“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

It is difficult sometimes to untangle beliefs because you do not get hold of the proper strands.... To some degree Ruburt believed that artists and writers, pioneers, or revolutionary thinkers, were somehow punished—despised even—for their genius; ostracized. To some extent he had the feeling that as long as you kept your mouth shut about what you believed, you were safe, and that idea drew great strength from your own similar belief. Think what you want but don’t make the mistake of telling the rest of the world. Keep your mouth shut.

Their ideas ruled the world. Their ideas carry the weight of mass acceptance. He has done his thing, but fearfully. Only lately has he realized that he has no respect for any of the authorities, as they call him or write him, or approach him. As with today’s psychologist, he sees that in many ways they know far less than he, and are looking to him for help and direction. These are the people, he suddenly sees, that so frightened him.

Give us a moment.... Again, you cannot be afraid of the opinions of the world unless you value its opinions above your own. This is a difficult lesson to learn, and many live lives in which the entire question is never encountered. Ruburt suddenly realizes that in basic ways he does not respect the opinions of the world. Therefore those opinions no longer have the power to frighten him. When you are not challenging the world’s concepts there is hardly any problem.

None of this ever had to do with Ruburt privately, but with Ruburt and his contact with the world. None of our sessions, or his own natural development would ever bother him. The question was how these could be related to the world, how people would interpret or misinterpret, or how he would be regarded—for he took it for granted that anyone offering revolutionary ideas would be punished or ostracized.

Other issues have been contributing to today’s suddenly noticeable improvement. Psycho-Cybernetics does reach him at a certain point; Edwards has helped—but all of this only because he is ready. He sees that no one else has anything better to offer the world.

Each of you felt, however, that there was great value in being anonymous, yet you put yourselves in a position where you could not be. You tell Ruburt to keep it a secret from Leonard that your rent was raised, or you might move—good God!—while your most intimate personal beliefs and inspirations are given to the world. The idea however has been, the more secret you were, each of you, the better off you were, while at the same time your individual and joint creativity would be known. But the habits of secrecy continued, and there is no reason for secrecy but fear.

You did also, though this is not as clear to you. Ruburt’s experience is specifically more obvious, yet your mother and father each reacted in their own ways to the authority of the world as they understood it. Your mother tried desperately to fit into that framework, and your father as desperately combated it.

Ruburt need not fear becoming a new authority. People do their own thing, and point to others as authorities to take their responsibility for them. He need not fear others as authority, for the same applies. You do not need to protect yourselves against the world. It needs what help it can get, and you can only help it by being yourselves.

Encourage Ruburt to go out with you more. Each of you cop out in that regard, using time as an excuse. He will, however, feel freer, there is no doubt of it, when he does not think of the hallway as the place where the public world begins. He uses that surely in line with the beliefs given—but the private area will still help him along the way. I am not excusing the belief.