Question: If an ordinary person that belongs to the 99% of the population encounters some negative influence on himself, what should his first thought be? What should he remember at that moment?

Answer: Only that I received this from nature, the single source that created everything, governs everything, and advances me toward the goal. Therefore any influence on me is only so that I will direct myself toward this goal. How can I direct myself toward it even more, based on the influence I am now receiving?

First of all, one must connect oneself with the goal, and then look at what exactly I am receiving this influence upon, against what? As a rule, these influences are directed at my egoism since there is nothing else within me. But precisely which of its qualities, sides, and manifestations?

Usually, the most negative influence on egoism is an infringement of pride, an infringement of “self,” meaning I fear that I might be shamed before others; I am afraid of shame. It is the defeat of pride, the defeat of “self” that is the most important thing for a person. He is ready to die just to avoid experiencing or going through such a feeling. It nullifies the human within me, it literally destroys my “self,” and I am left with nothing but an animal body. And I cannot agree to be merely an animal. I cannot descend to that level, and therefore a person is ready for anything.

This feeling of defeat of my “self,” the threat of shame, is the strongest stimulus that we can receive from nature in order to move toward the goal. We learn from Kabbalah that practically all of creation, the entire system of worlds, emerged from this primordial feeling of shame, and therefore, for us it is the most effective.

If a person correctly feels himself, constantly awakens an analysis of “self,” the feeling of shame and the feeling of rising above it, then it becomes easy for him to perform any kind of work on his egoism.
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From a Conversation about Integral Education, 5/30/12

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