The Tyranny of the Selfs
Excerpt from Ruth Paxson's book:
"Life on the Highest Plane"
Moody Press, Chicago 1928
Self Will 
"We have turned everyone
"We have turned everyone to his own way." The flesh wants its own way
and is determined to have it even if it defies and disobeys God and overrides
others. " I will" is the alphabet out of which self fashions its language of
life.Self-Centeredness "The Old man" feeds upon himself. He is the beginning and the end.
Life presents little that interests or affects him, except as it relates to him-self. He is the center of the world in which he lives and moves, and he always looks out for number one.Self-Assertion " The Old man" believes that everyone is as interested in him and
fascinated by him as he himself is, so he protrudes nad projects himself into the sight, hearing , and notice of others continually. He moopolizes conversation and the theme is always " I", "my", and "mine" . He walks witha swagger and expects the world to stop work an look at him. And he never dreams how offensive his self-importance is to others.Self-Depreciation " The old man" is very versatile and sometimes it suits his purpose
better to clothe his pride in false humility. He curls up in his self-deprecia-tion and shirks a lot of hard work which other people have to do. He magni-fies his littleness and feebleness to his own advantage, yet with strangeinconsistency he resents others taking seriously his professed estimate ofhimself and treating him accordingly.Self-conceit"The Old man" lives so much in himself that he does not know how big
"The Old man" lives so much in himself that he does not know how bigthe world is in which he lives, and how many other really intellligent peoplethere are in it, so he has little regard for the opinions of others especially if contrary to his own. He looks with proud and supercilious pity upon those less favored and gifted than himself.Self-Love"The Old man" loves himslef supremely. One might say almost exclusively.
"The Old man" loves himslef supremely. One might say almost exclusively.He loves God not at all and his human love for others is tainted more or lesswith selfishness, jealousy, envy, or impurity. Indeed, "The old man' makes an idol of himself which he not only loves, but worships.Self-Indulgence "the Old Man" eats, drinks and is merry. For him to want anything is
equivalent to having it. He pampers and coddles himself; he can even indulgehis extravagant, fleshly appetites while others starve to death before his eyes.Self-Pleasing "the Old man" chafes under discomfort and deprivation and is
grumpy and peevish unless everything in the life of his day ministers to hisreal or imagined needs. He lives unto only one person, whose name is notsurprisingly self.Self-Seeking " The Old Man" is on a quest; he is after whatever will advance the cause
of self. He seeks with feverish ambition and activity praise, position, power, prominence; and anything that checks his gaining them is attributed to others.Self-Pity His love for himself ogten creates within "the Old Man" rebellion against
his circumstances or relationships he exaggerates his own possible suffering, discomfort, or sorrow, and makes himself and others miserable by his habitual murmuring.Self-Sensitiveness "the Old Man" is extremely hard to live with because he is covered
with wounds and is continually being hurt afresh. He is not very companionable because usually he is dissolved in tears, shrouded with silence, or enjoying a pout.Self-Defense " The Old Man" is very jealous of his rights and busy avenging his
wrongs. he indulges freely in law suits. In his pursuit of his own vindication and justification in cases of disagreement and estangement with others, he is blinded by his own sin.Self-Trust "the Old Man" is very self-confident and feels no need of one wiser and
stronger than himself. Trusting in his own powers and resources he is prone to say, "Though all men shall deny Thee, yet will not I"Self-Sufficiency the confidence of "the Old Man" fosters an egotistical smug self-
satisfaction which leaves him stagnant. He has neither desire nor sense of need for anything beyond what he already possesses.Self-consciousness "the Old Man " never forgets himself; wherever he goes he casts
a shadow of himself before. He is constantly occupied with photographinghimself and developing the plates. He is chained to himself and as he walks one hears the ank of the chains. He is often morbidly self-introspective.Self-Exaltation "The old man" is absorbed in his own excellencies: he overestimates
himself and his abilities: he thirsts for admiration and praise and he thrives on flattery. He secretly worships at the shrine "self", and wishes others to do so publicly.Self-Righteousness "the Old Man" loves to dress himself in garments of morality,
benevolence, and public-spiritedness. he even patronizes the church and often assists in drives for raising money for philanthropic and religious purposes, heading the list of donors with a handsome gift. he keeps a doubleentry account book- both with the church and with the world, and expects a reward both on earth and in heaven.Self-glorying Perhaps "The Old Man" resents this plain deliniation of himself as he
really is, and thinks the condemnation too sweeping. Immediately he begins to enumerate his good qualities, his amiableness, geniality, tolerance, self-control, sacrificial spirit , and other virtues. In doing so, he takes all the credit to himself for what he is exhibiting; ill-conceited pride and vanity.a
