Human Development
Way of seeing
Description:
Evagrius Ponticus, an Egyptian monk of the 4th century, described the eight traps - logismos - which prevent self knowledge, all being means by which the mind is clouded and muddled through seeing from the basis of unreality rather than reality. The eight logismos are all ways of choosing to see from a false perspective, of choosing the bad or unreal rather than the good or reality, and of indulging in wishes and dreams that things were different from how they actually are. The sense of self is actually diminished and the individual tries to compensate for the sense of inadequacy by more of the same, with an end result being addiction. In this sense the logismos can be compared to the Buddhist desire. They lay the individual open exploitation by evil, personified or not, and, like the Buddhist [root afflictions], are the basis for our evil deeds. The logismos are the basis of the seven deadly sins, two of them (vainglory and pride) being considered together from the middle ages onwards. The way of seeing is designed to free the individual from this trap of fantasy and self-deception through honest self-knowledge, paying attention to one's self, as opposed to self-centredness, with the emphasis on one's relationships with others, on being a member of a community.