Humble Tasks Open Our Horizon, If
Performed With Calm and Peaceful Attention
Carlos Cardoso Aveline

The apparent relevance or irrelevance of whatever
I am now doing for the good of mankind should not attract my attention.
It is my duty instead to examine my heart and
see whether I am doing my best in a selfless way, and if at the same time I am
keeping myself in peace, and maintaining a long-term perspective. Selfless
efforts are more effective when they are continuous.
I may be able to read a book every month, or
help here and there those who work more intensely, or help the voluntary
workers with my inner thoughts and hopes. If this is all I can do now, and I do
this wholeheartedly, this “small” opportunity will expand and I will soon have
better chances to help.
It does not matter what the other workers are
doing exactly, and whether their tasks are outwardly “great” or “small”.
Humble tasks open one’s horizon, if performed
with calm and peaceful attention. Life is dynamic. I must hope my companions
work wholeheartedly. They are my mirror. As their motives are noble, the common
task evolves in purity of mind and soul.
There are also challenges.
Little by little the common ground where I
breathe and work with my fellow beings improves in quality. Sudden progress
should not be relied upon. Alchemical
purity expands under the constant fire of probation.
As long as I see myself as a grain of sand
before the Ocean, the horizon will remain wide.
I must not try to do better than anyone else.
Instead, I can endeavor today to do better than I myself did yesterday.
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An initial version of the above text appeared at
the November 2014 edition of “The
Aquarian Theosophist”, p. 11. It had no indication as to the name of the
author.
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