Dragon

I accidentally watched an NHK program (cannel 2) last week in which someone was talking about how our positive thinking works good for our lives. His look was ecstatic, convincing enough for us to believe that there is no lie about what he was telling us. But somehow, it reminded me unexpectedly of a classic story I read in my school days. It is a tale written in Uji Collection of tales(宇治拾遺物語).
The story is about a monk who, half out of some spite and half by mischief, posted a signboard on the side of a pond（猿沢池） which read "A dragon will emerge from the pond and soar up into the sky on so-and-so day, month". The rumor spread at an enormous speed. Before long, everybody seemed to be talking about the dragon. At first he was amused of the rumor becoming bigger and bigger. But in the meantime, he began to think "if everybody is talking about the dragon so seriously it might actually appear from the pond." He found himself waiting for the day and the dragon. His expectation gradually turned into a confidence.

Finally the day came. When he got there, the place was already bustling with people who came to see the oncoming spectacle. He was watching the pond behind the crowd, brimming with anticipation. The expectation grew bigger and bigger until it almost became pain.
The noon came. Nothing emerged from the pond. Evening came. The water surface was calm. There was not even a ripple in the pond, no sign of dragon at all. One by one the crowd gave up and left the place. He still waited with the hope of the dragon coming out. After all the dragon never appeared.
"Positive thinking" has something similar to this story. If you think of something positively you may get to believe a success. But most of the cases it remains as it is. Reality is reality. It doesn't change in itself whether you believe in it or not. What changed is only your way of looking at it.
However, there are some cases where your belief changes your mentality against something, followed by a change in your action pattern and energy you put into it, which all together brings about some sort of success.
Ryuunosuke Akutagawa（芥川龍之介） wrote a story titled "Dragon". He basically copied the story line of the tale written in 宇治拾遺物語. But he modified the ending.
The dragon appeared.