Man is capable of managing himself without external control by developing inner discipline and establishing priorities based on higher moral or spiritual principles.

The Path to Inner Mastery

Man is capable of managing himself without external control by developing inner discipline and establishing priorities based on higher moral or spiritual principles. This means that true self-governance is not about having the free rein to do whatever one wishes, but about the conscious choice to follow the true good, renouncing vices and instant impulses that might weaken one’s will.

One source discusses that self-governance is manifested in keeping the mind elevated and attached to the one true Lord God, our merciful Savior, and it is through this inner guidance that a person attains genuine self-mastery (source: link txt). It is emphasized that possessing one’s personal will and the ability to govern oneself are closely linked to adherence to higher principles rather than to the control of external circumstances.

Furthermore, another quote from the same file highlights the path of inner freedom: when a person consciously rejects superficial entertainments and lives according to deep convictions, the fear of God, and conscience, a turning point occurs, leading to the emergence of inner light and rational self-action (source: link txt). Thus, self-governance becomes a process of internal transformation, where one’s soul is liberated from the obsession with immediate desires and begins to follow truly important and valuable guidelines.

In addition, another source emphasizes that the inability to control one’s emotions and passions leads to internal instability and dependence on external circumstances. A person who cannot control himself becomes a prisoner of his passions and weaknesses, which deprives him of true well-being (source: link txt).

In summary, self-governance without external control is achieved through self-discipline, awareness of one’s higher goals, the renunciation of instantaneous impulses, and the pursuit of inner freedom based on trust in higher moral principles. This is not merely an act of rejecting external influences, but a profound internal process in which a person learns to take responsibility for his actions and direct them constructively.

Supporting citation(s):"Thus, if all this happens involuntarily to a person, as a matter of nature, then what constitutes a person’s self-mastery?

This self-mastery is seen in nothing other than having one’s mind always elevated and attached to the one true Lord God, our merciful Savior. If self-mastery is seen as being in what is under our power, then, of course, in that in which we have no power, there is no self-mastery." (source: link txt)

"In favorable circumstances, after thoughtful consideration, a person decides not to further indulge in entertainments, but to live by the inspirations of the fear of God and conscience with self-sacrifice. For this decision, the grace of God, which until then operated externally, enters within through the sacraments, and the spirit of the person, previously weak, is made powerful. On this side, consciousness and freedom completely shift; and a person begins to experience an inner life before God—a truly free, intelligently self-active life." (source: link txt)

"Indeed, wretched and truly poor is the one who is unable to govern himself, in whom various worldly evils clash, to which he is subject." (source: link txt)