Another Quote

Once again, Kraken coming in hot with another great quote in their daily newsletter: "The Daily Hash":

"No man is free who cannot control himself."

― Pythagoras

I totally get that.   People put a lot of focus and blame on what some Other has done to them.  It has an appeal, we like to create heroes and villains and society loves to take sides.  Therefore it is easier to shirk personal responsibility and play the victim card. 

I'm as guilty of this as anyone.

However the real growth and the trick to freedom is to know what you are doing to yourself.  To see areas where you have lost control, whether it be another slice of pie, or something more acutely damaging. 

This idea leads me another quote, this one is not from the Kraken Daily Hash, but one that I think about often. 

“We would rather be ruined than changed
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And let our illusions die.”

- W H Auden, The Age of Anxiety: A Baroque Eclogue

The illusion of Self as victim and Other as villain is one of the hardest habits to kick.  The payoff is worth it though, gratitude feels better than holding a grudge. :)