, applied in the right way, drives the ship without
effort, just so the forces in our lives, if they are adjusted to one
another, will without strain or stress easily and naturally work
together to carry us in the direction we have chosen. When we get rid
of blind conflicts, even the business of ruling our spirits becomes
feasible.

SUMMARY

=Various "Sprees."= The human animal has a constitutional dislike for
dullness and will seize upon almost any device which promises to lift
him out of what he considers the monotony of daily grind. An elaborate
essay might be written on the means which human beings have taken to
create the sense of _aliveness_ which they so much crave. Some of
them--we call them savages--have found satisfactory certain wild
orgies in primitive war-dances; others--we shall soon call them "out
of date"--have found simpler a bottle of whisky or a glass of
champagne; still others find a cold shower more invigorating, or a
brisk walk or a good stiff job which sets them aglow with the sense of
accomplishment. But there are always those who, for one reason or
another, find most satisfactory of all a chronic emotional tippling,
or a good old-fashioned emotional spree. Persons who would be shocked
at the idea of whisky or champagne allow themselves this other kind of
indulgence without in the least knowing why.

Nor is the connection between alcoholism and emotionalism so
far-fetched as it seems. Psycho-analytic investigations have
repeatedly revealed the fact that both are indulged in because they
remove inhibitions, give vent to repressed desires, and bring a sense
of life and power which has somehow been lost in the normal living.
Both kinds of spree are followed by the inevitable "morning after"
with its proverbial headache, remorse, and vows of repentance but
despite all this, both are clung to because the satisfaction they
bring is too deep to be easily relinquished.

Whenever an emotion quite out of keeping with conscious desire is
allowed to become habitual, we may know that it is being chosen by a
part of the personality which needs to be uncovered and squarely
faced. Nervous symptoms and exaggerated emotionalism are alike
evidence of the fact that the wrong part of us is doing the choosing
and that the will needs to be enlightened on what is taking place in
the outer edge of its domain. In the choice between emotionalism and
equanimity, the selection of the former can only be in response to