Let’s look at some of the characteristics of what self-worship looks like, when our body desires are in charge.

My Way

This is the natural human response to life. As Frank Sinatra reminded us, “I did it my way.”

“I want what I want when I want it.” Perhaps we are all two year olds who never grow up. We allow our desires to be in charge. We just get more sophisticated in hiding the fact that we are on the throne of our own lives, instead of God.

If you want to see this attribute in action, watch how people drive in busy traffic. Cutting off, switching lanes, driving too close, don’t think of coming into my lane— That’s just the first five minutes of an LA commute!

“It’s my road and I will do whatever I want.”

You can tell a tremendous amount about the character of a person when you watch how they drive.

My Body, My Obvious Choice

In order to get what I want, my body decides. The obvious results are a life of attempted physical gratification of some sort. Booze and pills dominate the lives of many. Serial sexual activity for the young and not so young, pornography for all, modern life is not much different than the fertility religions of ancient times.

My Body, My Less Obvious Choice

Less obvious choices of self-absorption, have to do with other forms of “pleasure” or “pain avoidance.” Take “anger,” for instance.

Anger turned outward shows up as “rage,” and anger turned inward, often as “depression.” We overlook the internal psychic “pleasure” of both rage and depression.

 

With “rage,” I shift the responsibility of my problems in life onto everyone and everything else, except, of course, on me.

 

And “depression,” while devastating, in some cases brings a strangely comforting subconscious condition, again, as a means of not taking personal responsibility.

 

We don’t usually think on these things because our “bodies” tell us this cannot be so.

 

“I can’t help it; this is just how I feel.”

 

Do you experience rage or depression? What happens?