登陆注册
15300500000013

第13章

O.M.Merely the laying of traps for people.Traps baited with INITIATORY IMPULSES TOWARD HIGH IDEALS.It is what the tract-distributor does.It is what the missionary does.It is what governments ought to do.

Y.M.Don't they?

O.M.In one way they do, in another they don't.They separate the smallpox patients from the healthy people, but in dealing with crime they put the healthy into the pest-house along with the sick.That is to say, they put the beginners in with the confirmed criminals.This would be well if man were naturally inclined to good, but he isn't, and so ASSOCIATIONmakes the beginners worse than they were when they went into captivity.It is putting a very severe punishment upon the comparatively innocent at times.They hang a man--which is a trifling punishment; this breaks the hearts of his family--which is a heavy one.They comfortably jail and feed a wife-beater, and leave his innocent wife and family to starve.

Y.M.Do you believe in the doctrine that man is equipped with an intuitive perception of good and evil?

O.M.Adam hadn't it.

Y.M.But has man acquired it since?

O.M.No.I think he has no intuitions of any kind.He gets ALL his ideas, all his impressions, from the outside.Ikeep repeating this, in the hope that I may impress it upon you that you will be interested to observe and examine for yourself and see whether it is true or false.

Y.M.Where did you get your own aggravating notions?

O.M.From the OUTSIDE.I did not invent them.They are gathered from a thousand unknown sources.Mainly UNCONSCIOUSLYgathered.

Y.M.Don't you believe that God could make an inherently honest man?

O.M.Yes, I know He could.I also know that He never did make one.

Y.M.A wiser observer than you has recorded the fact that "an honest man's the noblest work of God."O.M.He didn't record a fact, he recorded a falsity.It is windy, and sounds well, but it is not true.God makes a man with honest and dishonest POSSIBILITIES in him and stops there.The man's ASSOCIATIONS develop the possibilities--the one set or the other.

The result is accordingly an honest man or a dishonest one.

Y.M.And the honest one is not entitled to--O.M.Praise? No.How often must I tell you that? HE is not the architect of his honesty.

Y.M.Now then, I will ask you where there is any sense in training people to lead virtuous lives.What is gained by it?

O.M.The man himself gets large advantages out of it, and that is the main thing--to HIM.He is not a peril to his neighbors, he is not a damage to them--and so THEY get an advantage out of his virtues.That is the main thing to THEM.

It can make this life comparatively comfortable to the parties concerned; the NEGLECT of this training can make this life a constant peril and distress to the parties concerned.

Y.M.You have said that training is everything; that training is the man HIMSELF, for it makes him what he is.

O.M.I said training and ANOTHER thing.Let that other thing pass, for the moment.What were you going to say?

Y.M.We have an old servant.She has been with us twenty-two years.Her service used to be faultless, but now she has become very forgetful.We are all fond of her; we all recognize that she cannot help the infirmity which age has brought her; the rest of the family do not scold her for her remissnesses, but at times I do--I can't seem to control myself.Don't I try? I do try.Now, then, when I was ready to dress, this morning, no clean clothes had been put out.I lost my temper; I lose it easiest and quickest in the early morning.I rang; and immediately began to warn myself not to show temper, and to be careful and speak gently.I safe-guarded myself most carefully.

I even chose the very word I would use: "You've forgotten the clean clothes, Jane." When she appeared in the door I opened my mouth to say that phrase--and out of it, moved by an instant surge of passion which I was not expecting and hadn't time to put under control, came the hot rebuke, "You've forgotten them again!" You say a man always does the thing which will best please his Interior Master.Whence came the impulse to make careful preparation to save the girl the humiliation of a rebuke?

Did that come from the Master, who is always primarily concerned about HIMSELF?

O.M.Unquestionably.There is no other source for any impulse.SECONDARILY you made preparation to save the girl, but PRIMARILY its object was to save yourself, by contenting the Master.

Y.M.How do you mean?

O.M.Has any member of the family ever implored you to watch your temper and not fly out at the girl?

Y.M.Yes.My mother.

O.M.You love her?

Y.M.Oh, more than that!

O.M.You would always do anything in your power to please her?

Y.M.It is a delight to me to do anything to please her!

O.M.Why? YOU WOULD DO IT FOR PAY, SOLELY--for PROFIT.

What profit would you expect and certainly receive from the investment?

Y.M.Personally? None.To please HER is enough.

O.M.It appears, then, that your object, primarily, WASN'Tto save the girl a humiliation, but to PLEASE YOUR MOTHER.It also appears that to please your mother gives YOU a strong pleasure.Is not that the profit which you get out of the investment? Isn't that the REAL profits and FIRST profit?

