James suspects that on the French are growing edge…
Page 151. James suspects that on the French are growing edge, of consciousness each of us can imagine acting in ways that might invigorate, rather than dampen or mute, our lives. Take a look at the friend. See what is there and more importantly why it’s there instead of being enacted is at the center of things. What forces are keeping it at the periphery? Society homes along smoothly by virtue of conformity, but it’s maintenance is often secured at the expense of individuals whose unique prospects or sacrificed. The imperative to act freely, for the mature James, was coupled with an explicit critique of the social structure that forbade it.
— from The Mind in the Cockpit · Sick Souls, Healthy Minds- How William James Can Save Your Life by John Kaag