The Individual
In our last lesson we stated that we considered the "Secret of
Success" to consist principally of the Free Expression of the
Individual - the "I." But before you will be able to apply this idea
successfully, you must first awaken to a realization of what the
Individual - the "I" within you - really is. This statement may appear
ridiculous at first to many of you, but it will pay you to acquaint
yourself fully with the idea behind it, for upon the true realization
of "I" comes Power.
If you will stop and take stock of yourself, you will find that you
are a more complex being than you had at first considered yourself to
be. In the first place there is the "I," which is the Real Self or the
Individual, and there is the "Me," which is something attached to and
belonging to the "I" - the Personality. For proof of this, let the "I"
take stock of the "Me," and it will find that the latter consists of
three phases or principles, (ie. 1. The Physical Body; 2. The Vital
Energy; 3. The Mind). Many people are in the habitat of regarding
their bodies as the "I" part of them, but a little consideration will
show them that the body is but a material covering, or machine through
which and by means of which the "I" is able to manifest itself. A
little thought will show that one may be vividly conscious of the "I
Am" part of himself while totally oblivious of the presence of the
physical body. This being so, it follows that the "I" is independent
of the body, and that the latter falls into the "Me" classification.
The physical body may exist after the "I" has left it - the dead body
is not the "I." The physical body is composed of countless particles
which are changing places every moment of our lives - our body of
today is entirely different from our body of a year ago.
Then comes the second principle of the "Me" - the Vital Energy, or
what many call Life. This is seen to be independent of the body, which
it energizes, but it, too, is transitory and changeable, and readily
may be seen to be but a something used to animate and energize the
body - an instrument of the "I," and therefore a principle of the
"Me". What, then, is left to the "I" to examine and determine its
nature? The answer that comes naturally to the lips is, "The Mind, by
which I know the truth of what you have just said. "But, stop a
moment, you have said, speaking of the mind, "by which I know" – have
you not, in saying this, acknowledged the mind to be a something
through which the "I" acts? Think a moment - is the mind YOU? You are
aware that your mental states change - your emotions vary - your
feelings differ from time to time - your very ideas and thoughts are
inconsistent and are subject to outside influences, or else are molded
and governed by that which you call "I", or your Real Self. Then there
must be something behind Mental States, Ideas, Feelings, Thoughts,
etc., which is superior to them and which "knows" them just as one
knows a thing apart from itself but which it uses. You say "I" feel;
"I" think; "I" believe; "I" know; "I" will; etc. , etc. Now which is
the Real Self? The Mental States just mentioned or the "I" which is
the subject or Real Cause of the mental phenomena? It is not the Mind
that knows, but the "I" which uses the Mind in order to know. This may
seem a little abstruse to you if you have never been made a study of
the subject, but think it over a little and the idea will clearly
define itself in your mind.
We are not telling you these things merely to give you an idea of
metaphysics, philosophy, or psychology - there are many books that go
into these matters at length and in detail - so it is not for that
reason. The real reason is that with a realization of the "I" or Real
Self, comes a sense of Power that will manifest through you and make
you strong. The awakening to a realization of the "I", in its
clearness and vividness, will cause you to feel a sense of Being and
Power that you have never before known. Before you can express
Individuality, you must realize that you are an Individual. And you
must be aware of this "I" within you before you can realize that you
are an Individual.
The "Me" side of you is what is called Personality, to the outer
appearance of yourself. Your Personality is made up of countless
characteristics, traits, habits, thoughts, expressions and motions -
it is a bunch of peculiarities and personal traits that you have been
thinking was the real "I" all this time. But it is not. Do you know
what the idea of Personality arose from? Let us tell you. Turn to the
pages of any good dictionary, and you will see that the word
originated from the Latin word "Persona", meaning "a mask used by
actors in ancient times", and which the word in turn was derived from
two other words, "sonare," meaning to "sound," and "per,"
meaning"through," the two words combined meaning "to sound through" -
the idea being that the voice of the actor sounded through the mask of
the assumed personality or character. Webster gives the following as
one of the meanings of "Person," even to this day: "A character or
part, as in a play; an assumed character." So then, Personality means
the part you are playing in the Great Play of Life, on the Stage of
the Universe. The real Individual concealed behind the mask of
Personality is YOU - the Real Self - the "I" - that part of you which
you are conscious when you say "I AM," which is your assertion of
existence and latent power. "Individual" means something that cannot
be divided or subtracted from - something that cannot be injured or
hurt by outside forces - something REAL. And you are an Individual - a
Real Self - an "I" - Something endowed with Life, Mind, and Power, to
use, as you will.
A poet named Orr wrote:
Lord of a thousand worlds am I,
And I reign since time began;
And night and day, in cyclic sway,
Shall pass while their deeds I scan.
Yet time shall cease ere I find release,
For I AM the soul of Man
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