had no faith in anything. It was like trying to build a table without tools. My life did get better, as it often does, and at least reading this gave me some hope for that dark period.

You know, I wanted to run this book today because I thought it would help us get cheered up in a time of trouble. Actually, I think I feel a little better now.