How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

Content Warning: This section of the book references suicidal ideation and a parent contemplating killing a child.

Carnegie presents spirituality as an antidote to worry. He claims that religious faith creates a sense of purpose and prevents anxiety and that many mental illnesses and deaths could be prevented by faith.

Carnegie illustrates his point with the story of his parents, who faced great hardship. Their crops were often destroyed by floodwater, their pigs died of cholera, and despite working 16-hour days, they accumulated large debts. Nevertheless, Carnegie’s mother remained cheerful due to her profound Christian faith. Every night, she read from the Bible and prayed for God’s protection.

The author also shares a second story from the “How I Conquered Worry” competition. Mary Cushman’s family suffered extreme hardship during the Great Depression, losing their home and falling into debt at the grocery store. Cushman reached her lowest point when the grocer unjustly accused her son of stealing. She shut herself in the bedroom with her young daughter, intending to kill them both with the fumes from the gas heater. However, she changed her mind when she heard a hymn on the radio downstairs. The hymn suggested relieving life’s burdens through prayer. Realizing she had failed to share her worries with God, Cushman prayed for the rest of the day. From that moment, the family’s situation improved, and Cushman was grateful for her blessings.

Carnegie suggests that some men consider religious faith weak or effeminate. However, he points out that “famous ‘he-men’” (220), such as boxer Jack Dempsey, baseball player Connie Mack, and fighter pilot Eddie Rickenbacker regularly prayed. Similarly, military leaders Lord Nelson, George Washington, and Robert E. Lee all consulted the Bible before going into battle. Many scientists also put their faith in God. For example, Nobel Prize winner Alexis Carrel described prayer as “the most powerful form of energy one can generate” (221).

The author claims that prayer can even help people if they do not consider themselves religious. He ascribes to prayer the following benefits:

1. It helps identify the root of worries by expressing what they are.
2. It shares the burden of worries so people no longer feel alone.
3. It encourages positive action.

Providing the words of the Prayer of Saint Francis, Carnegie encourages readers to try praying.