One’s mind may be given readily and it may be given with zest. Not all control is oppression. Sometimes it is release.—Gilbert Ryle—
Our most dangerous delusion is that we can control others. The hard-won truth is that we can control only ourselves and it may take us a lifetime to learn this. Self-control means release, however;
release from the bondage of uncontrolled and thoughtless behavior. When we recognize that our only legitimate power is over ourselves, we become free to grow spiritually and to increase that power. Lack of control is not freedom; it is chaos. Conflicting impulses squander energies instead of controlling them and directing them toward growth. We can’t subdue our unruly selves by fighting them: accept them, love them as part of our human imperfection, our superb and jagged individuality. As we come to recognize the benefits of self-control, we’ll choose it more and more often.
We’ll become more fully in control of our lives, better able to direct our energies and do what we want to do.Only by choosing self-control will I achieve freedom.