These forebodings of future unpleasantnesses, illnesses, losses, awkward situations often get hold of a man to such an extent that they become waking dreams. People cease to see and hear what actually happens, and if someone succeeds in proving to them that their forebodings and fears were un founded in some particular instance, they even feel a certain disappointment, as though they were thus deprived of a pleasant expectation.
Very often a man leading a cultured life in cultured surroundings does not realize how big a role fears play in his life. He is afraid of everything: afraid of his servants, afraid of the children of his neighbor, the porter in the entrance hall, the man selling newspapers around the corner, the cab-driver, the shop assistant, a friend he sees in the street and tries to pass unobtrusively so as not to be noticed. And in their turn the children, the servants, the hall porter, and so on, are afraid of him. And this is so in ordinary, normal times but, at such times as we are going through now, this all-pervading fear becomes clearly visible. G. I. Gurdjief
Unconscious fear is a very characteristic feature of sleep. Man is possessed by all that surrounds him because he can never look sufficiently objectively on his relationship to his surroundings. He can never stand aside and look at himself together with whatever attracts or repels him at the moment. And because of this inability he is identified with everything. This too is a feature of sleep. You begin a conversation with someone with the definite aim of getting some information from him. To attain this aim you must never cease to watch yourself, to remember what you want, to stand aside and look at yourself and the man you are talking to. But you cannot do it. Nine times out of ten you will become identified with the conversation and instead of getting the information you want, you will yourself tell him things you had no intention of telling. People have no idea how much they are carried away by fear. This fear is not easily defined. More often than not it is fear of awkward situations, fear of what another man may think. At times this fear becomes almost a mania.G. I. Gurdjief
People do not understand that sincerity must be learned. They imagine that to be sincere or not to be sincere depends upon their desire or decision. But how can a man be sincere with himself when in actual fact he sincerely does not see what he ought to see in himself? Someone has to show it to him. And his attitude towards the person who shows him must be a right one, that is, such as will help him to see what is shown him and not, as often happens, hinder him if he begins to think that he already knows better.
Gurdjieff
Sincerity is a function of conscience. Every man has a conscience — it is a property of normal human beings. But owing to civilization this function has become crusted over and has ceased to work, except in special circumstances where the associations are very strong. Then, it functions for a little time and disappears again. Such moments are due to strong shock, great sorrow, or insult. At these times conscience unites personality and essence, which otherwise are altogether separate.” —Gurdjieff
—Gurdjieff put together and collected by thatwhichdoesnotsuffer Tumblr family
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