Look at a chair and see how every part of it is a symbol of unselfishness. The legs each think only of continually doing their part to keep the chair in balance and to support the weight of anyone who sits there. The braces all around the chair think only of helping to support the whole chair. The seat never thinks of falling down on the job. The nails and screws all are unselfishly doing their part. The back is so supportive. Now, picture what would happen if the legs would walk off and do their own thing. What kind of a chair would there be if the nails and screws wanted to “loosen up” and go exploring? What if the back got touchy and wobbled when anyone leaned on it? Selfishness like that makes the purpose of the chair fail.
Selfishness in people also makes them fail in their work with others. And anything people do to cause failure in the work or lives of others is a debt they owe them and that is truly an actual legal debt. If you ignore that debt and no one calls you on it, it still weighs heavily in your mind and subconscious, and your brain and body chemistry distort because of it, causing mental illness and health disturbances. If you want to end the possibilities of mental illnesses from selfishness, then you need to become considerate about the purpose and work of others and work more cooperatively with them.
As an exercise to prepare you for this, write your own analogy of unselfish behavior in something else, like the example of the chair. Describe how all the parts work together unselfishly to carry out the intention that is good for all. For example, you could write about the symbol of unselfishness of a car — how the wheels all turn together and all parts cooperate; even the motor doesn’t think itself over the others since it is useless without the other parts cooperating. Even the steering wheel is unselfish and will not turn to go look at something of interest along the way. There are many symbols of unselfishness throughout life, including that of the human body and all nature, because only when something or someone is unselfish is there usefulness. If you are in a group setting everyone in the group is to share their ideas.
Each person is to then silently think of a way in which he or she was a part of a group effort, at home with family, or in a business, or in school or club or organization. Think how all the people worked together to carry out a good intention. Think if they were unselfish. If not, think how they could have become more unselfish. Think also how you worked in the group — were you selfish and causing problems? Were there ever times when you were unselfish and all worked together well? Then think of what you could have done to make yourself work together with others unselfishly. Make mental apologies to everyone you were not doing your best with. This actually begins a true healing process in your mind. If you want the healing to go forward all the way in you and release any negative feelings the others may have toward you then you would write a letter thanking them for any way that ”held the chair together” so to say – any way that helped all of you to work together rightly. You can say what you learned from anyone, as that will help you and can also help them better forgive you if you did anything that made your “chair” fall apart or get weaker that you were all trying to build and hold together in right intention.
Repeat the above exercise every day for one month, selecting different times in your life when you tried to “build chairs” with others – such as in your childhood, in your schooling throughout all years, in your groups you belonged to, in your church, in your businesses, in your marriages in your relations with your children, in your national duties. This eliminates problems in your relationships and labors, building your identity with life in high standards.