Daily Meditation: Sunday, September 12, 2010

Faults and qualities - must be put to work

09/12/2010

It is pointless bemoaning the fact that human nature is sinful and carries the seeds of evil within it. There is nothing to bemoan, only work to be done. All faults, whether of vanity, pride, anger, jealousy or sensuality, must be put to work. That is the only proper way of looking at it, the only proper solution. It is work that counts. Do not concern yourself with anything else; your qualities and faults are secondary. When you have found which work is best and have made up your mind to sincerely devote yourself to it, both your qualities and your faults will become your best servants. Let's take a very simple example: you want to lift a heavy weight. All the energy held in potential in your physical body is mobilized: muscles, heart, lungs and even brain take part in this action. But if you do not have the wish to do anything, all your organs stagnate, become sluggish. It is your wish to work that mobilizes all your potential. By dint of effort, a criminal can end up surpassing the most virtuous of people in generosity, patience and kindness, whereas those who are considered better people often do nothing very great, because they do not see the need to work.