1 result for (book:ecs2 AND heading:"esp class session juli 21 1970" AND stemmed:vital)
[... 4 paragraphs ...]
As you all know, and this is not new, your pitiful body changes with each thought that you have and with each emotion. If you luxuriate in self-pity and feelings of chaos then you have yourselves to blame. There is no other place where you can lay the blame and it is up to you, to each of you individually, to watch the nature of your thoughts for with your thoughts you created the body that you have, the individual realities that you know. You create your little toe and your elbow and the pupil of your eye and your legs. When you allow your thoughts to run riot then your life runs riot. Now, there is no contradiction here with what I have said about spontaneity. When you have allowed negative habits, however, to take over, then somewhere you must draw the line for the negative habits knock away the discipline. The negative habits knock away even spontaneity for all thoughts of good will and health and vitality disappear beneath these thoughts that you are handing yourself every day like poison upon the spoon, whether the spoon be wooden or tarnished or silver. Now, this applies to everyone in the room to some extent or another, for there is no one that cannot stand improvement and this includes our friend Ruburt, but you do not understand yourselves or know yourselves. If you do not know your own thoughts, and if you cannot change them when you want to, you are not at the mercy of your thoughts.
[... 24 paragraphs ...]
When you love life very deeply then it is very easy to despair, and when you compare ideal human relations to the relations that exist in the world as it is, it is very easy to despair; but if you give in to despair then you cannot see the beauty that does exist for the despair will eat it through like lye; and so hold on to the beauty and guard it and the vitality of your thoughts and emotions and your natural vitality as you would your life, for it is your life. Peace—now you may all take a break.
[... 4 paragraphs ...]
(To Ned.) Behind me, this fellow behind the rocker, you mark my words and guard your vitality and the love you have of life and of your wife and of your child and the new life you see beginning in him and do not let the other emotions destroy your peace of mind. Now, peace is not a dull thing. Peace does not mean a sober face and dull thoughts. Peace is truly joyful and exhilarating and it can be as good and better than any trip, so if you are going to trip, then trip through the good green grasses that grow in the sod. And trip also through your own vitality and through the bright green forests that grow in your own mind and derive your strength and peace from these.
[... 20 paragraphs ...]