It has been the emotional response to challenge that has caused our internal strife, and our vain attempts to deal with the ensuing problems with force, impatience and anger which have caused still greater confusion.

We must realize that the old emotional responses could never have been possible were we always inclined toward bringing forth what was fair for each moment.

Instead, we were preoccupied with personal ambition and glory— too busy worrying, making money, being a success—needing love and emotion to bring about our heart’s desire and to adjust our failing image, projecting our problems upon others to minimize their presence in us.

Emotional non-response to pressures has great spiritual significance. Non-response is a response, but not to the cunning pressure.

Patient non-response cancels out the effect of conditioning. When we are turned on from within, we are turned off from the programming of the world.

Conditioned reflex has made us more and more mechanical and led us away from reason and independence. Patience (non-response) will starve our egocentric will by depriving it of the daily-dose nourishment of emotionality that has promoted its growth.

One by one, our sins will emerge from the body as babble thoughts, to be observed and resolved in the light of understanding.

The lessening of ego need (desire for power, wealth and glory) strips temptation of its power. The non-response to things is synonymous with response (change, unfolding and development) to the true source of life.

It opens up a whole new inexpressible world of psychology. Each time we are patient we starve the roots of the old way.

When the emotional roots wither, negative thought patterns lose their power to obscure or stand in the light of reason.

"Let patience make every work perfect"

So our minds are remolded from within. We grow out of a different order. Count it a joy when you now meet pressure and temptation. Without upsetting conditions, we have nothing on which to practice our new way. The trying of our insight works patience.

Let patience make every work perfect. The claim to virtue is in the face of temptation, without which we would be obliged to remain a temptation ourselves.

So you see, even the bad will work to our ultimate good, if our desire is toward that good and we prove it by denying temptation.

Withdrawing from experience (to save face) is a foolish mistake, for by withdrawing (saving ourselves) we elude the gift of salvation.

Observing what we have become, without hiding, excusing or being angry with it—feeling our utter helplessness— refines into the pain called repentance, which brings a reply of new growth.

Step by step, pain turns to joy, defeat to victory, despair to hope. This helplessness (not hopelessness) and pain, humility, stresses the Spirit to compassion and provides a remedy that will strengthen your wonder (faith).

Without meditation, you cannot live with your problems. Neither can you live without them.