Are you your natural self?
A wolf never pretends to be a sheep, nor do doves project the image of a hawk.
Why then do we clothe our lusts with love, and our fears with aggressiveness? Is this our nature? Is this our natural selves?
What is our nature? Are we simply the most competent animals able to take advantage of everything, and ensuring we are rarely taken advantage of?
Our nature surely, is unlike that of any other animal. “Choice” is the primary, intrinsic, differentiator to our nature. We alone, choose our natural selves.
All other created things cannot choose their natural self. Their nature is hardwired into them. A lamb cannot pretend to be a lion, nor a donkey a stallion.
At its most basic, our choice is between: (a) I exist for self, OR (b) I exist for a purpose greater than self.
Said differently the choice is between: (a) I love the image I have of myself OR (b) I love the vision I have for myself.
When we love an image we have of ourselves, then we set ourselves on a life, which needs us to do two things constantly: -
1) We need to keep defending this image with anger/aggressiveness, and exclude people from our lives that do not accept this image we have. We will break the closest blood relationships to defend this image.
2) We need to wear masks and pretend to be that which we are not, just to keep the image alive.
When we love the vision we have of our selves, when we are driven by a purpose higher than ourselves, something we can subject our desires, feelings, wants and needs to, then however: -
1) We keep evaluating our current self versus the ideal we have of our visioned self and actively work to fulfill the gap.
2) We discover our true self and enjoy our individuality without needing any comparison. We live without being worried what others think.
The real difference between an image of self and a vision of self is that in the image, I am already a completed version of myself.
In the vision however, I am continually work-in-progress.
The image produces a type of stubbornness (masked as confidence), a refusal to tolerate, and a controlling nature.
The vision produces flexibility (seen as weakness) generosity of spirit and unfettered good naturedness.
Just as we were all born naked and are taught to be clothed, so are we all by default born into the first choice of loving an image, and need to actively choose the second choice.
We were born physically naked, but in our inner invisible being were born clothed. We need to learn the opposite of what we do with our physical self in our inner being.
Just as physically you were born naked and need to learn to be clothed and articulate etc., so in your inner being you were born possessing the skills of pretense and deceit (remember nobody taught you these things) and now need to learn how to be naked without pretense, deceit and that small tiny thing called a lie.
To choose is man’s nature. We can passively choose to be our hard-wired selves. Or we can actively choose to re-wire ourselves.
The unnatural man is the one who lives by passive choice. The natural man actively chooses, and genuinely overcomes. The unnatural person pretends at it; he is one person in his mind, and another in action.
Have you made your choice?