Y.M.Oh, well? Go on.

O.M.In ALL transactions, the Interior Master looks to it that YOU GET THE FIRST PROFIT.Otherwise there is no transaction.

Y.M.Well, then, if I was so anxious to get that profit and so intent upon it, why did I threw it away by losing my temper?

O.M.In order to get ANOTHER profit which suddenly superseded it in value.

Y.M.Where was it?

O.M.Ambushed behind your born temperament, and waiting for a chance.Your native warm temper suddenly jumped to the front, and FOR THE MOMENT its influence was more powerful than your mother's, and abolished it.In that instance you were eager to flash out a hot rebuke and enjoy it.You did enjoy it, didn't you?

Y.M.For--for a quarter of a second.Yes--I did.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 弯月当空

    弯月当空

    谁贪污了我的医保?谁掠夺了我的财富?原来是你——披着天使外衣的恶魔!戴着精英头衔的罪犯!
  • 灵魂卡师

    灵魂卡师

    万米高空惊现庞天棺木,无数卡片从中散落,变化成各类奇异怪物,降临全球,带来末世灾难!而人类渐渐发现,自己的脑海中,竟然存在着一种奇异的卡片!在魂卡末世中生存两年的吴痕,重新回到了起点,他的道路会变的怎样?
  • 红楼之水掬黛心

    红楼之水掬黛心

    流不尽的灌愁海水水王情,剪不断的绛珠仙草木主缘。穿不遍的绫罗绮纨,吃不完的山珍海味;说不尽的繁花似锦绣,却暗藏祸机无数。只说金玉是良姻,却为何处处窥探水木情?都说水木是情缘,却为何情深似海祸如沙?抚着眉心的一点百花痣,却原来缠绵悱恻前世早定。
  • TFBOYS之舞缘

    TFBOYS之舞缘

    弃文。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。文文进行大整改,暂时弃文。以后如果有读者想看,艾特我,我会考虑重发滴……我会继续写……不过不在介篇发表了,给通知这部重新下次发表的名字叫《TFBOYS缘》嘿嘿,就少了中间两个字容易记趴……
  • 穿越努力发家当地主

    穿越努力发家当地主

    咦,穿了吗?包子爹娘,欺人的亲戚,看我如何分家,带领一家人发家致富。你是哪来的,看在你对我死心塌地的份上就勉强收了你吧
  • 太平盛世之特种兵

    太平盛世之特种兵

    现在的大多数军旅、抗战类的作品,简直不忍直视,脱离现实,完全不顾及读者的感受,我认为这是不尊重历史不尊重现实的一种态度,让读者脱离了现实……我希望我的这本书能够给大家不一样的感觉,更多的希望大家能通过我的书感受到不一样的军旅...
  • 正统天才

    正统天才

    绝世的天才在母亲遇袭死后,一改曾经的懒散,决心找出真相,随着实力越加强大,真相却如同镜中的花水中月一般难以追寻。真相到底是什么……
  • 豪门盛宠之清梅朱马

    豪门盛宠之清梅朱马

    诸自清原不叫诸自清,只因无良亲妈被冤枉时一句“清者自清”便被改名为诸自清。几年后,家里放满了作家朱自清的书,用亲妈的话说:玷污了这名字,多读他的书忏悔吧。当童年朱自来遇上诸自清,不是“清风徐来,气运双开”,而是“清梅朱马,脚踢拳打”当青年朱自来遇上诸自清,不是“清风徐来,霸道总裁”,而是“清霉朱骂,你上我下”诸自清:凭啥?我要“朱霉清骂,我上你下。”(男女一对一,爽文,质量保证,欢迎跳坑。前期青梅竹马,后期豪门霸道总裁。)
  • 修真知道

    修真知道

    龙家村人龙傲,在龙家村毁灭以后,走上了武者之路。随着武功的精进,龙傲渐知道了世上还有法力通天的修真者。真的通天么?带着心中的疑惑与憧憬,龙傲踏上了修真之路。修真之路漫漫,其修远兮!上下求索,只为那心中之道。
  • 天狼血魂

    天狼血魂

    天狼是什么?天狼血魂又是什么?时间能被人抢跑吗?长生不老可能吗?记忆可以移植吗?这个世界有很多奇异的地方,很多人只是惊叹,有些人则要一探究竟。对于简单而又平凡的他来说,只是:靠,爱谁谁,关我鸟事……可是呢,造化弄人,“好事”就这么愉快地摊在他的头上了。他没有抱怨,只是嚎啕大哭,捶胸顿足,声嘶力竭地喊道:“我就是个小偷,平常偷点钱混个吃喝,偶尔偷个人,这些跟我有锤子关系,这特么都是啥啊?”