The main thing that separates a man from an animal is not that he has urges. It’s that he has the intelligence to rise above them. An animal acts on instinct. It sees something it wants, it feels something, and it responds. But when a man lives in a lower state of consciousness, he does the same thing. His anger controls him. His lust controls him. His fear controls him. His need for validation controls him. His impulses control him. And when you cannot separate yourself from your urges, you become a slave to whatever can manipulate those urges. That’s how you end up living at the end of someone else’s leash. Or inside someone else’s cage. The world doesn't always have to physically force you to do something. Sometimes all it has to do is learn what you desire, what you fear, and what you cannot resist. Then it can control you through those things. So if you truly don't want to be controlled by anything or anyone, you have to master the first thing that can control you: You...