The trouble is that we live far from ourselves and have but little wish to get any nearer to ourselves. Indeed we are running away all the time to avoid coming face to face with our real selves, and we barter the truth for trifles.
As Eleanor Roosevelt observed, No one can hurt you without your consent. In the words of Gandhi, They cannot take away our self respect if we do not give it to them.
Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the hairy primate at the mouth of the cave, screeching at the enemy, wishing it would go away, fingering the heavy stone that we’ll use the moment it comes close enough.
Wake up early. Drink some juice, and eat well. Work hard. Be ambitious. Keep your priorities straight, your mind right, and your head up. Do well, live well, love well, and dress really well. Do what you love, love what you do. It is time to start living.
