Page 493

[Alexandr Korol]

by overeating when they can’t hold back. Then, after a person has gone through all the stages of instinct and gotten “hit on the head” many times because of it, they move to the next stage, where they start using their mind to control everything. They develop intellect, self-control, discipline, and this person becomes a socially-material person — that is, a material-minded person. The first stage was instinct, with various levels, and now comes the mind. And at first, people with an undeveloped mind — well, their mind is weak. Yes, they have it, but sometimes their instincts overpower them, and then they switch their mind back on and think: “Why did I do that? Now I have consequences.” And so they learn. There are people who have developed their mind so much that they no longer feel anything at all — they’ve suppressed all feelings, especially instincts, so strongly that they’re like robots. There are such people, but then other consequences start to appear. Everyone begins to say things like, “You’re cruel,” but the person of intellect says, “No, I’m not like that.” “You’re selfish,” and they reply, “No, I’m not.” But why do people say this about them? Because they’re living in the world of intellect, at the stage of mental development. It seems like everything is great — they’ve tamed all their instincts, all those animal impulses — but now they have to learn to activate the heart, awaken their conscience, and develop foresight. Foresight — well, I mean more spiritual feelings: turning on the heart so they think not just about their own benefit and safety, but also about the people around them. That’s when the heart is involved — when you think more about others than yourself. At first, people think about their own comfort, then about others. And this is what educates a person’s heart, their soul, heart — although people often link the heart with the soul, but let’s keep it that way: the heart and the soul. This is when a person becomes sensitive, but their sensitivity is no longer instinctual — it comes from the heart. These are pure feelings, not animalistic ones, but virtues, conscience, and so on. And when that’s fully developed, everything seems wonderful, but again, there are stages, there are extremes. They may go to the extreme of heart, emotion, creativity, and a “no mind” state. And it seems great — they’re kind, gentle — but then they can’t pull themselves together, can’t wake up on time. And here again, the person starts to regulate themselves — realizing they need to turn the intellect back on, but in a way that doesn’t extinguish the heart, while also maintaining discipline. You see how fascinating development is. So, returning