A Book of Secrets With Studies In The Art of Self-Control
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A Book of Secrets With Studies In The Art of Self-Control - Horatio W. Dresser
A Book of Secrets With Studies In The Art of Self-Control
Horatio W Dresser
Contents
CHAPTER I
THE SECRET OF SUCCESS
Every man wants to succeed. He may not know why or in what respect. But love of power is innate; and even the lowest member of society is spurred on by an ill-defined restlessness, a half conscious ambition, at least to realize the ideals of self-interest.
Success itself is a powerful incentive, for man is an imitative being. But success has many lessons to teach, according to the point of view of the observer. What the world applauds, the wise may condemn. What is deemed success by one is regarded as failure by another. Before we try to master the secret, we must agree upon a standard which applies to all cases.
Probably everyone who thinks about it would agree that success crowns man’s efforts only to with that end in view. By observing the law of proportion, of adjustment between various ends, the secondary ideals are realized without specifically laboring for them. And, surely, moneymaking must always be a secondary end if man is an ethical, a spiritual being.
Moreover, since success is symmetrical, it is free from the painful reactions which follow when one attempts to shape all things for personal ends. For example, when a man uses unscrupulous financial methods he may not at once suffer, but every unethical deed must be accounted for. The only success which permits a man to rest peacefully is the deed which expresses, first, his soul, his heart, his conscience; and, second, is true to each of the subordinate details.
If, then, success is primarily moral and spiritual, governed by the law of proportion, a man must know himself many-sidedly to succeed. The essentials of success, on the inner side, are a high ideal, self-knowledge, self-control, and selfcultivation; and, on the outer, self-realization, tempered by ethical recognition of society.
A man may indeed be on the road to success when his conduct is subordinate to commercialism, or when he is the possessor of great wealth;
standard of success to the lower order, whither every true man has already subordinated that which the world applauds.
The man who aspires to spiritual success may as well anticipate classification as a failure by the majority of men. He must also be prepared to meet the taunts of people who sneeringly call him impractical.
Success is supremely practical. A spiritual work is not a success if one must be constantly dropping hints or begging. It is not a success when one keeps alive only because pitying friends every now and then come to the rescue with money and clothes. These deeds of charity are sometimes pointed out as evidences that the spiritual law has been demonstrated. They are rather evidences of downright failure. They are sure signs of asceticism or fanaticism. A mistaken view of life is betrayed by this spurious spirituality.
As already intimated, if a thing is a success, it is needed by the world. If needed, it will be supported. To the degree that it is propped, it fails to meet one of the essentials of success. It is a pathetic fact that, because of their blind optimism, spiritually developed people seldom pursuit. Both work and play are organic; his avocation counterbalances his vocation. He is not a mere partisan, but primarily a truth-seeker. He can serve a cause, on occasion; but this is not his best work. He is not a proselyter, but a brother.
Included in the secret of success are thus many other secrets which we shall consider in these pages before uttering the final word. The art of health is one, the art of work another, the art of social adjustment is a third; and we shall have somewhat to say about character.
Here is what one man indicates as the secret of his success: fidelity to the spontaneous promptings of his higher self. For those promptings have somehow led the way to each of the subordinate essentials.
Consecration to a life-work, another says.
Tremendous capacity for work, others say.
Thus each man learns the same secret in his own way. The sooner he comes to judgment, the more quickly will he begin to succeed.
It is a partial help to affirm success, but there are no royal roads to it. There is no formula for success. The Power which called us into being has granted to each the possibilities of success;
CHAPTER II
A SECRET OF EVOLUTION
One of the great lessons of the ages is this many-sided ideal which we have found to be the form of success. The Greeks understood this law of symmetry, and not only chose beauty as the ideal of practical life, but described the universe in terms of order, beauty. But the tendency of the more spiritual nations was decidedly narrow in comparison. In India the spiritual man became a hermit or monk. All through the Middle Ages in Europe, the ascetic life prevailed among the spiritually inclined. The body was despised, culture was allowed to fall into oblivion, and it was only the determined effort of the leaders of the Renaissance which finally brought about a reform through a return to the Greek ideal.
In all ages the noblest Christians have tended to one-sidedness. Excessive thought upon the spiritual world, entire dedication to the life of self-sacrifice, tends to this result.
From one point of view no career is so noble as that of the self-sacrificing Christian. I would not for a moment underestimate this ideal. But the world has gradually reacted from this extreme position, so that to-day very few defend a strictly ascetic life.
Moreover, the Greek spirit has so persistently worked its way into the Christian life that we can no longer call ourselves simply Christians, in the old sense of the word. We are assimilating Greek life in the Christian spirit.
The Greek ideal was self-realisation, the symmetrical development of all our faculties and powers. The Christian ideal, as enunciated by Jesus, was love, humility, service. And we are learning that there is ultimately no conflict between individuality and service. There is no need to mortify the flesh or restrain the art impulse. The more broadly cultivated we are, the more skilful and beautiful, the more truly we can serve.
The same lesson is taught by Nature. Nature knows no excess. She proceeds by slow and easy stages until her products are artistically complete. She is organic; all her products are organic. Nothing is complete in itself. Everything must serve. And the grand outcome of this service of parts, this co-operation of organs, is at once Greek and Christian; it fulfils the ideals of beauty and love.
Thus the ideal of all evolutionary development is symmetry. Our being consists of body, reason, conscience, the social instinct, the sentiment of worship; and reason assures us that we must give due time and thought to all of these. We must have physical exercise, we must feed the intellect, we must be moral, we must express our affections, serve our fellows, and manifest the religious spirit. If we attend to all of these our life will be sound, beautiful, true, noble.
Conversely, if we suffer, if we are distressed, miserable, and unhappy, we may know that we have been guilty of excess. Disease is excess. Pain is an expression of excess. Its cure is poise, moderation, equanimity. Consequently, the remedy for every defect is beauty, proportion, organic adjustment.
First, then, know yourself as a rounded being; discover your needs and