Far too many of a man’s intentions are corrupted by the compulsion to create a pleasing impression on others. If there are eyes and ears other than his in the room, then much of what he thinks, feels, says, and does will be automatically stained by this underlying motive to establish himself as unique and special amongst the crowd. Men are distracted by the unnecessary and unnatural desire to project a self-image of themselves because behind the confident masks they wear lies the very basic instinct to assure one’s perpetual survival in society. This tender side observes that life is uncertain and events are unpredictable, so it seeks out every possible advantage in order to safeguard its position. The nature of such vanity is that it always takes up enough psychological space as to make it impossible for a man to live up to his potential. For the capacity to live up to one’s best always requires a total absorption in the effort itself, displacing all other thoughts in its wake. A man’s perception of time slows down and the moment grows increasingly vivid as he insists on ignoring everything except what is essential. There is simply no other recipe for living up to one’s pinnacle, for if there were it would contradict the very notion.