"WATCH HUMAN NATURE
At your first opportunity, watch any group of people debating a
controversial topic, such as religion or politics. Quietly but alertly sit
there and watch human nature express itself - which will be unconscious and
mechanical expression. You will be observing human beings dwelling under
psychic hypnosis, who believe themselves to be wise and decisive. They are
neither. They are scared and confused human beings who have never seen
themselves as they really are.
Be sure to remain a neutral observer. Do not take sides.
Neither agree nor disagree with anything anyone says. Concentrate on seeing
men and women as they exist beneath their habitual masks. Watch faces which
suddenly become defensive or hostile or perplexed. Notice that woman in
brief distress at being caught out of her usual role of being a pleasant
person. See that man playing the role of a superior scholar who is tensely
anxious to make others think it is real. Be aware of the arrogance and
contempt, the frozen smiles, the pathetic attempts to appear composed.
See people as they really are. It promotes self-transformation."
Encyclopedia of Eternal Knowledge, p. 231 (Original version)
p. 224 (Current version)