The State of Freedom
A journey of Truth into the mind’s sanctuary
with the destination of inner Freedom.
Β6. Decisiveness, self-confidence, promptness, flexibility.
My Master once wrote for me a poem, by which he stated that the truly mature man is the one who responds to the requests of life for power, love and light, observes himself while he is temporarily transformed by the magic of the bewitching Circe who seduces him with her beauty and warmth, and finally eagerly undertakes the task to shoulder all passions of the woman, recognizing this task as the natural purpose of his existence[1].
The mind now realizes that this attitude complies with the previous one which refers to the acts of care for the self, as they both stand for accomplishing all issues with decisiveness, focusing on the attitude of the man who remains devoted to his goal and does not deviate from his course, regardless how many internal or external obstacles may come up on his way.
These obstacles, thanks to the deep work of reconciliation which he accomplished in the first unit of steps, are now easy for him to treat by placing them in his heart with forbearance, without resistance, devoid of repellence and free from any desire that they vanish. By that means, he always manages to focus on his respective work undistracted by the obstacles, at the same time not turning a blind eye on their existence. He merely consigns them to his heart, while he does not cease to suffer for them, and continues his work undisturbed, or at least with little disturbance.
The man in this way finds the moderation for whatever he perpetrates. He does not cocoon within useless to harmful activities (overeating, television, mundane conversations, workaholism[2] etc.). Instead, he finds the courage and immediacy needed for difficult social or professional contacts which he was formerly afraid of. He also manages to move forward with his individual activities without stonewalling and decisively: training of body and mind by physical exercise, writing, meditation, compassion exercises for his brothers with concern and empathy, so as to be able to diagnose their inner situation, comprehend their anxieties and aspirations and meditate on how they can become liberated and happy persons.
Thus, the mind develops self-confidence, as he sees that he manages to settle up many fields of friction within one day, unaffected by internal and external containments.
This attitude constitutes, at the same time, a very good flexibility exercise for the mind, for it does not let him get attached exclusively to one thought or one type of activity. On the contrary, it prompts him to stay constantly alert and willingly respond to anything that is new, regardless how different may be the kind of mental work needed for the transition from the previous to the next object of occupation. Thanks to the continuous request for immediate response to all needs, the merit of flexibility is unavoidably and ipso facto achieved. Hence, the mind soon learns not to stick to useless thoughts which have severely distressed him during all his years. This fact is a testimony that the brothers-teachers were right when they said again and again that the only solution is to render service both to the self and to all brothers as well.
Certainly, the mind knows that there is an indispensable presupposition for the attitude of immediate response to all needs to work effectively. Namely, it is first necessary to undergo the now familiar process of reconciliation with the exactly opposite qualities of response, that is to say with disappointment, unconcern, fatalism and misery, which never stop existing inside him in the form of seeds ready to sprout as soon he gives them food. Devoid of this reconciliation, the mind is over-occupied with guilt feelings, self-condemnation and fury against his mistakes and has neither the time nor the nerve needed to activate the essential healthy internal mechanisms which are dictated by the attitude of immediate response to all needs.
[1] Exactly the same applies also for the truly mature woman, with the small and insignificant difference that the woman does not tend to be seduced by the same Sirens which usually seduce the man. Furthermore, while the man is called upon to “shoulder” the passions of the woman, the woman should rather use in a clever way the valuable gift of the uterus which she has been bestowed upon, in order to gestate and transform the passions of the man to virtues, because, if she attempts to shoulder them, then her shoulders will most probably bend under the excess weight, thus causing distress to herself and leaving the man unredeemed.
[2] This widely known and used term means excessive dedication to working, in order for someone to flee from unsolved personal or family problems. Under such conditions, the work has become a kind of alcoholism. This is a mental trick which my mind used to make for many years (and has also seen many of his brothers doing the same), in order to find a good excuse to go back home late in the evening, only to sleep, and then, in the morning again, to get up early and go immediately to the office, so as to avoid friction with himself and with the members of his then family.