Philosophy and religion -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- United States
Of course one could not know, I said, but I myself did not believe in
personal immortality with definite memory. It might be so, or it might
not.
“I think it is not so,” said Marian, “for we remember nothing definite
from before birth.”
“But,” I said, “I feel sure that memory, the essence of memory, will go
on; just as our bodies and selves are a memory, so whatever we are in
this life will have its consequences, and we will be forever according
to what we are now. All progress is a memory—and a prophecy.”
I spoke, too, of the endless stream of every least action, how the least
word, once spoken, is a spring of eternal consequence, how each moment
is tremendously important. I reminded Marian how she had once said
school was so short, it did not much matter what one did; and I had
answered her, all life was short.
“Some people think actions under certain conditions—in foreign lands,
for instance—do not count.”
Virginia said she lived to enjoy herself, no matter what death might be,
but her enjoyment included making others happy. I said, that was the
only good way to live, to enjoy oneself, and have a very big idea of
what enjoyment meant.
In talking we stumbled across difficult, confusing words, “God,”
“truth,” “eternity.” Ruth said: “We ought to invent a new language, a
code of symbols, for everything in the old language has so many acquired
meanings, is so used up.”
“We have made almost a code of our own,” said Marian.
Alfred had said nothing to let me know whether or not he had been
convinced of immortality. It will be interesting to hear what he has
thought during the week.
We had now finished the first and fundamental part of what we meant to
do; we would now test everything by that standard.
“It is strange,” said Marian, “how everything we have said has sprung
from just one thing.”
“What is that?” I asked.
“Our idea of God,” she answered.
I said that, according to my prediction, we scarcely found it necessary
to use the word God.
Marian answered: “It is because the word has so many meanings, is so
easily misunderstood. But we know what we mean without saying it. My
Sunday-school teacher said God took a personal interest in each one. I
don’t believe that,” she went on, “except as we are in ourselves, and
take an interest in ourselves. That idea of hers puts God, as it were,
outside and apart.”
I questioned Ruth concerning Christian Science. She said our idea
corresponded altogether with hers; it was the application which would
probably differ, and we had not yet spoken of that. “We will do so now,”
I answered. I asked the others if they would not like to have Ruth
speak, in a meeting later on, of Christian Science. They all said that
they would like it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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