It is amazing how much can be learned from symbols, how much more powerful the imagination becomes with their study, even though one does not, or simply cannot, lock them down into definitive practical knowledge. There will always be an open door, always possibilities to be noticed, which perhaps contrast with what one thought one had learned. So study, no matter how deep, is always inconclusive, since a symbol can never be exhausted. But it pays off, and with it the imagination reaches a new level.
Category: Notes
The Desire for Liberation From an Oppressive…
The desire for liberation from an oppressive environment often generates tremendous and decisive force. Through it, the personality reaches an unusual level of solidity, feeling incorruptible when the oppression subsides, or when one learns to overcome it with less friction. Then alternatives can be glimpsed. Sometimes it is possible to create a new environment, or at least make an effort to do so, something whose effects can be comforting. When it is not possible, that’s okay too: oppression, when not felt too much, ends up strengthening.
The Individual Takes a Tremendous Step…
The individual takes a tremendous step forward when he starts only accepting advice from those who can serve as role models. In all other cases, it is simply to disregard. By taking this step, mistakes are avoided in no small measure, and the problem of self-assertion is finally overcome. One should listen to those who inspire, and teach others only what they have done.
It Is Great Luck When Fate Takes Care…
It is great luck when fate takes care to relieve us of burdens we did not choose or did not wish to take on. Often, such moves go unnoticed, even though they save us from immense suffering. We can endure more suffering than we realize, as long as it is justified; when we suffer for nothing, even if this is only what it seems to us, we can endure very little. We should never take on the other person’s cross, or everyone’s cross, just because that is what they do. We must carefully choose the justification for future tears, and thank fate when it makes us free to assume our reason for suffering.