I^ysical to the spiritual, to the extent that we live in the present.
3. We must honestly and scrupulously perfonn the task set before us, no matter whether we hope some day to be angels or believe that we once were molluscs.
Ruski».
4. The principal problem of our life is whether in the brief span of life granted us we do the will of Him who sent us into life. Are we doing it?
5. In the course of life, particulariy in the course of a good life, the importance of time and the interest in the future gradually fade away. The older we become, the more quickly the time passes, and the less importance is attached to what will be, but increasingly more to that which is.
6. If you can soar in spirit above space and time you find yourself every mwneot in eternity. Atiaelus.
V^^
DOING GOOD AND KINDNESS
DOING GOOD AND KINDNESS
I.
To render Good for evil is more natural, agreeable and rational than to render evil for evil.
1. And when they came to the place called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
Then said Jesus, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. Luke XXIII, 33-34.
2. No one has ever wearied of obtaining for himself all kinds of blessings. But the greatest blessing which a man could obtain for himself is to act in harmony with his reason, and this law commands him to do good to others unceasingly as the highest blessings attainable.
Marcus Aurelius.
3. Render good for evil.
4. How to take revenge on your enemy? Try to do him as much good as you can.
5. Overcome wrath with meekness, evil with good» miserliness with gifts, falsehoods with truth.
Giampada,
6. Treating our neighbors as they deserve, we only make them worse. But treating them as though they were better than they really are we force them to become better.
Goethe.
7. Render good for evil, and you destroy all the pleasure in the evil man which he derives from his evil doing.
He who but once has experienced tVve ^V^idisox^ ^\ t^tw-
dering good for evil will never miss an opportunity of experiencing this joy.
II.
In Order to Believe in That Wliich is Good, It ta NecesBary to Commetice to Do Good
1. Adorn each passing day with a kindly deed.
2. It is best of all to commence a day like this; think on awaking whether you cannot give pleasure this day, though it be to only one person. Nietzsche.
3. Kindness is our duty. He who frequently fulfills this duty and sees how his good intentions are materialized will ultimately really tove him to whom he has been kind. The words "love thy neighbor as thyself" do not mean that you must first love him, and then, as the result of your love, do good unto him. No, you must do good to your neighbor, and your kindness will kindle the love of humanity in your heart, which will be the result of your readiness to do good. Kant.
4. Good will is not good because of that which it efFects or accomplishes, not because of its usefulness in attaining some determined aim, but solely because of its volition, that is strictly per se: considered by itself, without any comparison, it has a far higher value than anything that could be accomplished by it in favor of any inclination, if you will in favor of all inclinations taken together. If through some adversity of fate, or by reason of too scant an equipment of abilities allotted by a stepmotherly nature, such goodwill were utterly deprived of the possibility of realzing its intentions, if in spite of its greatest effort it achieved nothing, but just remained
jagnXy goodwill (of course, not the mere bare desire on
our part, but with the employment of every means within our power), even in this case it would sparkle of itself as a precious diamond—something that contains its fullest value in itself. Kant.
5.. What shall it profit him who lives a virtuous domestic life if he withdraws into a desert? Among all those who work for future bliss, he will gain most of all who lives well with his family. Hindu wisdom.
6. No one can have any idea of what is good until he begins to do good. Nor can anyone truly love that which is good until he learns to do it frequently and at a sacrifice. Nor can anyone find peace in doing good until he does it constantly. Martineau.
7. If you can not train yourself to seek out opportunities for doing good, even as a huntsman pursues his prey, at least do not omit an opportunity to do good.
III.
The doing of good cannot be measured either by the need of the recipient or by the sacrifice of the giver, but merely by that communion in God which is established between the recipient and the giver.
1. Life is not always a blessing. Only good life is a blessing.
2. Nature has so arranged it that offences are remembered longer than good actions. The good is forgotten, but offences stubbornly persist in memory.
3. It is not virtue, but a spurifous counterfeit and imitation of it, if we are led to do our duty by the promise of a reward. cicero.
A wise man questioned the spirit of wisdom how to attain bodily well-being and happiness without imperiling the soul, and how to save the soul without imperiling the body.
The spirit replied: Do not slander, lest slander and backbiting fall back upon yourself, for it is said that every other evil spirit attacks face to face, but slander alone attacks from the rear.
Do not yield to wrath, because the man who has yielded to wrath forgets his obligations and omits to do good.
Beware of timidity, for the timid loses the pleasures of the world and of the soul and destroys both the body and the soul.
Beware of lustfulness, for the fruits of it are disease and renrarse. Hold no envy in your heart, lest you poison your life. Do not commit sin out of a feeling of shame.
Be industrious and taciturn, live by your daily earnings and save for others and for God. This practice will be the most worthy manifestation of your activities.
Do not steal the goods of others, nor neglect your own work, for it is said that he who compels others to feed him is a man-eater.
Do not enter into an argument with a man of cunnir^, but rather leave him entirely alone.
Do not enter into partnership with a man of greed, nor trust his leadership.
Do not associate with the ignorant. Do not enter into explanations before fools, take no money from an evildoer, nor enter the king's palace in the company of slanderer. Oriental wisdom.
5. When the question is asked what is really that pure morality, the touchstone by which we must test the moral purport of our every act, I am constrained to confess that only philosoi^iers could make the solution of this question
a matter of doubt, for sound human reason considers this question definitely settled a long time back, not in abstract and generalizing formulas, it is true, but by differentiating the accomplished acts which we differentiate as positively as we distinguish our right hand from our left. Kant,
6. Do good to your friends so that they may love you still more; do good to your enemies so that they may some day become your friends.
When you speak of your enemy, remember there may come a day when he will become your friend. Cleobulos.
7. All men more or less closely approach one of the two opposite boundaries: life for self alone, and life for God alone.
8. Know firmly and feel profoundly that you must devote each day of your life to the welfare of others, doing for them all that you can. Doing it, not talking about it
Ruskin.
9. To follow one good deed with another so that there be no interspace between them, this is what I call a happy
life. Marcus Aurelius.
10. The more a man gives to others, and the less he demands for himself, the better he is. The less he gives to others and the more he demands for himself, the worse he is.