The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

The Inner Authority
We all have a higher and a lower self. At certain moments in life, we
can definitely feel one part or the other as the stronger. When we
accomplish things, when we finish what we start, we can sense the
outlines of this higher self. We feel it as well when we think of others
before ourselves, when we let go of our ego, when instead of merely
reacting to events, we step back and think and strategize the best way
forward. But equally we know all too well the stirrings of the lower self,
when we take everything personally and become petty, or when we
want to escape reality through some addictive pleasure, or when we
waste time, or when we feel confused and unmotivated.
Although we most often float between these two sides, if we look at
ourselves closely, we have to admit that the lower half is the stronger
one. It is the more primitive and animal part of our nature. If nothing
impels us to do otherwise, we naturally become indolent, crave quick

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pleasures, turn inward, and brood over petty matters. It often takes
great effort and awareness to tame this lower half and bring out the
higher side; it is not our first impulse.
The key to making the struggle between the two sides more even
and to perhaps tip the scales toward the higher is to cultivate what we
shall call the inner authority. It serves as the voice, the conscience of
our higher self. This voice is already there; we hear it at times, but it is
weak. We need to increase the frequency with which we hear it and its
volume. Think of this voice as dictating a code of behavior, and every
day we must make ourselves listen to it. It tells us the following.
You have a responsibility to contribute to the culture and times you live in
.
Right now, you are living off the fruits of millions of people in the past
who have made your life incomparably easier through their struggles
and inventions. You have benefited from an education that embodies
the wisdom of thousands of years of experience. It is so easy to take
this all for granted, to imagine that it all just came about naturally and
that you are entitled to have all of these powers. That is the view of
spoiled children, and you must see any signs of such an attitude within
you as shameful. This world needs constant improvement and renewal.
You are here not merely to gratify your impulses and consume what
others have made but to make and contribute as well, to serve a higher
purpose.