The Enemy within the Gates

Narcissism is the enemy of creativity.

A true artist expresses through his art his admiration for the world.

A narcissist only wants to be admired and is therefore not admirable.

A Vain Attempt

It is our vanity that compels our tongues to make the mistake of telling other people what to do or how to live.

A Graceful Expression

There but for the grace of God, go I.

Although this statement appears to be an expression of humility, it is misleading. Taken literally, it seems to imply that God bestows His grace on some and withholds this gift from others.

What is missing is our responsibility for cooperating with grace. Without our cooperation, the gift remains dormant.

Perhaps I can restate the well-known phrase so as to clarify the sentiment underlying the words:

There but for my cooperation with the grace of God, go I.

A Miserable State of Affairs

I do not want power over men's emotions. I do not want power over men's thoughts. I do not want power over the actions of men. I want the power to alleviate human misery. 

But no power can alleviate the misery of those who want to be miserable.

The Watchman

"Some watch others to learn what to do, and some watch to learn what not to do." --Eric Hoffer in The Passionate State of Mind

And some do both.

A Double Bind

A definition of ignorant might be a person who is unaware that he is unaware.

The Conquest of Nature

"An animal cannot be a contemplative." --Thomas Merton in New Seeds of Contemplation.

We have conquered nature. Now we must conquer ourselves. 

It is the nature within us which is the greatest obstacle to realizing our full potential as human beings.