爱爱小说网 > 其他电子书 > 01-what is man >

第7章

01-what is man-第7章

小说: 01-what is man 字数: 每页3500字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




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。  I

keep 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 UNCONSCIOUSLY

gathered。



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 possibilitiesthe 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 thingto HIM。  He is not a peril to his

neighbors; he is not a damage to themand 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 doI 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 phraseand 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; SOLELYfor 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'T

to 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。  Forfor a quarter of a second。  YesI did。



O。M。  Very well; it is as I have said:  the thing which will

give you the MOST pleasure; the most satisfaction; in any moment

or FRACTION of a moment; is the thing you will always do。  You

must content the Master's LATEST whim; whatever it may be。



Y。M。  But when the tears came into the old servant's eyes I

could have cut my hand off for what I had done。



O。M。  Right。  You had humiliated YOURSELF; you see; you had

given yourself PAIN。  Nothing is of FIRST importance to a man

except results which damage HIM or profit himall the rest is

SECONDARY。  Your Master was displeased with you; although you had

obeyed him。  He required a prompt REPENTANCE; you obeyed again;

you HAD tothere is never any escape from his commands。  He is a

hard master and fickle; he changes his mind in the fraction of a

second; but you must be ready to obey; and you will obey; ALWAYS。

If he requires repentance; you content him; you will always

furnish it。  He must be nursed; petted; coddled; and kept

contented; let the terms be what they may。



Y。M。  Training!  Oh; what's the use of it?  Didn't I; and

didn't my mother try to train me up to where I would no longer

fly out at that girl?



O。M。  Have you never managed to keep back a scolding?



Y。M。  Oh; certainlymany times。



O。M。  More times this year than last?



Y。M。  Yes; a good many more。



O。M。  More times last year than the year before?



Y。M。  Yes。



O。M。  There is a large improvement; then; in the two years?



Y。M。  Yes; undoubtedly。



O。M。  Then your question is answered。  You see there IS use in

training。  Keep on。  Keeping faithfully on。  You are doing well。



Y。M。  Will my reform reach perfection?



O。M。  It will。  UP to YOUR limit。



Y。M。  My limit?  What do you mean by that?



O。M。  You remember that you said that I said training was

EVERYTHING。  I corrected you; and said 〃training and ANOTHER

thing。〃  That other thing is TEMPERAMENTthat is; the

disposition you were born with。  YOU CAN'T ERADICATE YOUR

DISPOSITION NOR ANY RAG OF ITyou can only put a pressure on it

and keep it down and quiet。  You have a warm temper?



Y。M。  Yes。



O。M。  You will never get rid of it; but by watching it you

can keep it down nearly all the time。  ITS PRESENCE IS YOUR

LIMIT。  Your reform will never quite reach perfection; for your

temper will beat you now and then; but you come near enough。  You

have made valuable progress and can make more。  There IS use in

training。  Immense use。  Presently you will reach a new stage of

development; then your progress will be easier; will proceed on a

simpler basis; anyway。



Y。M。  Explain。



O。M。  You keep back your scoldings now; to please YOURSELF

by pleasing your MOTHER; presently the mere triumphing over your

temper will delight your vanity and confer a more delicious

pleasure and satisfaction upon you than even the approbation of

your MOTHER confers upon you now。  You will then labor for

yourself directly and at FIRST HAND; not by the roundabout way

through your mother。  It simplifies the matter; and it also

strengthens the impulse。



Y。M。  Ah; dear!  But I sha'n't ever reach the point where I

will spare the girl for HER sake PRIMARILY; not mine?



O。M。  Whyyes。  In heaven。



Y。M。  (AFTER A REFLECTIVE PAUSE)  Temperament。  Well; I see

one must allow for temperament。  It is a large factor; sure

enough。  My mother is thoughtful; and not hot…tempered。  When I

was dressed I went to her room; she was not there; I called; she

answered from the bathroom。  I heard the water running。  I

inquired。  She answered; without temper; that Jane had forgotten

her bath; and she was preparing it herself。  I offered to ring;

but she said; 〃No; don't do that; it would only distress her to

be confronted with her lapse; and would be a rebuke; she doesn't

deserve thatshe is not to blame for the tricks her memory

serves her。〃  I sayhas my mother an Interior Master?and where

was he?



O。M。  He was there。  There; and looking out for his own

peace and pleasure and contentment。  The girl's distress would

have pained YOUR MOTHER。  Otherwise the girl would have been rung

up; distress and all。  I know women who would have gotten a No。 1

PLEASURE out of ringing Jane upand so they would infallibly

have pushed the button and obeyed the law of their make and

training; which are the servants of their Interior Masters。  It

is quite likely that a part of your mother's forbearance came

from training。  The GOOD kind of trainingwhose best and highest

function is to see to it that every time it confers a

satisfaction upon its pupil a benefit shall fall at second hand

upon others。



Y。M。  If you were going to condense into an admonition your

plan for the general betterment of the race's condition; how

would you word it?







Admonition



O。M。  Diligently train your ideals UPWARD and STILL UPWARD

toward a summit where you will find your chiefest pleasure in

conduct which; while contenting you; will be sure to confer

benefits upon your neighbor and the community。



Y。M。  Is that a new gospel?



O。M。  No。



Y。M。  It has been taught before?



O。M。  For ten thousand years。



Y。M。  By whom?



O。M。  All the great religionsall the great gospels。



Y。M。  Then there is nothing new about it?



O。M。  Oh yes; there is。  It is candidly stated; this time。

That has not been done before。



Y。M。  How do you mean?



O。M。  Haven't I put YOU FIRST; and your neighbor and the

community AFTERWARD?



Y。M。  Well; y

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的