Sensitivity

Next, let’s talk about sensitivity. Let’s use the simplest way to categorize it, starting with the method of elimination. Is sensitivity an innate condition? (No.) Then, is it a corrupt disposition? (No.) If someone has a manifestation of sensitivity, is this a revelation of a corrupt disposition? (No.) Sensitivity does not refer to experiencing itchiness after eating a certain type of food, or sneezing and tearing up after smelling a certain scent; it does not refer to a pollen allergy, a peanut allergy, or any allergy to preservatives or chemical compounds—it does not refer to physical sensitivity. Physical sensitivity refers to having a sensitive constitution, which is prone to allergic reactions triggered by certain external harmful odors or substances—this is physical sensitivity. Physical sensitivity is just an instinct among one’s innate conditions—it is part of one’s innate constitution. However, the sensitivity being discussed here does not refer to this. After ruling out innate conditions, and considering that this type of sensitivity generally does not escalate to the level of a corrupt disposition—meaning there is no specific revelation of a corrupt disposition—then what kind of problem is this sensitivity? (It is a problem of humanity.) Is this a merit of humanity or a shortcoming? (It is a shortcoming of humanity.) This is clearly a shortcoming of humanity—if you cannot even see this, then you are too ignorant. Is being sensitive good or not? Since it is a shortcoming of humanity, it is certainly not good. What does sensitivity mean? Say it in your own words. (Having an oversensitive mind.) Is having an oversensitive mind a mental illness? Tell Me, do people’s nerves generally become oversensitive? Nerves are within human muscle tissue and do not come into contact with external air, dust, or other substances—so how could they become oversensitive? If a person is always sensitive, isn’t this a problem in their thoughts? If there is a problem in their thoughts, does this mean there is a problem with their mind? (Yes.) A problem with the mind is guided by their thoughts, and if it is guided by their thoughts, then it is a problem related to their humanity. When it comes to a look, a word, or a choice of phrasing from someone, or when they encounter an environment or a type of situation, they will overinterpret it, connect it to themselves, and then fall into emotions of anxiety, repression, sadness, and despondency, sometimes even falling into negativity, or—even worse—showing negative manifestations of seeking revenge, hostility, and so on. These manifestations fully prove that sensitivity is a kind of defect of humanity. A defect means that if you have this kind of problem, the humanity you reveal is abnormal. Regardless of whether this problem is caused by your thoughts, mental state, reason, or specific notions and viewpoints in some regard, in any case, this is a defect within your humanity. It causes the humanity you reveal to be abnormal, to not conform to the rationality and conscience of normal humanity, nor to the thoughts and viewpoints produced by the thinking patterns of normal humanity, or to the attitude one ought to have when interacting with others and handling matters. In summary, what is revealed in this aspect of humanity is essentially an abnormal mental state. For example, some people become oversensitive because someone unintentionally glances at them—they assume the person looks down on them, and they become unhappy and even cry from the distress of it. Tell Me, isn’t this an abnormal mental state? Isn’t this a mental illness? Is what I’m saying accurate? (Yes.) This manifestation of humanity, to be precise, is a mental illness. Others don’t do anything to them, yet they cry uncontrollably for several days and can’t get over it. This is a defect of humanity. When you have people of this type around you, you feel especially stifled and restricted, you don’t know when you might invite trouble from them or cause problems for yourself, and you have to be extremely cautious when speaking in front of them, repeatedly considering your words: “If I say this word, will they think I’m looking down on them? If I don’t talk to them, will they think I have a certain opinion about them? If I say a few words to them, will they think I have some ulterior motive? What exactly is the appropriate way to act?” In the end, you come to a conclusion: People of this type are just mentally ill—truly troublesome! No matter how you approach them, it’s never right; no matter what you say, or what you do, they never take it correctly. Their humanity is especially abnormal. After spending a long time with such people, you just want to distance yourself from them and avoid them, not desiring any further contact. People of this sort do not have the thinking of normal humanity—they are mentally ill. Sensitivity refers to these manifestations; it is a defect of humanity. Although it is a defect of humanity, it is not simpler than a corrupt disposition. If someone has a defect or problem of humanity, many troubles will arise when they associate with others; it will be difficult to get along with them, and it will also be difficult to correct them. This is a manifestation of humanity.

