Freedom of the spirit

A healthy human being is able, essentially, to solve problems, to develop, to move toward objects of desire, to contribute to the well-being of others in society, to create value in the world, and to love, to be exhilarated, to enjoy. The capacity to do these many positive things, to do them well, and to do them freely, is natural. It arises by itself. It cannot be created artificially in a person, but it needs to be released, given room. It does need to be supported. It depends, simply, on the degree to which a person is able to concentrate on these things, not on others. And this steady-mindedness, even in joy, is damaged by the extent to which other unresolved or unresolvable conflicts take up mental and physical space in the person’s daily life.

Once the larger sources of need and conflict and interference are removed, or taken care of, the more subtle positive life-seeking aspects of the organism take up the challenges, desires, aims, that a person wishes.

the nature of the interference caused by hardship and conflict must therefore be very well understood, and accurately gauged, before we can say that we have a clear picture of its effects — either negative or positive.

#book/The Nature of Order/1 The Phenomenon of Life/10 The impact of living structure on human life#