The Essentials of the Unity of Life (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: MYSELF AND MY NEIGHBOR. Man alone appears to understand that there is a Divine Unity in the endless variety and that injury to one is injury to all. So that it may be fairly said that in man is most clearly evinced the Divine principle of love, which cements and unifies all life. Apart from this, Divinity appears to be ruthless, undiscriminating Power. Taking such a cosmic view of existence now and then, cannot fail greatly to modify our conceptions of the general purpose and ultimates of life along with its responsibilities and duties. Inasmuch as the general purpose as it is related to larger effects and as it involves the particular Interests of the Perfect Whole, ever has been and ever will be, in the main, well subserved by theunits which compose the Grand Whole, it must be true that the component units themselves cannot go far enough astray in sufficient numbers to do serious injury. The onward sweep will not be much retarded. This being true, and the real purpose and design of the Whole not being known to the units any more than the individual cells of our own bodies are cognizant of the design of the whole body, the true basis of ethics is found to be the conservation and utilization of energy with a view to its constructive and administrative, its generic and specific effects. It remains then for each of us to act in his own sphere in accordance with the dictates of wisdom, as he is able to draw it from the universal storehouse, and, of course, with due respect to his associates and the world at large. Let him follow the general bent of his own natural impulses as modified and directed by mind, without fear, without friction, but with independent and resolute spirit. What he needs for suitable functioning is always at his command. Let him know that he is essentia...