Obstinacy

Let’s talk about another manifestation—obstinacy. What kind of problem is this? (It is a defect of humanity.) First, let’s rule out innate conditions—obstinacy is definitely not an innate condition, it is not given by God. Moreover, obstinacy does not rise to the level of a corrupt disposition. Therefore, it is a defect of humanity. What are the specific manifestations of obstinacy? Is there a certain correlation between obstinacy and absurdity? (There is some.) To a certain extent, there is a correlation. So, what are the manifestations of obstinacy? Give an example. What kind of people are prone to being obstinate? What words and actions are manifestations of obstinacy? (Obstinate people tend to fixate when encountering certain people, events, and things.) Being fixated on things is one aspect. Give an example—what kind of matters do they get fixated on? (When someone points out their problems, they love to give excuses and use fallacious reasoning. They always cling to a phrase or a choice of words to defend themselves, refusing to accept the truth or to accept pruning. They keep insisting on their reasoning to justify themselves, explaining the reasons behind their actions.) When others prune them or fellowship with them about the truth principles, they do not accept it. Instead, they constantly emphasize their own excuses and justifications, claiming that their intentions are correct, without recognizing their own mistakes at all. This is one manifestation of being fixated. Some people commit reckless misdeeds and are dismissed, but they do not reflect on themselves. Instead, they say, “Anyway, God doesn’t like me, and I’m not someone who loves the truth, so that’s that—there’s no point in striving upward.” Someone advises them, “You shouldn’t be so negative. Your caliber allows you to understand the truth—you should strive upward!” They reply, “If God has ordained that you won’t get a good destination, then even if you strive upward, it’s useless. No matter how much effort you put in or how well you do, it’s useless.” In their hearts, they constantly misunderstand God and contend with Him. No matter what others say, they refuse to accept it. No matter how closely what you say aligns with their state or how much it could help them make a turnaround and achieve some growth, they still don’t accept it. They are convinced that their own thoughts are correct. Is this a manifestation of obstinacy? (Yes.) They single-mindedly and firmly believe: “God doesn’t like me. No matter what I do, God will not show me grace—I’ve been set aside by God. I know I’m not someone who loves the truth, so there’s no point in striving upward. If I can do any duty, I’ll just do a bit. If I’m called a laborer, then so be it. Anyway, I’ll just follow along. As long as there’s a glimmer of hope, I won’t leave.” In fact, based on their caliber and various other conditions, they shouldn’t be this negative—they are still capable of doing some valuable things, and can achieve some results in doing their duties. However, because of their obstinacy, they refuse to strive upward, do not reverse course, and do not repent; in their hearts, they believe that God will not show them grace. Others receive various degrees of light and enlightenment and are frequently shown some grace by God, but they cannot feel it, so they harbor some resentment toward God in their hearts. Is this obstinacy? (Yes.) Some people think, “Those who are promoted and cultivated in God’s house are all the ones who are adept at speaking, have gifts and strengths, and are good at presenting themselves. People like us, who don’t know how to present ourselves and lack eloquence, are overlooked by God’s house. God doesn’t give us any opportunities. Even if we have talents, it’s useless. Even if we have caliber and comprehension ability, it doesn’t matter—we still have to stand aside. Especially since we come from poor backgrounds, have average looks, and don’t know how to dress up, we’ll never stand out anywhere. Our whole lives will just be like this—no status in the world and no status in God’s house.” Is this a manifestation of obstinacy? (Yes.) From these two examples, can you clearly explain what obstinacy is? (Stubbornly holding onto one’s own ideas and refusing to listen to anyone.) (Sticking to one’s rigid view.) In colloquial terms, it’s called sticking to one’s rigid view, but not all forms of this are obstinacy—it depends on whether the rigid view they are sticking to is correct or not. If the rigid view a person sticks to is correct, then it’s still acceptable. For example, if someone sticks to their rigid view, saying, “No matter when, a person must act with conscience,” then this view is relatively positive. But if the rigid view they stick to is incorrect and does not align with the facts, yet they still refuse to let go and no one can make them change their thoughts and viewpoints no matter what they say, then this is obstinacy. Obstinacy is a distorted way of understanding—it is when people stubbornly hold onto distorted thoughts and viewpoints. It does not conform to humanity or common sense, much less does it conform to God’s requirements; of course, it also has absolutely nothing to do with the truth. Obstinacy refers to persisting in distorted thoughts and viewpoints under the dominance of the impetuousness and emotions of one’s humanity. People who exhibit these kinds of manifestations are obstinate people. For example, some people, after accepting being pruned and coming to know themselves, feel that they were wrong in this matter and should repent. They see it as a transgression and they believe that being pruned was right, that the pruning fortunately came in time, and that a great mistake would have been made without it. However, obstinate people do not think this way. They say, “Pruning me is looking down on me—it’s picking on me because they find me displeasing. Maybe I landed in the eye of the storm and ran into bad luck. They just happened to be angry with nowhere to vent, so they took it out on me by pruning me.” Others say, “It’s not how you think it is. Why don’t you examine what you did wrong? Did you handle that matter according to the principles? Did you violate the truth principles?” They do not examine these things. Instead, they