The beast within

If not for the beast within us we would be castrated angels.
--Hermann Hesse

Let's not confuse the surrender, humility, and serenity of this program with the perfection of angels. Today we are more alive because we are no longer destroying ourselves, or numbing ourselves, or shaming ourselves. We are men with the strength we need to meet the problems and excitements of the day. We may also get ourselves into trouble by our shortsightedness or mistaken ideas. That is why we need to continue to take inventory of ourselves and continue to be accountable.

We are on a spiritual path that leads toward fuller manhood. We accept the beast within. More than that, we like him and take pleasure in him. He has the same source as our spiritual strength. As we get better acquainted with him, he brings a sense of awe and mystery about the untamed parts of ourselves. He instills us with zest and vitality that we release as explosions of energy and power. He is in the music we love and in our dancing. He comes out in our daydreams and night dreams - in our labor and sweat. And he is in our trickery and humor.

I am filled with gratitude for the beast within.

[Dan]

More than that, we like him and take pleasure in him. He has the same source as our spiritual strength....
And he is in our trickery and humor.

Thanks for that Doug.

[Grimnar]

I am going to save this one for sure!

[Brookie]

This is what I believe:
"That I am I.
That my soul is a dark forest.
That my known self will never be more than a little clearing in the forest.
That gods, strange gods, come forth from the forest into the clearing of my known self, and then go back.
That I must have the courage to let them come and go.
That I will never let mankind put anything over me, but that I will try always to recognise and submit to the gods in me and the gods in other men and women."

-- D.H. Lawrence: Studies in Classic American Literature, Benjamin Franklin