Poise: How to Attain It

and of different origins, bo

ame result, the cessation of effort

oise has its roots deep in all the faults whic

the vice of lack of confidence in oneself can reta

man leads a miserable existence, tortured by unavailing regrets and by n

enders a moral inertia and the victim learns to fly

possession of him and causes him to avoid ev

life in a hopeless and sluggish inaction, from a fear of drawing down upon himself reproaches to which he might have to

t he finds real happiness

e burden of a monotony that he feels powerless to throw off. His own m

to him than legitimate ambition, and keeps him in a state of obvious inferiority tha

ion, the inevitable consequence of that idlene

e allows them daily to assume a more promine

s whole duty toward society and toward himself when he says: "What's the use of undertaking

n where it can not voluntarily comprehend any but the most simple affairs and goes to pieces when confron

ditions effeminacy should take possession of a soul that has become the

ral defeat becomes changed into envy, the feeling of bitterness against all men, the v

e inevitable consequence

urage to discuss. If he does talk of them, it is with a bias rendered all the more prejudiced by the fact that, instead of expressing h

m to summarize in the most hurried fashion even the gravest events, upon the sole consideration that they are not asked to take part in them

is due solely to egoism. It is certain at any rate that egoism plays a large part in it, but s

ady considered render such people less inclined to consider with

nking, and they are only touched, even by the most personal matters, to the extent that circumstances im

consequences which may result from these affect them to such a profound extent that the most i

impossible for a person under such conditions to believe that

s egoism, the avowed enemy of poise. An egoist necessarily assumes that the res

the fear of not appearing in the light in which he wishes to be seen paralyzes h

result of which is a renewed resentment against the world at large and

arts to stammer, and makes a lamentable failure of what began well enoug

to him, but so great is his egoism that he does not dream that any one in the

critics by his attitude and his eloquence. But his distrust of himself, his mental instability, his habitual weakness of reasoning, all these enemies of poise league

t. His feeble will-power is completely routed, and the effort involve

able of struggling against it, he prefers to hide himself in the caves alo

in depriving him of moral suppo

ainly deplorable, for one who desires to make his way, to find h

persons who do not understand ho

creates friends when needed, and weaves the bonds of comradeship and

life offer to the view of the observer. Excessive modesty, sworn enemy of poise,

feeblenesses which interfere

it has so long been c

y is past. This detachment from oneself

which should be the study of all our contemporaries, whatever

watching other people fighting to maintain the social equilibrium and seeking to achieve

f modesty is generally nothing more than a screen

a disdainful attitude and to exc

nary combat is infinitely more honorable t

l, just as those of the body fortify the flesh,

enemies of poise that w

r it, because its victims are thrown into the strug

e their lack of poise always turns them back upon themselves, and ver

of being misunderstood must inevitably lead us to condemn those who do not comprehend us. Our shyness will be incr

but a step, and many worthy people who lack poise have rapidly trave

e limbs which are of no service to them and which from habit

conveniences of which we have been treating, that will leave them weakened and a prey to all sorts of mental excesses

apparent ostracism from which they suffer, they indulge in accusations against fate, against the world, against circumstances, and grow

o have taken part in the battle, have pai

walls of his house can hardly be astoni

of the booty. It becomes the property of those who have had the force to win it, either by sheer courage

r plans and to resist the temptation to actions which, while satisfying their desire f

husiasm may be considered with

the mark at which they aim. They are like runners dashing forward at such a high speed that they can not bring themselves to a sudden stop. Habitual enthusiasm is also the enemy of reflection. It

make a choice between two piles, one of straw, the other of wood. It is hardly necessary to add tha

he set on fire easily enough, warming himself first from a respectful dista

anion, who struggled meanwhile to set aligh

tranquil and steady flame, which the first child watched with envy while seated

tory blaze of the straw, prefers to work patiently at building a fi

flame of their first ardor has burned itself out we shall but find ourselv

wrecked in the effort to achieve poise is a ty

nsion, which is all the more irritating since the timidit

m from proper expression, such people try to make themselves understood by those who do not appreciate t

errors of judgment, is a very serious

d ineffective by the difficulty of making the effort invol

l back upon themselves, and from this state to that of active hostility toward others the

profound that they are glad to be able to attribute to the mental infe

s upon the fact, is the inevitable fate of those who never ca

ross to comprehend mine," than to seek for a means of establishing an u

feelings, could they be forced into a position where they had to defend th

es of poise sullenness mo

o affirm their sentiments or to make a plain statement of their

e of fighting, yet they are too vain to accept defeat. They refuse the sympathy that wounds them, and suf

n irritation that manifests itself

ate of mind may produce ra

less vivid dread of seeming to be an object of sympathy, such peop

will ever fall a vict

are and he has no need to exaggerate hi

of resolve, being always prepared to do what is needful, consid

boasting. They are almost invariably the dupes of their own fancies, and for the moment really believe thems

han certain movements which are per

xperienced in accomplishing some simple act of manual toil that we see perf

ce, than to plane a piece of

wheeling a barrow, really has t

st time will be astounded at the difficulty he experiences in approximating to

irregular ditches and traveling in zigzags, and all this at the expense of a hundred time

remarkable exploits is actuated, as a g

him from accomplishing any public action, and for this reason those

greater than those of the people who are not able to understand him, and he is acti

xhibitions of boastfulness rouse in him a feeling of irritation wh

l never experience the

self, paying no heed whatever to misleading suggestions, which cripple his breadth of soul and would in the end deprive him of that essential e