“There is no such thing as soul, in that sense. All purpose is force. All force personified is individuality. All individuality is eternal. The development is unequal. The undeveloped force finds quicker development here. But the force that has been developed to a point of intelligence in your life, and is not actively put to work, goes down in the scale, is deterrent, and has to work just as hard to get back as the force that never has developed at all.” “Where does the force animating babies come from?” I asked. “What was little Dick before he was little Dick?” “That’s what I want to explain, if I can. The force that manifests itself in animals is a grade higher in force than the vegetable manifestation, and that higher than inanimate stone and metal. The force of an animal comes here, to swell the forces that become individual and human through birth, but individuality begins with human consciousness. All force that is not human may eventually become human, but there is no persistence of individuality until birth as a human and more or less productive force begins it. Animals do not produce anything but their kind. Only man creates, and that is the eternal attribute.” “Is there a struggle between purposes to enter a new-born human?” “Many purposes are latent in every human being from birth. None is in absolute possession. Life on your plane is one perpetual struggle between the eternal warring purposes. No newly born child has chosen. The training of a child should, from the first, be a preparation for battle, for daily—almost hourly—choice. Diligence, vigilance, purpose to work unceasingly and against all disintegrating influences, determination to construct and to progress in spite of anything, mental, moral, physical, or material—these are the essential things in training a child to live forcefully and eternally.” “What becomes of babies who die at birth?” “They have undeveloped personalities and are developed here. We have strong forces of Light and Truth devoted to their teaching.” “When a man is consciously determined to construct, is he ever overcome by disintegrating forces?” “Sure thing he is, if he doesn’t fight. Sometimes he sways and recovers. Read the Lessons. They’ll tell you more every time you read them. They come from General Headquarters.... The arousing force of this message is to be measured by conviction manifested in action. Again you are respectfully referred to the Lessons.” “It doesn’t seem fair that physical and nervous conditions should affect one’s ability to resist or receive the forces,” Lois mentioned.