Have you ever had a really big dream, something so amazing that it feels like if everyone just worked together, it could come true? Maybe you’ve dreamed of a world where there’s no more hunger, or a world where everyone is kind to each other. These kinds of dreams can be really beautiful and inspiring, but sometimes, when people have such good intentions, things don’t go exactly the way they hoped.
Let’s explore why that happens.
1. How Wishful Thinking Starts
When people want something good to happen, it’s easy for them to fall into wishful thinking. Wishful thinking is when we believe something is true or can happen just because we really want it to be. We don’t pay enough attention to whether it’s realistic or consider all the challenges in the way. For example, you might wish that everyone would be friends at school, and in your mind, it seems like a simple thing. After all, why wouldn’t people just be nice?
2. Thinking the Goal Is Easy to Achieve
Once someone starts with wishful thinking, they often believe their idea can be achieved as long as people are “good enough.” If they think, “everyone can be friends,” they might not understand why some people don’t get along. They could think anyone who disagrees with their idea is just being unreasonable or mean. They might say, “If only everyone listened to me, we’d be in a perfect world!”
Instead of thinking carefully about why people might disagree, they might start to believe that those who don’t agree are wrong in their thinking or even morally bad. This makes it easy for them to believe that they can ignore the opinions of others or even try to change those opinions forcefully.
3. Scaring and Brainwashing People
When people with wishful thinking realize that others don’t agree with them, they might become frustrated. They might think, “These people are stopping us from creating a perfect world!” Instead of talking it out or trying to understand others, they might start to scare people or spread false information to make the others seem like villains.
This is called brainwashing—when someone tries to forcefully change the way others think, often using lies or fear. They might say things like, “If you don’t agree with me, you’re part of the problem” or “Anyone who disagrees is dangerous.” This makes people afraid to stand up against them.
4. Pushing Their Ideas Too Far
Once someone starts using fear and brainwashing, they can push their ideas more and more forcefully. They become so sure they’re right that they’re willing to do anything to make their dreams a reality, even if it means hurting others. Sadly, in history, we’ve seen that sometimes people with good intentions who want to create a “utopia”—a perfect world—become so extreme that they end up doing terrible things.
For example, in some countries, leaders who wanted to create what they thought was a better world tried to eliminate anyone who disagreed with them. They believed that if they just got rid of the people who opposed them, they could create their perfect society. But instead of making things better, they made them much worse, causing pain and suffering.
5. The Lesson
What starts as a good intention can take a wrong turn when wishful thinking leads people to believe they are always right and others are always wrong. Instead of listening to other people and understanding their concerns, they might try to force their ideas, thinking they are helping. In the end, this combination of wishful thinking and good intentions can go against the original goal of creating a better world. It can lead to harmful actions that make things much worse.
So, it’s important to remember that even when we have good ideas or dreams, we need to think carefully, listen to others, and understand that people might disagree for good reasons. That’s how we make the world better—by working together, not by forcing others to follow our way.
