The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-12-29
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IN NEWS
I:NIslslSSSI E White

the beginning OF New Year.
Usually the list OF resolutions is so
very long that we easily forget the
resolutions we have made.
We usually make resolutions to
change something objective or
something that other people can
easily see and judge. We resolve
10 save more money or 20 to
church and some of us actually
resolve to live more creative
lives. A resolution that would In
clude all of the things that one
might resolve Is a resolution ito
know ones self better"
The most difficult task that one
ever has before him is TO know
himself. Self understanding is ave-
some 10 say the least. One can
hide himself from himself in the
process OF ignorance about his own
motives. One can also make fairly
! good Job OF hiding himself from
those about him by an ignorance
of his own motives.
h. Motives do not stand alone.
Back Of a motive Is a need that
Is personal. Personal needs are
so intensely personal that they
are hard to detect by the individ-
ual who has them. Therefore one
has to really go" after ones self
to really find himself.
To set this whole line OF thinking
up another way: The big resolu-
ton for any Individual is to bring
about self growth. One can grow
by use of the proper self analysis.
Self analysis is simply a process
/ by which an individual looks in
on his feelings and thinking. The
individual does the looking critic
ally. One grows by reducing his
inner needs . his inner personal
needs. To say that one grows by
reducing his inner needs is not
quite accurate A more correct
| way of putting the idea is that one
| finds life to be more meaningful
by having his inner needs met on
a genuine basis, in as few places
as possible.
We mean by inner needs the
desire to be loved. the need to be
important in ones own eyes and
in the eyes of ones fellows. the
need to be accepted. and the need
to sacrifice for others. OF course
the needs that we have named
can be stated in many other
forms.
One finds il" useless 10 make
resolution to stop being a spend
/ thrift II his over spending is an
effort 10 get attention All the reso-
lutionS IN the world will do little
/ good, Such a person viii first have
10 look IN on his need for attention.
He Will have TO see this desire to
be noticed as legitimate drive
that is with all men. Then he will
have TO look further to see that
this drive in him is working TO a
disadvantage. At first his being
spend-thrift will be rationalized or
explained TO himself in terms far
removed from this fundamental
drive TO be noticed.
Our spend-thrift may have TO re-
| VIZ" Ills dCtlOilS &ONtIlIlR d IDIl
period OF time to discover that his
over spending is an attention get
ting mechanism. But when he does
understand that this over spending
is A cheap attention getting
mechanism life will be as different
for him AS If he said to yonder
mountain be removed.
Over spending can he an ag-
greSsive act toward one whom
one has hostility and fear The
great majority of us do not have
enough self strength to face our
hostility head-On. We cannot add
NIT 10 ourselves that we feel in
secure about our relationships
with other people.
However feelings Of hostility
and fear have to be dealt with
by the individual who has them.
Make no mistake about II. There
fore a person who feels that he
is not loved by the one he wants
to love him will strike at the
person with hostility in one way
or another. II may be by over
spending. over drinking. staying
away from home or being overly
critical. The person who strikes
back with hostility will explain
his striking back in other terms
at first. lie will justify his ag-
gressive actions on some SEEM
ingly objective basis. In reality
= he has never looked at the rea-
sons for his actions. He acts as If
the reason for his actions are out
side of himself.
The major reason for ones ability
to use self analysis lies IN the fact
that almost all OF us know sub
consciously that the fear and hos
tlllty we experience comes from
within us and not from without us.
Thereby We establish the real basis
for self growth. Self growth is not
grating on of ideals and purposes
that are high.
Self growth is rather a process
Of self understanding on the
basis Of ones feelings In rela-
tionShip to people and events.
When one starts on a process of
self analysis in the everyday sense
Of the word, he has TO be prepared
TO follow through even though
looking at ones self may be a pain
full experience. The pain in the
process Is a good sign Oh growth.
II Is we'll TO remember that one
can just be painful by looking at
. himself without any growth.
Many Of us do not grow be-
cause we seek to have our funda-
mental emotional needs met in
too many places. To put the same
thing another way, we run away
from opportunities for real emo
tiOnal satisfaction because we do
not explore far enough. An indi-
vidual may 20 from situation to
situation or from relationship TO
relationship seeking emotional
satisfaction. He does this because
he has not worked out a genuine
method for self analysis that will
serve him 10 advantage.
Many individuals make the same
1 resolutions every year because they
have never understood why they
had TO make them in the first place.