analyze, understand, and approach matters with emotions and impetuousness. In summary, obstinate people, in the vast majority of cases, do not accept positive things or the truth—they don’t even accept positive thoughts and viewpoints. Regardless of what happens to them or what environment they encounter, they approach it in an obstinate way and hold on with absolute certainty. Even when you fellowship the truth with them, they don’t accept it and believe that what they hold to is completely in line with the facts. What do they often say? “What you hear is unreliable; only what you see is real. What I see are the facts. Even if what you say is the truth, if you haven’t seen it, you have no right to speak on it.” They believe that what they see are the facts, and that essentially how these facts appear on the surface is exactly how they are. When you talk about the truth, it’s useless—in their eyes, the truth is just a facade, just a front, merely pleasant-sounding words. Thus, they do not accept it. They blindly believe, “What I say is true—it’s not a lie—because I saw the truth of the facts. I saw the process of the facts unfold.” For example, when an obstinate person sees a couple arguing, with both the husband and wife shouting about getting a divorce, they conclude that they will definitely divorce. Others say, “Just because you saw them arguing about divorce doesn’t necessarily mean they truly want to divorce. People say harsh words when they’re angry. In fact, this couple is usually very loving—there is a strong foundation to their relationship. Even though they’ve argued all their lives, they can’t live without each other. The wife told someone who knows about the situation that it’s impossible for them to divorce. So, based on these facts and their usual way of life, they won’t possibly get divorced.” The obstinate person doesn’t believe it. Later, they go check and see that the couple really hasn’t gotten divorced, but they still stubbornly believe, “They’re only not divorced on the surface; in private, they’ve already secretly divorced. They only haven’t made it public for the sake of the children.” You see, they still cling stubbornly to this matter. They only believe in what their eyes see and in their own judgment, pigheadedly insisting that their judgment and their thoughts and viewpoints are correct. Even if the facts are not like that or the essence and root of the problem are not like that, they still believe it to be so. Their understanding of all matters relies solely on their own prejudices, impetuousness, and emotions—they do not judge based on the nature of the facts or the root of the problem. Even if the situation changes, their way of understanding and their thoughts and viewpoints remain unchanged. These are the manifestations of obstinate people.

When obstinate people encounter specific problems, their way of handling the problems and the disposition they reveal involve a corrupt disposition. Obstinacy is a major defect of humanity. Of course, this does not rise to the level of character or integrity—it is merely related to the attitude, thought, and viewpoint with which they interact with others and handle matters. If a person is obstinate, that is enough to show that their humanity has a defect. When this defect is revealed in a specific matter, what they reveal is no longer just a defect of humanity. If, in a given situation, they stubbornly insist on their distorted understanding and viewpoints, believing that these align with the truth, and no matter who fellowships the truth with them they can’t take it in—and even develop some obstinate actions and statements—then this is no longer merely a problem of their humanity. This has already risen to the level of being a problem with their disposition—it has risen to the level of a corrupt disposition. For example, when it comes to accepting being pruned, if they violate the principles in doing things and commit reckless misdeeds, they ought to accept pruning. Even if they do not accept pruning, they should still accept the corresponding punishment and chastening. However, instead of comprehending this correctly, they complain about their bad luck, saying, “I just happened to walk into the line of fire. The person pruning me was just angry and had nowhere to vent their anger—it just happened that they came across this matter of mine, so they pruned me.” Their thought, viewpoint, and attitude toward being pruned are a revelation of a corrupt disposition. What kind of corrupt disposition? (Intransigence and being averse to the truth.) Being averse to the truth and intransigence. Their thoughts and viewpoints regarding people and things fall under the obstinacy of their humanity, but the corrupt dispositions that give rise to these obstinate thoughts and viewpoints are intransigence and being averse to the truth. This makes the essence of the problem serious—such people are disbelievers. Obstinacy is a defect of humanity. What are the main characteristics of the corrupt dispositions it involves? Intransigence and being averse to the truth—this brings it to the level of corrupt dispositions. What do you notice from this? Some defects in humanity, which involve the thoughts, viewpoints, and attitudes that people conduct themselves and act with, can escalate to corrupt dispositions. For example, stuttering is a defect of humanity. A person who stutters will stutter no matter what they say. Stuttering itself is not a corrupt disposition and does not rise to the level of a corrupt disposition. However, if the words spoken in a stuttering manner carry certain thoughts, and these thoughts are produced under the dominance of a corrupt disposition, then regardless of whether the person is a natural stutterer or not, the thoughts behind their words involve a corrupt disposition. Stuttering is a speech problem—it has no relation to a corrupt disposition. However, the thoughts and viewpoints behind using a stuttering manner of speaking are triggered or caused by a corrupt disposition. So you see, when a defect of humanity involves innate conditions, it has no relation to a corrupt disposition. But when a defect of humanity involves the vile, distorted, or negative elements of one’s character, it does involve a corrupt disposition. Do you understand? (Yes.)