Eyes dart left and right, up and down, his arms jolting in swirling motions, protecting him from what is nigh.

No man actually wants to see himself from a sober point of view. Or, rather, he unconsciously protects himself from such a sight. By the words which roll off his tongue he may say he wants it wholeheartedly and, in that moment, what he says is somewhat true. In reality, however, there are a great many things that are kept hidden from his vision for the simple sake that it will cause him suffering. The effect of this can be witnessed indirectly through the spectacles of projection, where men point their fingers at others in reproach.

The silliness of the situation is that whatever stirs irritation, anger and negativity with respect to how others are seen to behave, is a direct reflection of a man’s shadow, the facets and aspects of his character which he has tucked under the proverbial rug. The greater the negativity, the more deeply tucked away is that aspect of a man’s inner self. He finds himself indignant because another man behaves as if he is the center of the universe and that whatever he says is both clever and true. His reaction of negativity towards the other indicates that he suffers from the same delusion –perhaps even more so!

There is within each and every one of us — of course to varying degrees — an inner public relations employee. Their job is to work night and day to ensure our self-image is conveyed in a certain positive way, both to the other outward world as well as to ourselves. The first is obviously true, but what we do not often realize is the second. Consider for a moment what it means when such a function, that of manipulating facts of folly in order to keep one’s image of oneself clean of cracks, barrows itself deep inside.

It means that a man finds himself submerged in a near constant state of lying to himself. If the aim of life were to portray and convey one’s personality as perfect as possible, then a state of lying to oneself, so that a man sincerely believes his own lies, is an effective (albeit crude) method. It is crude for it is mechanically drawn out in this fashion rather than consciously. For if it were conscious and intentional, then most men wouldn’t be able to stomach the villainy of his own hands. He would suffer from the fact that he is intentionally betraying personal virtues, such as sincerity.

A sane adult realizes the nature of life and that success in this world is often attained by those who betray themselves along the way. Outward success that is, the type that can be displayed through glass showcases and written about in perfumed magazines. Another conception of success is in somehow managing to live a modern life while maintaining one’s sense of integrity along the way. When failures occur, mistakes which may even be fatal to one’s reputation, he will be provided with an opportunity that will measure the strength and quality of his character.

Many men are swept away by ideas which are not their own but rather nonsense that has bloated itself up from the instinctive urge to survive amongst the social order. One must be aware of this part of themselves, as well as the many things which were imparted into him before he was old enough to reason the commandments for himself. He must struggle with whatever it is that stands in his way from living a life filled with moral and ethical priority, where gold and silver are sacrificed for a commodity that simply cannot be hoarded.