Lower nature/Higher nature

[Ami]

Changing talks about your Higher Nature and Lower Nature,often. I was made to feel guilty over every emotion which was not "perfect". You can guess how guilty I felt. Every time ,I thought a "bad" thought, I felt like I was a horrible person. A bad thought could simply be,"I don't like that person."
  So, I have felt guilty about my "Lower Nature". If anyone cares to share on this topic,I would really like to hear what you have to say.
                                              Love Ami

[betr4]

This is how I relate to that Ami.

This morning talking to a friend in recovery we were discussing the way out families dealt with lying.

I realized my family and nm especially lives and always did in denial and pretty well controlled her environment. 

I was pretty much expected to follow a certain set of unwritten rules and standards that were strictly enforced with attitudes and some sort of silent control.  As children, we were not allowed to admit mistakes.  Mistakes meant the less than perfect children had done something wrong.  We were possessions, not people. So lots of denial and avoidance of realiyt existed. 
i learned not to show emotion and just do what had to be done and do it right.
Lots more but sharing and getting this all out seems to cause all my thoughts to come at once and I don't know quite how to say it.
Thanks for your topic.
BR

[changing]

I think that we all have choices. We are all subject to being tempted to act against what we know to be right, or instead to act in accord with what we know is right. For example, one may take advantage of a vulnerable person or choose to help that person instead. The person who allows their choice to be dictated by the lower nature chooses the lower path, the higher nature the higher path. Some people let the  choices of the lower nature become ingrained and habitual in their behavior, and become criminals or worse. Some are weak in certain areas, and may (or may not) learn from the ramifications of past bad choices and be strengthened to do what they know to be right in the future.

One may call the lower nature greed, lust or sin, but we all have this nature and this choice. One may call the higher nature love, morality or God, but we all have this within us, we all know right from wrong, and when we violate what we know to be right, I think that damage occurs.

[Ami]

Dear Changing,
  I love this explanation. It is so simple. I was made to feel guilty for a "normal" part in all of us--Right?The fact that we HAVE the lower nature is not our "fault". Blame Adam---Right?
 So, It is like feeling guilty for brown hair or blue eyes or balck skin or white skin. All of these traits are "fixed ' traits like the lower nature.
  Our choice is what action to chose--Right? We can't control when feelings come to us. We  get two choices ,as you said. We can act from the higher OR lower nature.  Thanks Changing. It seems so simple ,but I was "stuck".     Love   Ami

[betr4]

It is sometimes referred to as being human. 

Fallen human nature refers to sin.   Versus Divine nature. 

On the road to being perfected.

Some thoughts.
BR