 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
To change from the familiar we put ourselves at risk and accept the possibility of receiving new or different responses from our friends or acquaintances. Any young man who wants to invite the lady of his choice to a party risks her refusal. Unless he is willing to take that risk he would never have courage to ask. The old saying "Faint heart never won fair lady" applies to all facets of life. We apply for a job knowing that only one of the many applicants will be accepted. We buy a ticket in a lottery being prepared to lose our money. When we write a book, we risk the criticism and even the sarcasm of others. To replace an ineffective philosophy we put ourselves at risk. To move experimentally into the unknown we have to be prepared to adopt attitudes which we have not previously adopted habitually.
We will need to keep on practising our new concepts. Occasionally we will drop back to old habits of thought and will feel disappointed but we should never give up. After years of thought and change I still find the need to bring myself back to the principles of my personalised philosophy- Occasionally I need to remind myself that I am responsible for my own happiness or that I do not have to carry other peoples' rubbish in my boat or that I am not God and that the other person is also a dignity in his own right. Sometimes I have to apply the principles to new situations.
It is not a case of just accepting new concepts, it is a case of making them part of life by practising them daily. In [he end, practice will become habit. We gradually become the person we want to be.
Life is uncertain, we have no guarantee of another day. All that we do have is the present, the now, and an expectation of the future. Now is the time to enjoy living not at some nebulous future time which may never be convenient.
If you are confused and unhappy do something to day put yourself at risk and change your personal Philosophy, in other words change your concepts I hey are the motor forces which direct your habits and attitudes of behaviour. As a start and fur the rest of your life you could measure your social responses against the concept that you are a unique and separate individual of worth.
This chapter could just as well have been named Mow to improve the quality of life."
INTERIM SUMMARY
So far we have looked at ourselves as individuals who possess some very fundamental characteristics in common with all other humans. Our will to live, our egocentric qualities, our ability to reciprocate with others for personal gain. our social inclinations which enable us to love and accept love. and our uniqueness as separate and individual dignities in our own right.
We have discussed the false facade which is inclined to distort and destroy the personal expression of the real self, and which hinders our full enjoyment of life-We have now talked about the emotional stress we place upon ourselves, the little whips we use to discipline ourselves and thereby rob us of the enjoyment of the full flavour of life's experience. The guilts, angers and fears we submit ourselves to. I have suggested ways of dealing with the emotions which plague so many-Through it all has run a central concept of the self as a unique person of worth. That this is your life and my life and that we should live it to gain the best for ourselves and the community in which we live.
The next section seeks to apply the concepts in a practical way- We discuss the choosing of a partner;
enjoying a fulfilling and stimulating life within the relationship; living cordially and harmoniously within a family home environment; and finally applying our concepts to the wider world.
When we have become fully functioning and happy personalities, we do not crystallise and retain our philosophy as a static experience. We continue to expand and adventure. Our happy state starts to influence others about us. We play a small, perhaps unconscious, but important part in making the world a better place in which to live.
| Acknowledgements |