As we continue our effort of I observing the self, we are beginning to find that the self is a very complicated, complex and extensive organism. That it has been made from bits and pieces, that it is in a decided state of conflict. That it is at war, one side with the other, A with B, and that it has tremendous ability to hypnotize I. It is very cunning, it has been in charge of the house for a long time and it doesn’t want to lose it. It recognizes that it has to work in the dark and it makes every effort to keep I from observing it. So we will begin another practical effort of observing I, observing the self, John or Mary. First we will observe that thoughts are mechanical, that an association sets them off.

Our first sheet today will be headed: What does this remind “me” of? As one observes the self continually being set into motion by similar situations in the environment, something that comes along the self identifies it as “being the same as,” because it’s “somewhat similar.” One person is served a given food. Sometime or other in the past one had a similar food and it was tainted and one felt nauseated or was forced to eat it as a child. One says, “I can’t stand it, I don’t like it.” Now I observes this association, and as we keep track of “What does this remind “me” of,” one will see much that has been a limitation to the organism, that has been experienced as limitation. It is no longer a limitation when one sees that it is a simple association and that associations are saying “now” is “then.” Obviously one sees that the self equates “now and then” and has a tendency to report to X that what went on “then” is the same as what’s happening “now.” It never is.

Another one that I will observe the self-doing is that it continually replays records. In other words, it replays old events, and one can see it start by similar little associations that are set off; “This was like the time “I,” the self, was embarrassed.” “This reminds self of the time “I” was injured or hurt.” This is a powerful suggestion to get I, the observer, to identify with the self, replaying records. Let’s observe how often records are replayed. At the top of the page write, Replaying Records. Observe how many times in a week that the same incident is related, the same story told. The same set of thoughts leads down to where one is identified with the self and begins to feel sorry for self or to be angry or be resentful and one usually does not know how these states came about. As we are observing “What does this remind me of” we will see that telling a story will lead one into this unpleasant emotional state and that one will begin to feel and act as though now were then. This is a reminder for I to wake up and observe the self.

Now another thing that is very interesting to observe is beliefs. Beliefs are something that one has been conditioned with that one has not observed, checked out for validity through the years. They have been accepted because they were told by authorities, taught in school, read in a book and this all went into the self and makes up the personality. Beliefs act automatically. One might say one thinks by association, the self thinks by association and lives or acts upon what it reports to X as based upon beliefs. We’re usually unaware of the many beliefs that the basic decisions or the six means of self-improvement the self has accepted as being true. So suppose we begin to check out these beliefs. Here are some beliefs that self believes that may not be true. Check them all as you have time during the week.

“I” BELIEVE THAT “I” KNOW WHAT OUGHT TO BE. In other words the self knows what ought to be. It has known it all these years and everyone believes, without having checked it, that one knows what ought to be. We don’t like “what is” but we know that we would just be so happy if things were like they ought to be, and I know what ought to be, of course.

Along with this, of course, is a concurrent belief: “I” BELIEVE THAT “I” KNOW THE FUTURE. If things were like they ought to be now, I know what the outcome would be. But do you know the outcome of anything a week from now, two weeks from now, a year from now, or any other time? “I know what the outcome would be if things, people and situations were like I know they should be now.” So we all believe we know the future. Let’s check it out and see if we really do. If we do not know the future then we don’t know what ought to be now and we’ve gone a long way towards eliminating that basic idea of the world that there are ideals of “what ought to be.”

“I” BELIEVE THERE IS A LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT. We’ve heard this all our lives that some things are causes and some things are effects. Of course, “I” usually feel that “I” am an effect and that you and everybody else are cause. “I” believing that every effect has a cause and every cause has an effect. This, of course, is a subdivision of that great idea of self-improvement, “That if others that are to blame would change everything would be all right.” So cause really is another word for blame, isn’t it? We might say, “I believe that every effect has everything that is to blame, and that everything that is to blame has an effect and it’s usually on me.”

