One person, when shown a cup that is filled halfway with water, sees the cup as being half-empty. Someone else sees it as being half-full. A third person feels thankful that there’s half a cup. These are three ways of looking at that cup of water.
Seeing the cup as half-empty is a negative viewpoint. Seeing it as half-full is positive. The third manner of seeing it accepts the cup and its water with gratitude.
In reality, however, it is simply half a cup of water, and that is all it is. Yet we lament that it’s half-empty, or rejoice that it’s half-full. True, these are just different ways of looking at it, but if we apply this phenomenon to our lives we realize that it is a very big issue. The person who sees the cup as half-empty might be someone who is always dissatisfied: a whiner and a complainer. The one who sees it as half-full might generally have a pleasant view of things and is probably full of joy.
There is nothing that brings as much happiness as being able to view things positively rather than complaining all the time. And if you can become the third sort of person, one who is ready to be grateful and can say, “I’m thankful that that there is half a cup,” you will become even happier.
Kokorono manako o hiraku [Opening the Mind’s Eye] (Kosei Publishing, 2013), pp. 21-22
Nichiko Niwano is president of Rissho Kosei-kai and an honorary president of Religions for Peace. He also serves as an advisor to Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan).
