In a lecture on the development of what Freud
called “The Unconscious,” Dr. Paul Bloom of Yale University said in 2007 “We
use our minds and our behaviours and our actions continually to try to trick
people into believing what's not true. We try to trick people, for instance,
into believing that we're tougher, smarter, sexier, more reliable, more
trustworthy and so on, than we really are. And a large part of social
psychology concerns the way in which we present ourselves to other people so as
to make the maximally positive impression even when that impression isn't
true.” If that is true, then I need to overcome the selfishness and tricky ways
embedded in my Unconscious. In fact, I sense it in me and around me all the
time in real life. Cheating is a norm of adaptation to modernity in the scheme
of evolution. There must be a counter-norm to cheating in order to impress the
moral demands on my conscious and unconscious acts. It makes more sense that
the development of true civilization of justice is dependent on how much each
of us is willing to let go of himself as Christ did, and the willing of each
one of us to trust as Christ trusted. Christ
said it “He that finds his life, shall lose it: and he
that shall lose his life for
me, shall find it” (Matt 10: 39). We are dependent on God’s grace but God
works through us if we allow him. We all need to force ourselves into self-discipline
of developing a prayerful attitude of sacrifice – in thought and action – again
and again. The more we do it, the more it becomes a habit...A bit of sacrifice and
a bit of prayer everyday is a start. If we commit to repeating this we will go
into the deep, and slowly we will be transformed by God from within. Now I
understand the enormous benefit of repetition of prayers which I had thought
was not clever. By repeating my prayer, I am getting used to being in the
presence of God and investing my time in the eternal. It is still selfish to
think of myself but it is much better than cheating. With time, this prayer
will be grounded in my being and transferred to my offspring. By repeating it with others, the community
prays together and this togetherness cements the community and prepares the
offspring to imitate their parents. Nothing is lost if we work honestly
together, but at a deeper level, the more I lose myself in the community the
more I resemble the Eternal God; for God is a continuous self-giving community of
the Father to the Son and the Son to the Father and the binding power of this
eternal self- giving is the Holy Spirit who in us creates life from disorder and
chaos (Genesis 1). And while we are at it, let us make a conscious effort to reform
our intentions towards each other and renew our commitment to the Church, the
visible community of the kingdom of God. If Jung or Freud is right, our efforts
will be transmitted to “The Collective Unconscious” and “trick” us and others
to become children of God. Satan uses almost the same words “become like God” to
inspire selfishness. By imitating Christ, the tricks of Satan will be overcome.
Or as St. John Chrysostom said of Christ “Hell was tricked [by his presence].”