“I” BELIEVE “I” KNOW WHAT IS CAUSE AND WHAT IS EFFECT. We think we know what is to blame.

“I” BELIEVE “I” KNOW WHAT IS GOOD AND WHAT IS BAD. Don’t we and do we really, or is there such a thing as opposites; or are there only states of being, “what is?”

“I” BELIEVE “I” KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG. After all one is considered to be insane if one doesn’t know right from wrong. But do we? Do we only know what we have been taught was right according to the ideals of the world?

“I” BELIEVE THAT ALL OTHERS ALL KNOW WHAT IS GOOD AND WHAT IS BAD, WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG, BUT THEY BEING PERVERSE, OTHERS GO RIGHT ON AND DO WHAT IS BAD AND WHAT IS WRONG. This is the only way I can feel disappointed, that I can get angry, that I can have my feelings hurt. It’s because I know that others all know what is good and bad, what is right and wrong, but they, being real evil people, go on and do wrong anyway, most especially those of one’s family.

“I” BELIEVE “I” KNOW WHAT “I” NEED IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY. Of course, I believe I know what I need to be happy and I should be working for it. You see when a Not-I throws this at the I that is beginning to observe, it is awfully easy for it to catch it with suggestion and have it identify with that Not-I that is giving such a logical old-line set of reasoning.

“I” BELIEVE “I” KNOW WHAT IS TRUE AND WHAT IS FALSE IN THE FIELD OF LIVING THAT RELATES TO ME. We all think we know what is true and we have never really checked it out. We are going to look and see if we really know what we believe. If I believe something I haven’t checked it out. If I really check it out, I’m aware of it, but that awareness is only good for this moment because things are altogether different and situations are different in another moment.

“I” BELIEVE THAT “I” KNOW HOW TO GET WHAT “I” NEED TO BE HAPPY. “I know how to get it if there only weren’t so many people in the way interfering with it.” So the only thing I don’t know is “how to make all others see things like I do so that they will do what is right and good so I could then be happy.” This is what we don’t know and this is what most people who attempt to attend classes, who try to read books, who go to various kinds of mental helpers, are all trying to find out is “How can I make others do what I know they ought to do so I could be happy.” Of course, you put two people together with this same fundamental belief it is easy to see there’s going to be a fight. Not only is this between two people, it’s between A and B. A knows what ought to be in order to gain the four dual basic urges and B does. So there is conflict within. Then, of course, this is carried on beyond two people; it’s carried into two or more great ideologies, two great nations, religious groups, or what have you. Each knows that if they could just “make” everybody see what ought to be and what is really right and good, the world would be an utter utopia. But maybe that belief is entirely false.

“I” BELIEVE THAT “I” AM ONE AND THE SAME PERSON ALL THE TIME. As we’re begin- ning to observe self, we see that all manner of different personalities arise and run the household for a little while; they go to sleep and another one runs it. We’ve believed this all our lives and it’s constantly being suggested. So it is one that I observes and reports to X; that there are many running in here and they are all talking in the name of I. It takes considerable awareness, maybe several weeks or months on the part of I not to get identified with these very logical sounding Not-I’s that carry these beliefs.

“I” BELIEVE THAT “I” HAVE FREE WILL OR FREE AGENCY, BUT “I” ALSO BELIEVE WHAT YOU DO DETERMINES MY FEELINGS AND BEHAVIOR. Now there is a contradiction if we’ve ever seen one. I have free agency but I can’t exercise my free agency because of what you’re doing. “You are making me mad!” So we’re saying a contradiction and are unaware of it. To be aware of contra- dictions in the self is beginning to see the self. A says one thing, B says another. Ordinarily we only accept and take it for granted and we never notice the contradiction. Here is one of the great values of I observing the self as an “object,” it begins to see the contradictions. It begins to see A’s argument and it sees B’s argument which are definitely in contradiction, but they have only been up one at a time, or one thought it as though trying to arrive at a decision and one felt one was one trying to make a decision. But as one observes one sees first one and then