No thought is more dangerous to our lives than the errant belief that a man is an individual. For one thing, he competes with himself at a biological level. His desires and needs often conflict. He craves pleasures that will later bring him pain. This self-sabotage is made possible because his future self is not something he conceptually recognizes as "him," for why else would he harm himself? The present "him" is alien to his future self.
But on a more fundamental level, unity is not absolute. What he considers his soul or ethos is divided by physiological reality. The most essential organ, the brain, is comprised of right and left hemispheres, joined by the corpus callosum. Even so, one would assume this biological connection will lead to harmony between belief and action. Ultimately, it is not one, and neither is he.
It would be more accurate to conceptualize man as a fractured unit, with many competing parts or "souls." These are the attitudes and beliefs that a man acquires throughout his life. Usually, these are contradictory thoughts, which wrestle with one another, attempting to assert dominance in his mind. For example, exercise against gluttony, selfishness against selflessness.
These beliefs must be amenable to his core psychology—what he believes himself to be. If he has been Catholic all his life, then certain liberal philosophies must be rejected. Therefore, all else is filtered through his Catholic perception. Yet he also holds tenets of compassion and mercy, so isn't it justifiable to sacrifice certain Catholic beliefs for a more open, liberal acceptance? Such ideological battles take place daily within one's own mind.
The revolution within himself occurs across three categories: Appetites—his desires, usually impulsive; Beliefs—his current mode of thought; Aspirational beliefs—beliefs he has convinced himself he has or should have, such as compassion, mercy, and so forth.
If a man were a single unit, there would be no disharmony between these three categories. All his actions would be geared toward maximizing his survival and success. Yet he craves harmful substances or foods. He finds himself in unhealthy relationships that he refuses or cannot leave. He has certain aspirational beliefs but lacks the motivation to act on them.
Why man's inner disunity is so dangerous is because it renders him vulnerable to external attack or propaganda. His appetites and beliefs may be weaponized against him for monetary, social, or political reasons.
I've talked before about strong families. This cannot exist without unified individuals. A man has no hope of overcoming his oppressive surroundings if he can't end the revolution within himself.
The corpus callosum, which bridges both hemispheres of the brain, serves as a literal metaphor for the soul and its obligation to balance man's divided nature. His appetites and beliefs under the governorship of a soul would benefit himself and his family. He would be impervious to indoctrination and would make decisions for both his present and future self. The bridge, then, between past and future would converge into a single point of action. That is the moment of fusion upon which success is made.
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