Article January 6, 1945 Issue

Self-Consciousness

[Of Special Interest to Youth]

FLORENCE W. HUNT

When most people speak of being self-conscious, they are usually thinking of a self that is awkward, nervous, inferior, incapable, frustrated, or embarrassed. In Christian Science we find that self-consciousness is just the opposite of all this, for when one is truly self-conscious he is conscious only of his real self.

So much of what we think we see in ourselves and others is not the true self. Have you ever wondered: What is the truth about myself? How does God see me? Does God see a boy or a girl made of flesh, bones, brains, organs, and nerves? Indeed He does not! The Bible tells us that man is God's image and likeness; so if we want to know what our true self is we must first know what God is, for we are, in reality, His reflection. From the Scriptures we learn that God is Spirit, Love, Truth, Life, and Mind, filling all space, and that He gave man dominion. In Christian Science we learn that God is also Principle and Soul, and that man expresses God. How does man express God? He expresses Mind through intelligence, Love through kindness, Soul through beauty and happiness, Life through activity, and Truth through perfection. These spiritual ideas comprise our true being.

A student of Christian Science once made a list of over one hundred spiritual ideas which man includes. Here are some of them, and perhaps you can think of some more: intelligence, love, justice, freedom, dominion, ability, capability, trustworthiness, zeal, vigor, vitality, strength, beauty, perfection, harmony, courage, joy, fearlessness, happiness, purity, holiness, orderliness, spirituality, affluence, vision, perception, intuition, and peace.

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