Each of us, at various times in his life, probably asks himself the questions: "Where am I going? What do I really desire?" Mrs. Eddy points out the value of such appraisal and writes in Science and Health (p. 8), "We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are."
An honest answer to the question, "What do I really desire?" can sometimes produce surprising discoveries. We may find, for example, that we have been wasting our efforts on an inordinate desire for material possessions. Human thought in these times is relentlessly being conditioned to the desire for material things, and alertness on our part is required to resist this influence. Initially, an appraisal of our thought may reveal a greater degree of material motivation than we suspected.
Probing further into the question of what we really want, however, we usually begin to hear the echo of deeper needs. Closer to the heart lie the desires for a happy, constructive home, and if we are parents, the wisdom to be good ones, a satisfying and productive career, freedom from physical and financial harassment, the ability to be honest and forthright with our neighbors.
