the foundations of personality-第86章

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y　everybody　will　see　through　my　pose；and　then　where　will　I　be？〃　Hide…and…go…seek　is　one　of　the　great　games　of　adults　as　well　as　of　children。　We　hide　our　own　defects　and　seek　the　defects　of　others　in　order　to　avoid　inferiority　and　to　feel　competitive　superiority。　But　there　is　a　deep　contradiction　in　our　natures：　we　seek　to　display　ourselves　as　we　are　to　those　who　we　feel　love　us；　and　we　hide　our　real　self　from　the　enemy　or　the　stranger。　The　protective　marking　of　birds　and　insects　〃amateurish　compared　to　the　protective　marking　we　apply　to　ourselves。　I　forbear　from　depicting　further　character　types。　People　are　not　as　easily　classified　as　automobiles；　and　the　combinations　possible　exceed　computation。　Character　growth；　in　each　individual　human　being；　is　a　growth　in　likeness　to　others　and　a　growth　in　unlikeness；　as　well。　As　we　move　from　childhood　to　youth；　and　thence　to　middle　and　old　age；　qualities　appear　and　recede；　and　the　personality　passes　along　to　unity　and　harmony　or　else　there　is　disintegration。　He　who　believes　as　I　do　that　the　Grecian　sage　was　immortally　right　when　he　enjoined　man　to　know　himself　will　agree　that　though　understanding　character　is　a　difficult　discipline　it　is　the　principal　science　of　life。　We　are　only　starting　such　a　science；　we　need　to　approach　our　subject　with　candor　and　without　prejudice。　Though　our　subject　brings　us　in　direct　contact　with　the　deepest　of　problems；　the　meaning　of　life；　the　nature　of　the　Ego　and　the　source　of　consciousness；　these　we　must　ignore　as　out　of　our　knowledge。　Limiting　ourselves　to　a　humble　effort　to　know　our　fellow　men　and　our　own　selves；　we　shall　find　that　our　efforts　not　only　add　to　our　knowledge　but　add　unmeasurably　to　our　sympathy　with　and　our　love　for　our　fellows。


End