In one way, it proclaims the wondrous power of the mind to positively influence the body. In recent years, the positive influence of the mind over the body has been scientifically investigated, in many cases proven, and is often accepted as an inevitable part of life. Positive thoughts can surround one with positive energy, just as "success begets success."
But by the same token, the statement above, whether intentionally or not, places blame for one's own illness upon the sick person for thinking thoughts that are not "glad and beautiful" enough. That kind of thinking can lead one into a pit of depression. Think about it--when one is faced with a terminal or destructive illness, the thought that one's own mind might have caused it is staggeringly depressing, furthering a negative state of mind, if indeed one was already present, or inducing one if it wasn't present already.
While the mind is a powerful force, it is difficult to accept that physical problems are the total result of one's own negative thoughts. Such an extreme, absolute statement must be interpreted in a way that makes rational sense.
For example, when it comes to a physical affliction such as being a few pounds overweight, one might easily attribute the negative circumstances in one's life as contributing to that situation. Perhaps one is eating more than he or she needs to because of a stressful situation that he or she is undergoing, and therefore packs on a few extra pounds. Stress can indeed induce negative thought patterns that cause one to take negative physical action such as eating more than one needs to. In this case, it's relatively easy to see that if the person deals with the stressful situation in a more positive manner than eating more, the body will not pack on the extra pounds.
However, if one is severely overweight to the extent that he or she is unable to participate in life in a normally functional manner, i.e., barely even gets out of bed, is it so easy to tell that person that he or she just needs to think "glad and beautiful thoughts" to lose the weight that is endangering his or her life?
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