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(A
Special Lecture given by Dr. Joseph Murphy at the Wilshire Ebell
Theatre, Los Angeles, California)
Every
man must have a sense of
self-esteem. He must approve of the Self within him and give honor
to the qualities, attributes, and potencies of God. God dwells in
all men, and the Self of each man is the presence and power of
God. Each man must feel that he is wanted and loved - that he is
adequate to every task, that he is needed in the scheme of life, and
that he is fulfilling his role in the universe. Man is here to
express himself fully and feel a sense of worthwhile-ness and security
in his oneness with God. Inasmuch as man lives with himself all
the time, he must learn to like himself. Unless man exalts the
God-Self within him, he will feel inferior, inadequate, insecure, and
will perhaps consider himself a sinner. No man can be happy who
considers himself a sinner. There is deep psychological and
spiritual necessity for self-esteem in the hearts of all men throughout
the world. Down through the ages many ceremonies, rituals, and
methods have been invented for the express purpose of banishing the
feeling of sin and guilt which have engulfed the masses.
The sense of guild is
called a mental disease (disease means "not at ease") and is
extremely common. In the field of modern psychosomatics and
psychiatric medicine, it is clearly pointed out that a deep sense of
guilt, coupled with frustration, lies in back of most of our mental
disorders and consequently back of the personality conflicts and bodily
diseases as well as business and home conditions. The sense of
guilt is abnormal and unnatural, even though it seems to be almost
universal. For example, a child is not born with a sense of
guilt. The feeling of guilt is imposed from without, usually by
parents, teachers, and nurses, together with the beliefs of the race
mind.
All of us know that a baby has no
sense of sin. The baby's first feeling of guilt comes when he
senses that mother is angry or displeased with him. His mother is
more or less a god to him; moreover, she represents authority and
law. He is dependent upon his mother for food, comfort, love, and
security.
When we were born into the world,
we had little or no sense of true values. As children we knew
nothing about man-made religions, creeds, dogmas, or customs, or
man-made laws, rules, and regulations. In the beginning the child
is like a little animal, and is free from inhibitions and does what
seems to him to be natural. But mother may scold him or perhaps
punish him by slapping him. She may say to him that he is a bad
boy and that God will punish him. The child does not understand
and is baffled. Instinctively the child feels himself cut off from
love, from security, from a sense of kindness and giving-ness. The
child feels that he is punished for something which he doesn't
understand, becomes confused, and concludes that he must be bad.
He has his first feeling of guilt and of being a sinner. He is
perplexed and proceeds to protect himself. Instinctively he reacts
to his mother's reprimand or display of anger in different ways.
He may become fearful, or he may fight back in his own way by going into
a tantrum because of inner conflict.
The child's failure to get his desires
satisfied where these are contrary to the wishes of his parents (and
later contrary to religious, social, and state laws and customs) deepens
his sense of guilt and sin. Instinctively he wants to do that
which seems natural to him, but authority says, "no."
The result is some conflict with authority.
The other day I was in a home, and the
little child there admired a ring on my finger and grasped it. His
mother let the child know in no uncertain terms that he could not have
the ring, and he began to cry. Later on the child will have to
learn that he can get what he wants in life through Divine Law and Order
without infringing on the rights of others. As the child grows in
wisdom and understanding he will acquiesce in good grace with the
restrictions of laws and customs, and he will manipulate his way through
life successfully. The cosmic urge to express is within all of us,
and when we express ourselves in such a way that we feel satisfied with
our achievements and accomplishments and our creations, we are
happy. When we err and fail in life, we feel unhappy and
depressed; we begin to think that we are outside the love and esteem of
others.
[The lesson above is part of a Special Lecture
given by Dr. Joseph Murphy at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles,
California] [click here for part 2]
Next week ... more from this Lecture,
teaching us how to triumph over guilt. As we know that guilt is
merely bringing the past into the Present ... we know that it is
possible to overcome it successfully.
And
So It Is!
Letting
Love Use Me In Its Own Good Way,
Rev.
Bates
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