A Self-made man can look at his family, and see in what issues they can be trusted and in which ones they can’t. He knows their basic moral side, and he knows their intellectual level. His associations with them are contextual, and he maintains civil relations by limiting their effect on his life to those categories. This is done by identifying, accepting and appreciating an individual’s contextualefficacy—isolating properly—without stretching virtues to cover vices on other subjects. The only trustworthy people overall, are those committed to wiping out their own evasiveness in every context in which they live and act. If one makes a study of love, one will be good at loving. If one makes a study of the natural world, one will be good at living. If one remains aware of cause and effect, one will be honest. These are all epistemological factors.
Self-made Man rids himself of destructive people and replaces them with the living, with little guilt expended. It is wonderful, the pressure that disappears when we surround ourselves with those whom are bright, passionate and industrious. Without the slovenly, our bitterness wanes. Left with students, teachers and peers, we feel alive, and all of our living energy is put to productive use.