A Record of Meetings held by P.D. Ouspensky - HolyBooks.com

MISS M . I ask these questions because I sometimes doubt the genuinenessof my interest in the work—I may be lying to myself.MR. O. But only you can answer that and there, again, only if you do notforget the fundamental principles and say 'I' about something when it isonly one 'I'. You must get to know other 'I's and remember about this. Ifyou forget this you forget everything. So long as you remember this youmay remember everything. Forgetting this is the great danger. Then atap, a slight change in something is sufficient to make everything wrong.MR. P . Is the work carried out by groups to be the 'building' of thenew Society?MR. O. 'Building' means nothing in relation to this.MR. P . In the event of world war, will the formation of the Society becarried through?MR. O. That I would like to know very much. But we did not developthe capacity for fortune-telling, so we shall have to wait and see whatwill happen.MR. A . Is self-remembering the sole and ultimate source upon whichone who guides his life by the system may draw his strength whenconfronted with the probability of yielding to some weakness hewould much prefer to be without? I do not find much practical moralstrength necessarily emanating from introducing a pause wherein tocontemplate oneself and one's ideals.MR. O. Speaking for myself, I would not use these words. I think itcan be said in simpler words, but that this is right. You can getstrength from this idea that you do not remember yourself, that youcan remember yourself and what it means to remember yourself.MRS. S. My memory—or is it my imagination?—seems to be so muchstronger than any efforts to be self-aware. When I try to self-rememberI find it impossible really to see myself, though looking back onsimilar efforts I have a distinct picture of the moment which makes itmore real and emotional, but whilst making the effort there seems tobe a very strong 'I' which is stopping me from seeing myself. Is it thatwe cannot see ourselves properly and the person I remember isimaginary?MR. O. It is not quite like that. You must continue observation and getbetter acquainted with 'I's and remember them consecutively. Whenyou know some 'I's better, then you will see others better.MR. L. I would like to know why it is that strong emotions cannot be