Powerful

 

On Page 65 of his book, The Passionate State of Mind, Eric Hoffer writes two entries, which I quote and then comment on.

 

Hoffer: “          108

 

Our power over the world is far greater than we dream. We fashion everything we touch in our own image.”

 

My response: I have always thought similarly, that people are God’s children, with amazing talent and prospects, if they just believed in themselves, dreamed big, and went after it as individuators. The Mother and Father are Individualists and Individuators and Creators. We are made in their image and likeness and are expected to work for them and grow their heavenly kingdom on earth, in heaven and across the galaxies. We are to be individualists, individuators and creators is we but realized that our power over the world is far greater than we dream.

 

Hoffer is warning us that we fashion everything we touch in our own image. We are born depraved, and are naturally altruistic and group-oriented, with little ambition to be individuals or to create. If we individuate, that is how we touch the world. If we refuse to leave joinerism for individuating, or mediocre lives and communities will be what we bequeath to the world.

 

Hoffer: “          109

 

Deep within us is a conviction that every mother’s son is better than we. Our self-righteousness is an echo of this conviction. Do we not expect others to be ashamed of thoughts and deeds which we ourselves think and do without embarrassment?”

 

My response: We do all have this conviction or feeling that everyone else is better than we are, but, it is not true even if we believe it is true. All people are made about the same and are more or less equal in talent and intelligence.

 

What is true is that we can maverize and be virtuous and holy, and then no one would be any better or much worse than we are if they to behaved and maverized—as did we. We need to not worry about what others think of us pro or con, realistically or defamatorily. We need no longer worry about what we think about them, pro or con, realistically or defamatorily.

 

Our job is to love truth, come to know ourselves, learn who we are and what is our life quest or life task as a God-given maverization assignment, and then we get at it, forming opinions about ourselves that are accurate, pro if we are and do well, more con and critical if we are not good, and are not behaving.

 

Hoffer is describing how altruistic  people, joiners mostly, think others are better than themselves, so these superior others should be held to a higher ethical standard. One will excuse oneself, living according to the false hood that one is inferior to others, so one should be expected to think and do more sinful things that our superiors, our neighbors. None of this is true or acceptable.