Notes on Brotherhood,
Liberty - And Caution
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Abraham
Lincoln (1809-1865)
“Our defense is in the preservation
of the spirit which prizes liberty as the
heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere.”
(A. Lincoln in 1858)
As other good-willing
individuals of every nation and time, Abraham Lincoln had a dream about the
universal brotherhood of mankind, and worked for it.
In a speech in Illinois on
September 11, 1858, Lincoln talked about a bright vision of the world’s future.
If it had been more strongly pursued
by every nation, such ancient and modern goal would have prevented many a
tragedy, including the one which took place on another September 11 - that of
the year 2001.
However, our defeats can help us
prepare our biggest victories, and there is still time for all nations to learn
the lesson of brotherhood. Abraham Lincoln did not need to use Sanskrit words in
order to talk about the Law of Karma, and he said:
“What constitutes the bulwark
of our own liberty and independence? ... Our reliance is in the love of liberty
which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the
spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere.
Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your
own doors. Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage, and you are
preparing your own limbs to wear them.”[1]
The bulwark, the fortification
and the trench of liberty is - liberty itself. As to equality and justice, Lincoln
wrote in the same year of 1858:
“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of
democracy. Whatever differs from this, is not democracy.” [2]
The statement is in perfect harmony
with the teachings of esoteric philosophy, for in the Mahatma Letters one sees
these clear words from an Eastern Sage:
“… In our sight an honest
boot-black [is] as good as an honest king, and an immoral sweeper far higher than and more excusable than an immoral Emperor…” [3]
Being an independent thinker,
Abraham Lincoln kept away from sects and Churches of any kind. He liked the
essence better than mere outward form, and on one occasion he said these words:
“That I am not a member of any
Christian church is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures;
and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect of religion in general, or
of any denomination of Christians in particular.” [4]
As to one’s adversaries, he
wrote in a letter to his wife:
“Do good to those who hate you
and turn their ill will to friendship.” [5]
But Lincoln knew that conflict
is sometimes inevitable.
The same broad principles of liberty
and cooperation apply to the modern theosophical movement, which constitutes a
precarious nucleus of universal brotherhood, a seed planted in New York in
1875, and which in the first part of 21st century is perhaps a small seedling,
weak, but alive.
Freedom is not always
sustainable. Any wise and long-term exercise of liberty needs related factors like
open-mindedness, sincerity, self-responsibility, and a sense of inner unity which is inseparable from outer diversity. In order to preserve freedom,
one must also exert vigilance. This may sound paradoxical. But life is
dangerous, and without a good deal of prudence, troubles come. Examples of this
abound, and in 1863 Lincoln said:
“Mother has got a notion into
her head that I shall be assassinated, and to please her I take a cane when I
go over to the War Department at nights - when I don’t forget it.” [6]
Those were the security
measures for the presidents of the United States at the time. Lincoln’s
assassination in 1865 helps teach us that while Brotherhood must preserve
Liberty, these two factors have to be preserved with Caution and some rigour. Ten
years after Lincoln’s death, the modern theosophical movement was founded in
New York city in order to stimulate discernment, mutual help, and wisdom among
humans.
NOTES:
[1] “The Wit and
Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln”, Edited by Bob Blaisdell, Dover Thrift Editions,
Dover Publications, N. York, USA, 2005, 90 pp., see p. 03.
[2] “The Wit and Wisdom
of Abraham Lincoln”, p. 2.
[3] “The Mahatma
Letters”, transcribed by A. T. Barker, Theosophical University Press, Pasadena,
CA, 1992, see Letter XXIX, p. 223.
[4] “The Wit and Wisdom
of Abraham Lincoln”, p. 50.
[5] “The Wit and
Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln”, p. 10.
[6] “The Wit and
Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln”, p. 15.
000
In September 2016, after
a careful analysis of the state of the esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students
decided to form the Independent Lodge of
Theosophists, whose priorities include the building of a better future in
the different dimensions of life.
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