There is nothing called ‘positive attitude’ or ‘negative attitude’. All attitudes are enemies of understanding and reality. An intelligent man lives a life free of attitude. Within attitude, you approach reality with a fixed, frozen mindset. When you come to a situation, come to it afresh—not with a ‘positive’ or a ‘negative’ attitude, but with real intelligence.
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Questioner: What is the difference between ‘right attitude’ and ‘wrong attitude’? If external forces ask one to change his or her attitude, then how does one know or decide that what is ‘right attitude’ or ‘wrong attitude’?
Acharya Prashant: What is the attitude? Attitude means mentality. Attitude is a predetermined, frozen set of beliefs. Attitude means, “I already know.” Attitude says, “I already know.” Attitude says, “I have beliefs about this, and this is it.” Attitude says, “Even before I know the reality, I have made up my mind.” You talked of ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ attitude. (Pointing at a blackboard at his back) I write a variable A over here and I say, “Tell me whether A is positive or negative.”
Questioner: Positive.
Acharya Prashant: Positive. Because you have a positive attitude, so it is positive for you. And those who have a negative attitude, for them it is negative. Wonderful! I write over here another variable, in a language not known to you. Those of you who have a positive attitude, will say, “You know, some tremendously good things about me are written here. It is written that I am beautiful, handsome, glorious, intelligent.” Those of you who have a negative attitude, will say, “You know what is written here about me? I am shit, and I am going to be flushed away.”
