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The Revolution of the Dialectic: Psychological Slavery

Psychological Slavery

The reason why we have written this book entitled The Revolution of the Dialectic is because there is not even the least bit of doubt that we are on the verge of a third world conflagration.

Times have changed and we are initiating a new era within the august thundering of thought. A new revolutionary ethic based on a revolutionary psychology is now needed.

Without an in-depth ethic, the best social and economic formulae remain reduced to dust. It is impossible for the individual to transform himself if he does not concern himself with the dissolution of the “I.”

Psychological slavery destroys interaction. Psychological dependence on someone is slavery. If our manner of thinking, feeling, and acting depends on the manner of thinking, feeling, and acting of those people who interact with us, then we are enslaved.

We constantly receive letters from many people who are desirous of eliminating the “I,” but they complain about their wives, children, brothers, families, husbands, bosses, etc. Those people demand certain conditions in order to dissolve the “I.” They want luxuries in order to annihilate the ego; they demand magnificent conduct from those with whom they interact.

The funniest thing of all in this matter is that those poor people seek different subterfuges; they want to flee, abandon their home, their job, etc., supposedly to self-realize themselves in depth.

Wretched people... Naturally, their adored torments exert command over them. These people have not yet learned to be free; their conduct depends on the conduct of others.

If we want to follow the path of chastity and aspire that our spouse first be chaste, then we are failures already. We want to cease being drunkards but when others offer us a drink we accept it because we are embarrassed to be considered “such a square,” or because our friends could become angry with us; we will never cease to be drunkards in this way.

If we want to cease being angry, irascible, irate, furious, but as a prior condition we demand that those who interact with us be sweet and serene so that they won’t do anything to bother us, then indeed we are failures because others are not saints. Thus, at any moment, they will put an end to our good intentions.

If we want to dissolve the “I,” we need to be free. The one who depends on the behavior of others will not be able to dissolve the “I.” Our conduct must be our own and must not depend on anyone. Our thoughts, feelings, and actions must flow independently from the inside to the outside.

The worst difficulties offer us the best opportunities. In the past there existed many sages surrounded by all types of luxuries who were without any type of difficulties. Wanting to annihilate the “I,” those sages had to create difficult situations for themselves.

In difficult situations we have formidable opportunities to study our internal and external impulses: our thoughts, sentiments, actions, our reactions, volitions, etc.

Interaction is a full-length mirror in which we can see ourselves as we are and not as we apparently seem to be. Interaction is a marvel. If we are properly attentive at each moment we can discover our most secret defects; they flourish and leap out when we least expect it.

We have known many people who say, “I no longer have anger,” however, at the least provocation they thunder and flash like lightning. Others say, “I no longer have jealousy,” however, only one smile from their spouse to any good neighbor is enough for their faces to become green with jealousy.

People protest because of the difficulties that interaction offers them. They do not want to realize that those difficulties are precisely providing them with the necessary opportunities for the dissolution of their “I.” Interaction is a formidable school; the book of that school is made up of many chapters; the book of that school is the “I.”

We need to be really free if we want to truly dissolve the “I.” The one who depends on the conduct of others is not free. Only the one who becomes truly free knows what love is. The slave does not know what true love is. If we are slaves of the thinking, feeling, and action of others, we will never know what love is.

Love is born in us when we put an end to psychological slavery. We need to very profoundly comprehend, in all the levels of the mind, the entire complicated mechanism of psychological slavery.

There are many forms of psychological slavery. If we really want to dissolve the “I,” then it is necessary to study all those forms of psychological slavery.

Psychological slavery exists not only internally but also externally. Intimate, secret, occult slavery exists that we do not even remotely suspect.

The slave believes that he loves, yet in reality he only fears, because the slave does not know what true love is.

The woman who fears her husband believes that she adores him, when truly she only fears him. The husband who fears his wife believes that he loves her when in reality what is happening is that he fears her. He may fear that she may leave with someone else, or that her character may become sour, or that sexually she may deny him, etc.

The employee who fears his boss believes that he loves him, that he respects him, that he cares for his interests, etc.

No psychological slave knows what love is. Psychological slavery is incompatible with love.

There are two types of conduct: the first one comes from the outside and goes towards the inside; the second one goes from the inside and goes towards the outside. The first is the result of psychological slavery and is produced by reaction; for example, we are hit and we hit back; we are insulted and we reply with insults. The best type of conduct is the second, that of the one who is no longer a slave; that of the one who no longer has anything to do with the thinking, feeling, and doings of others. That type of conduct is independent; it is upright and just conduct. If we are hit, we answer with blessings; if we are insulted, we keep silent. If they want to get us drunk, we do not drink even though our friends become angry, etc.

Now our readers will comprehend why psychological freedom brings us that which is called love.