146. An example may help. Suppose we have felt pleasure in cheating and in undetected theft, but we see and inwardly admit that these are sins and therefore want to refrain from them. When we refrain, a battle between the inner self and the outer self begins. The inner self is full of desire for honesty, while the outer self still enjoys cheating. Because this pleasure is diametrically opposed to the pleasure of honesty, it does not go away unless it is forced to; and the only way it can be forced is through fighting against it. Once the battle is won, the outer self comes into that love-filled delight in honesty that is true caring. Gradually thereafter our pleasure in cheating becomes distasteful to us.
It is much the same with other sins--with adultery and promiscuity, with vengefulness and hatred, with blasphemy and deceit. The hardest battle of all, though, is with our love of being in control because of our sense of self-importance. If we overcome this, we have no trouble overcoming our other evil loves, because this is the head of them all.
