The Barriers

	A man is anxious to free himself from a prison, and yet he
strengthens the bars.  Will he escape?  These bars are the habits of
depending only upon the secondary self, the desire for emotional
stimulus and greed.
	Supposing someone were to want to rise above the surface of
the water but persisted in holding on to stones at the bottom of the
sea.  What would happen to him and what would you call him?  These are
the attachments to outworn and irrelevant systems, ideas and slogans.
	Suppose someone were to want to grow taller, but kept himself
in a box which dwarfed his growth?  This box is the reliance upon
cults and organizations which dwarf people's capacities.
	Supposing, again, that someone were to think that he wanted to
travel, but yet he placed great weights on his feet so that he could
not walk or even move.  What would you call such a person?  Those
weights are the desires for attention and for getting something before
the time is right.
	Supposing, yet again, that some people were to aver that they
wanted to be better people, yet they constantly stole what belonged to
others and told lies, working against being better in any way.  What
would you call such people?   Those actions are paralleled by
believing that one will get paid twice: once by feeling good after
doing something good, and once in a future life.
	Supposing, finally, that there were people who said that they
wanted to see around them, yet who persisted in wearing blinders, what
would you call them?  Those barriers are the habit of mixing
attractive but useless formulae and totems with specific teachings.

	From _The Commanding Self_, by Idries Shah (pg 175).