Article May 10, 1947 ISSUE

"Be natural!"

[Of Special Interest to Young People]

JEANNE STEELY LAITNER

Being natural, or being one's self, is often pointed out to young people as one of the secrets of an attractive personality and as one of the fundamentals of attaining popularity and leadership. From a human standpoint, however, how can one determine what is his natural self? Have we not all had the experience, for instance, of acting one Way in the presence of our relatives, another way in the presence of a teacher, and still another in the presence of our contemporaries? Then, too, anindividual may feel free and unaffected on the hockey field, but shy and ill at ease at a party.

In short, human reasoning and will power are inadequate to teach an individual how freely and un-self-consciously to express naturalness and poise at all times. Only by being one's true self, as revealed in Christian Science, can this demand be fully answered. And from this Science one can learn what constitutes true charm and genuine poise, and how to express these beautiful qualities. It reveals the means of expressing love that is without hatred, favoritism, or social ambition; intelligence that is without bigotry or self-righteousness; charm that is without artificiality; beauty that is without self-consciousness or conceit; humility that is strong instead of weak, and joy that is abundantly present always, no matter what the human situation.

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