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The devil is in each one of us in the form of an ego that
promises the fulfillment of desire on condition that we become
subservient to its striving to dominate. The domination of the
personality by the ego is a diabolical perversion of the
nature of man. The ego was never intended to be the master of
the body, but its loyal and obedient servant. The body, as
opposed to the ego, desires pleasure, not power. Bodily
pleasure is the source from which all our good feelings and
good thinking stems. If the bodily pleasure of an individual
is destroyed, he becomes an angry, frustrated, and hateful
person. His thinking becomes distorted, and his creative
potential is lost. He develops self-destructive
attitudes.
Pleasure is the creative force in life. It is the only force
strong enough to oppose the potential destructiveness of
power. Many people believe that this role belongs to love. But
if love is to be more than a word, it must rest on the
experience of pleasure.
-- Alexander Lowen
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