“If the World were Merely Seductive, that Would be Easy” – Step 4

Black and white photo of a handsome man lit by half of his face w/ sfz title

“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But …”

– E.B. White (1899 – 1985) U.S. writer

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How have you improved your corner of the world, lately?

OR

Why do we keep repeating mistakes instead of learning from them?

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One Desire – Jakarta (2:46)

An Ode to E.B. White’s, Charlotte’s Web (2:28)

Cosmic Ordering 6 Steps to Manifesting Your Desires (2:30)

Analysis in English

We live between seduction and suffering. E.B. White’s line reminds us how temptation complicates our days. In his essay collection Essays of E.B. White, he exposes life’s pull between duty and pleasure. In The Big Book, we see a similar tension. The desire for pleasure warps into damage when unchecked. Freud, in Civilization and Its Discontents, warns that our instincts often rebel against civilization’s demands. He argues this rebellion causes neurosis.

The Basic Text quote shows the tragic cycle. Addiction pushes away those who care. Then, loneliness fuels more addiction. Viktor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning says humans need meaning more than pleasure. Lacking it, we seek control through unhealthy ways. White’s quote echoes Frankl’s search for balance. Should I serve or savor? How can I do both?

When people lose balance, they harm others and themselves. The trumpet of desire plays too loud. Carl Jung believed shadow desires, if ignored, destroy from within. We must face them directly, as The Big Book demands. Step Four’s fearless inventory asks us to name what we fear to see. E.B. White’s conflict appears trivial beside addiction’s pain. Yet both point to the same truth: humans struggle to reconcile pleasure with purpose. Seduction alone would be easy. Challenge alone would be simple. It is both that makes life so hard.

Why do we keep repeating mistakes instead of learning from them?


SFZ QUOTES TRANSLATED

Si el mundo fuera meramente seductor, eso sería fácil.

Queremos encontrar exactamente cómo, cuándo y dónde nuestros deseos naturales nos han deformado. Queremos mirar de frente la infelicidad que esto ha causado a otros y a nosotros mismos.

Sufríamos cuando las cosas no salían como queríamos. Mientras alejábamos a las personas que se preocupaban por nosotros, consumíamos más drogas para tapar nuestros sentimientos. Sufríamos cuando las cosas no salían como queríamos, pero tan fuerte era nuestro deseo de poder y control que no veíamos lo inútil de nuestros esfuerzos para manejar los eventos.


SPANISH TRANSLATION OF ANALYSIS AND QUESTION

Vivimos entre la seducción y el sufrimiento. La frase de E.B. White nos recuerda cómo la tentación complica nuestros días. En su colección Essays of E.B. White, expone la tensión entre deber y placer. En El Libro Grande, vemos una tensión similar. El deseo de placer se deforma en daño cuando no se controla. Freud, en El malestar en la cultura, advierte que nuestros instintos suelen rebelarse contra las normas sociales. Dice que esta rebelión causa neurosis.

La cita del Texto Básico muestra el ciclo trágico. La adicción aleja a quienes nos aman. Luego, la soledad alimenta más adicción. Viktor Frankl en El hombre en busca de sentido dice que el ser humano necesita sentido más que placer. Sin sentido, buscamos control de maneras dañinas. La cita de White refleja la misma búsqueda de equilibrio. ¿Debo servir o disfrutar? ¿Cómo hacer ambas?

Cuando perdemos equilibrio, dañamos a otros y a nosotros mismos. La trompeta del deseo suena demasiado fuerte. Carl Jung creía que los deseos reprimidos destruyen desde adentro. Debemos enfrentarlos directamente, como exige El Libro Grande. El inventario de Paso Cuatro pide nombrar lo que tememos ver. El conflicto de White parece trivial junto al dolor de la adicción. Sin embargo, ambos apuntan a la misma verdad: luchamos para reconciliar placer y propósito. Solo la seducción sería fácil. Solo el reto sería simple. Ambos hacen la vida difícil.

¿Por qué seguimos cometiendo los mismos errores en lugar de aprender de ellos?

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Zonr compassion

Comments

14 responses to ““If the World were Merely Seductive, that Would be Easy” – Step 4”

  1. Sabrina J Avatar
    Sabrina J

    Old habits become comfortable, even when they are wrong or unhealthy. We become comfortable in the discomfort. Newton’s first law of inertia states: “An object at rest tends to stay at rest, an object in motion tends to stay in motion.” In other words, we tend to keep doing what we are doing. Yet, once we make that shift, when we start to change, we stop repeating those mistakes, start to form a new habit and make changes in our life.

    Thank you for being part of my recovery. Grateful.

  2. E-Dawg Avatar
    E-Dawg

    Step 4 definitely cleans my side of the street which in turn improves my corner of the world. And in order for me to learn from my mistakes I have to be honest with myself and admit that the addiction has defeated me and I need help and accepting the fact that this is a daily Journey …with sponsorship,meetings and Pen to paper with the steps…

  3. TRae Avatar
    TRae

    I’m struggling with improving things, as much as I try I just keep getting dealt a crappy hand.

  4. happinessatfull Avatar
    happinessatfull

    just a thinking and doing things different and have a openmind perspective on life and those around us

  5. Tony O. Avatar
    Tony O.

    I have Themed my days with a goal in mind. Today was my job day and everything fell into alignment. A company wants to interview me next Tuesday. I put the energy out there and it manifested.

  6. Tony O. Avatar
    Tony O.

    I have Themed my days with a goal in mind. Today was my job day and everything fell into alignment. A company wants to interview me next Tuesday. I put the energy out there and it manifested.

  7. Aaron McKenzie Avatar
    Aaron McKenzie

    I have improved my own sector of the universe lately by making a sincere effort to be present and focused on the people I am sharing time with. I make a point to set aside my cell phone and other distractions when I am with other people. I believe one of the best gifts we can give other people is the gift of our complete presence and our undivided attention when we are sharing time with them.

    -Aaron McKenzie 🙂

    1. -KW Avatar
      -KW

      So true. Something I let lapse all the time. (note: improvement needed)

  8. Simon Yebio Avatar
    Simon Yebio

    By just participating. In some ways that means changing things and in other ways that means just joining in on things

  9. Br. Buddha Avatar
    Br. Buddha

    Good morning everyone + happy Tuesday. Here is today’s thought. Take time out to be still + relax in the presence of your Higher Power. Just relax + experience the joy of God’s love for you + your love for him. It’s very comforting. No words are necessary, just your presence. Enjoy. Blessings. BB

  10. easy does it Avatar
    easy does it

    I think I enjoy the world when im improving it..by being a friend, volunteering,,etc there are so many opportunities to do both if I can just listen to that still small voice..

  11. Adam Avatar
    Adam

    I express this some when I work as we serve low income residents. This keeps me going when work gets tough. I donate to charity, educate myself on current events and politics, and I vote.

  12. Margot E. Avatar
    Margot E.

    I do not understand the E.B. White quotation. IMHO, one cannot enjoy the world without improving it, and vice versa. Improving the world is an inside job and does not necessitate me trying to change others. I can only be the change I want to see, as the saying goes. When I give my creative and loving best, I can choose joy, I can choose gratitude – and I kind of think that automatically makes the world a better place.

  13. Ms. H. Avatar
    Ms. H.

    I think that we need to have a better understanding of those around us.

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