When I treat my psychological problems as moral problems, I discover there's a spiritual solution, because the spiritual is about first of all right and wrong and secondly about accessing the power to live in accordance with right and wrong. I don't know what the answer is to psychological problems. Mine have seemed impenetrable and refractory to long-term efforts. Even when I've understood the fear is irrational, it can still appear to plague me.
What if my fear were cowardice?
If my anger were retaliatory wrath?
My low self-worth thwarted vanity?
My boredom selfishness?
My apathy callousness?
My sadness self-pity?
My depression self-centredness?
My anxiety ... likewise?
The left-hand side of each pair is regrettable but liveable-with. The right-hand side of each pair not only is offensive but also points the way to the opposite virtues to cultivate with God's help:
- Courage
- Patience and tolerance
- Humility
- Loving action
- Empathy
- Compassion for others
- Self-forgetting