the regulation of the self

To know how one should act, but to fail to act thusly: we call this immoral. To know how one should feel, but to fail so to feel: what then should we call this? How may we catalogue this disorder that we may find a cure? The wise man has said: "to adjust one's inclinations, one must first adjust one's habits." But what habits must we adjust if our inclinations fail to admire, to ignore, to love, to fear, . . . ? If only the reflex action serves as external sign of these internal drives, what therapy lies open to us? The wise man is silent, but the barest movement of his lips instructs the only strategy: endure!