Artists, actors and musicians in particular all have a vain side… and so much the better. They give others such happiness and joy

Vanity is certainly a failing, but you should be tolerant of those who are vain, for is it not their need to be noticed that drives them to do things, even splendid things? True, they are splendid mainly for others, who benefit from them. It is often much less profitable for them. How many have worn themselves out and ruined themselves! The vain give of themselves, exert themselves, are generous, and even if their motives are not disinterested, even if they simply want to be liked by others, to be seen and gain approval and admiration, we cannot really hold it against them. Artists, actors and musicians in particular all have a vain side… and so much the better. They give others such happiness, such joy, when they give a concert or put on a show! They themselves might be ill at the time, or feel discouraged or anxious, but they perform, and the public does not realize their distress. They are truly heroic. Obviously, I am not going to encourage you to cultivate vanity, but it has to be said that humanity owes a great deal to the vain. And not just to artists, but also to all those who have undertaken great works so that their name would not be forgotten by history.

It is pointless bemoaning the fact that human nature is sinful and carries the seeds of evil within it. There is nothing to bemoan, only work to be done. All faults, whether of vanity, pride, anger, jealousy or sensuality, must be put to work. This is the only logical way to look at it, the only real solution. It is work that counts. Do not concern yourself with anything else; your qualities and faults are secondary. When you have found which work is best and have made up your mind to devote yourself sincerely to it, even your faults will become good servants. Let’s take a very simple example: you want to lift a heavy weight. All the potential energy in your physical body is mobilized: muscles, heart, lungs and even the brain take part in this action. But if you do not have the will to do anything, all your organs stagnate and become sluggish. It is your will to work that mobilizes all your potential. By expending some effort, a criminal can end up surpassing the most virtuous of people in generosity, patience and kindness. Meanwhile those with ability often achieve nothing of note, because they are good just as they are, they don’t think about working.

"For primitive peoples, fire was an enemy; water, wind, the earth, animals and all natural forces were enemies, and those that fought against them exhausted themselves or even died in the endeavour. Then, as time passed, they began to master these forces and discover how useful they could be.

What humans have understood with regard to the elements can be applied to other aspects of life, especially within the psychic realm. So, instead of fleeing from certain impulses that come to trouble you – sensuality, anger, vanity, jealousy, and so on – observe them, explore these regions, and try to understand them and see what they contain. This courage and boldness will lead you to discover that the forces of nature you take for enemies are in fact friends bearing gifts. The time is coming when humans must find a different attitude towards their instincts and lower tendencies. The educational methods they will be taught will liberate them, and little by little they will manage to escape their inner limitations."