Those
Whose Goal is Valuable
Have
no Reason to Be in Great Hurry
Carlos
Cardoso Aveline
* Once priority is given to a noble intention, the
dynamic symmetry of life gets intensified. He who attains the right kind of inner
balance can remain away from many forms of ignorance. Yin and yang, defensive
and aggressive ways of being naïve are then avoided. Such a pilgrim has the means to elevate
himself up to the realm of pure justice and equilibrium. In that realm,
immortal Sages live.
* Every human being is born to expand his discernment
of right and wrong. I see uninspiring events around me, for instance; and I decide
not to pay too much attention to them. There are significant amounts of
ignorance in today’s society, from which fact I take the practical lesson of
detachment. I see inspiring events in life, and pay due attention to them. I am
a dweller of the spiritual world; sometimes I visit the world of matter.
* External events form what the Sages call the “world
of effects”. Esoteric philosophy teaches us how to operate in conscious and
responsible ways in the “world of causes”. The realm of causes is within our
soul.
* In order to produce the right kind of effects, it is
enough to make correct decisions in that which actually depends on us. However,
this is rarely as easy as it sounds, for it requires a clear goal, and
detachment, and discernment.
* The central part of summer brings us the apex of
light, a relative abundance of life, and a lesson or two in simplicity. In the
highest point of a cycle, one must remember the law of detachment and prepare
for an outward decline. There is nothing like one year after other. When the external
Sun gets stronger and more visible, this is the occasion to remember the inner,
invisible Sun. Each time things get easier, the pilgrim must be sure he is
ready to face the coming obstacles.
* More important than demanding something is to set an
example. Greed, anger, ambition and immoderate desire in any form provoke blind
actions leading to social disharmony. Order, on the other hand, can only be
established if there is moderation.
* Voluntary simplicity results from detachment, and
from an inner feeling of independence regarding the circumstances. Then we
experience a lasting contentment which, instead of obeying to the logic of
external world, guides the world, and enlightens it, and preserves our liberty
of mind and soul.
* In a community where people are used to waste
energies talking about each other’s mistakes and making mutual accusations, few
have the time necessary to correct their own failures. It makes no sense to
point out problems, except for the purpose of defining and implementing
solutions to them, or preventing their growth, or extracting lessons.
* The lower-self habit of negative feelings and
thoughts must be observed, understood and uprooted.
* Although a critical view of things constitutes an
essential tool to avoid defeat, the ability to discern the true and the false
must be combined with three other factors: personal detachment, unconditional
good-will, and positive thinking.
* One must have courage to change that which can be
changed, austerity to accept situations that cannot be improved, and
discernment to see the difference between these two.
* Truth belongs to no one, for that which is eternal
cannot belong to a temporary being. Yet all beings belong to truth. Temporary
entities exist - once and again - in the limitless space of timeless truth.
* All is not uniform when one’s existence reorganizes
itself through a deep and quick change in the tides of Karma.
* In some special occasions, one has to act forcefully
in building new foundations for thought and action, in more than one aspect of
life.
* As soon as a new structure of Karma is defined in
its premises and limits, the moment comes for a relative pause in the outward
aspects of one’s effort. Thus the subsidiary lines of action and reaction can adopt
different rhythms and cycles, adapted to the new conditions.
* While acting in the world of causes, one must give
the world of effects some time to adapt, before the renewing action receives
another impulse.
* When you act in perfect peace and with the necessary
calm on the essential aspects of life, everything gets in movement in the
proper rhythm, in the right direction. It is worthless to work too fast,
because artificial accelerations lead the pilgrim away from the essential
facts, towards the territory of mere appearance. Those whose goal is valuable
have no reason to be in great hurry.
* When action is based on a short-term view of facts,
anxiety and the search for superficial goals tend to prevail. In a long-term
action, on the other hand, one foresees the results of the effort and has time
enough to correct it. Thus one creates an intelligent process of karmic
production. In such an unfoldment we can learn. By identifying mistakes and
ceasing to make them, we constantly improve the effort.
* It is a blessing to contemplate the wisdom expressed
in popular tales of different nations. Divine knowledge can be found in the
literature of India, of Israel, of Russia, of ancient Greece, of China and nearly
every nation. These show both the cultural diversity and the inner unity of
mankind.
* There is a natural balance to life, and in every aspect
of it. In individual and collective existence, each form of power or energy is
compensated and complemented by other forms of creative dominance. Dreams about
attaining unilateral, unaccountable power are neurotic. Blind wishes lead to
great suffering.
* Different forms of power tend to be friendly to each
other as long as they are healthy. The presence of struggle for dominance indicates
weakness and degeneration.
* If ethical decay becomes central in a society,
citizens of goodwill must use their best discernment and stay away from the
dysfunctional patterns, getting in tune with the sane trends which will
dominate again in due time according to Karmic Law.
* Inaccurate information is a problem: no doubt about
that. There is an ocean of pseudo-information around every citizen nowadays.
Yet perhaps the most dangerous form of disinformation is not inaccurate data.
False narratives can always be checked and verified. The worst way of getting
misinformed is probably having an interest on irrelevant issues, and adopting
them as “relevant”.
* Seeing unimportant things as important, and
important things as unimportant, constitutes Maya. What are the aspects of
reality which one should in fact try to know right now, in the individual
world? In one’s family? In the city and nation? That’s for each one to decide.
In any case, the alternatives should be carefully examined and the decisions
made in a conscious self-responsible way. The truth-seeker must avoid
collective hypnotism. It is a privilege to be able to think by himself, to
learn from his mistakes and place the active search for truth above mere
opinion. [1]
* One should not
despise circumstances or persons if they don’t correspond to one’s desires.
Hatred is a bad counsellor. On the other hand, gratitude produces happiness. It
is correct to build from the start that which will be of great value.
* There is merit,
for instance, in planting a tree. Solidarity guides human beings towards peace.
The wisdom of the soul makes people awaken to cooperation. The practice of
right actions constitutes the best way to prevent mistakes.
NOTE:
[1] See also the text “A Strategic View of Information”.
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“Thoughts Along the Road - 36” was
published as an independent text on 03 October 2019. An initial version of it, with no indication as to the
name of the author, is included in “The Aquarian Theosophist”, July 2017
edition, pp. 10-12. A few short notes written by the same author and anonymously
published in that edition of “The
Aquarian” were added to form the article.
000
