For your taste of the power of a positive attitude for today you might want to listen to the story of the Girl Guides held captive by the Japanese at their internment camp in Chefoo, China during World War II:
I found it well worth listening to. The story was reported by Reply All.
Fascinating. While I have faith in humans to rise to greatness, I do question today’s generations. Part of the problem is that few people have been called upon to fight against anything substantial.
Today’s valiant warriors sally forth to do battle with soft suburban males over gay marriage, and today’s martyrs are willing to be crucified on a financial cross to prove their faith.
Perhaps one day, they will be called upon to face substantial adversary, and they will learn that even the bravest and the most courageous are not without fear. The trick is to keep focused on your mission and to use your training. You just push the fear off into a deep part of your mind, and you hope that it never resurfaces again.
The Girl Guide Leaders did what they were trained to do, and they pushed the fear as far away as they could. The problem with today’s generations is that they have been trained in nihilism.