Five serious character defects


1. Hysteria. This is essentially emotional excess, overreaction to everyday difficulties or benign situations due to distorted thinking.

2. Over-thinking. A little bit of thinking is required to help us navigate the world. Many people think far more than is necessary and upset themselves in the process.

3. Hurt feelings. If you think about yourself hard enough, you'll probably discover other people don't like you or respect you enough, or you're not as fine or good or well as you think you ought to be. Shame is really hurt pride.

4. Despair. This is the belief that our problems are so special that they cannot be solved. This is arrogance.

5. Wanting others to fix us. No one can fix us. Hard work and placidly relying on God can.

The programme suggests we pray to God to have these defects removed, then we act in accordance with their opposite:

1. Act well and productively.
2. Think things through only to the extent necessary to navigate the day.
3. Pray.
4. Thank God.
5. Think of others.