On the superficial level there are assets or debits to living in any period. On the more profound level, each individual must come to his own consciousness of himself, and he does this on a level which transcends the particular age he lives in. The same holds true for one’s chronological age. The important issue … Read more
We have seen that one of the unique characteristics of man is that he can stand outside his present time and imagine himself ahead in the future or back in the past. A general, in planning a battle next week or next month, anticipates in fantasy how the enemy will react if attacked here or … Read more
The courage to be one’s self is scarcely admired as the top virtue these days. One trouble is that many people still associate that kind of courage with the stuffy attitudes of the self-made men of the late nineteenth century, or with the somewhat ridiculous no matter how sincere “I-am-the-master-of-my-fate” theme in such a poem … Read more
Dr. Tillich has stated that “the principles which constitute the universe must be sought in man,” and the converse is true, that what is found in man’s experience is to some extent a reflection of what is true in the universe. This can be clearly illustrated in art. A picture is never beautiful if it … Read more
But the attitude of “the divine right to be taken care of” is quite something else. It is one of the greatest blocks to the development of these persons toward maturity in therapy as well as in life in general. It is generally difficult for such people to see their demand to be taken care … Read more
“Choosing One’s Self” Freedom does not come automatically; it is achieved. And it is not gained at a single bound; it must be achieved each day. As Goethe forcefully expresses the ultimate lesson learned by Faust: “Yes! to this thought I hold with firm persistence; The last result of wisdom stamps it true: He only … Read more
The impersonal, separated attitude toward the body is shown also in the way most people, once they become physically ill, react to the sickness. They speak in the passive voice—“I got sick,” picturing their body as an object just as they would say “I got hit by a car.” Then they shrug their shoulders and … Read more
Let us consider the latter objection first. To be sure, one ought not to think too highly of one’s self, and a courageous humility is the mark of the realistic and mature person. But thinking too highly of one’s self, in the sense of self-inflation and conceit, does not come from greater consciousness of one’s … Read more
To undertake this “venture of becoming aware of ourselves,” and to discover the sources of inner strength and security which are the rewards of such a venture, let us start at the beginning by asking, What is this person, this sense of selfhood we seek? A few years ago a psychologist procured a baby chimpanzee … Read more
Second Essay. “Guilt,” “Bad Conscience,” And The Like. Have these current genealogists of morals ever allowed themselves to have even the vaguest notion, for instance, that the cardinal moral idea of “ought” originates from the very material idea of “owe”? Or that punishment developed as a retaliation absolutely independently of any preliminary hypothesis of the … Read more