What All The World's A-Seeking: The Vital Law of True Life, True Greatness Power and HappinessTrine, Ralph Waldo
Religion
What All The World's A-Seeking: The Vital Law of True Life, True Greatness Power and Happiness
Trine, Ralph Waldo
Character; Christian life; Conduct of life
From what has been said let it not be inferred that the body, the
physical, material life is to be despised or looked down upon. This,
rather let it be said, is one of the crying errors of the times, and
prolific of a _vast_ amount of error, suffering, and shame. On the
contrary, it should be thought all the more highly of: it should be
loved and developed to its highest perfections, beauties, and powers.
God gave us the body not in vain. It is just as holy and beautiful as
the spirit itself. It is merely the outward material manifestation of
the individualized spirit; and we by our hourly thoughts and emotions
are building it, are determining its conditions, its structure, and
appearance. And, if there are any conditions we are not satisfied with,
we by an understanding of the laws, have it in our power to make it over
and change these conditions. Flamarion, the eminent French scientist,
member of the Royal Academy of Science, and recognized as one of the
most eminent scientists living, tells us that the entire human structure
can be made over within a period of less than one year, some eleven
months being the length of time required for the more compact and more
set portions to respond; while some portions respond much more readily
within a period of from two to three months, and some even within a
month.
Every part, every organ, every function of the body is just as clean,
just as beautiful, just as sweet, and just as holy as every other part;
and it is only by virtue of man's perverted ways of looking at some that
they become otherwise, and the moment they so become, abuses, ill uses,
suffering, and shame creep in.
_Not repression, but elevation._ Would that this could be repeated a
thousand times over! Not repression, but elevation. Every part, every
organ, every function of the body is given for _use_, but not for misuse
or abuse; and the moment the latter takes place in connection with any
function it loses its higher powers of use, and there goes with this the
higher powers of true enjoyment. It is thus that we get that large class
known as abnormals, resorting to the methods they resort to for
enjoyment, but which, in its true sense, they always fail in finding,
because law will admit of no violations; and, if violated, it takes away
the very powers of enjoyment, it takes away the very things that through
its violation they thought they had secured, or it turns them into ashes
in their very hands. God, nature, law, the higher self, is not mocked.
Not repression, but elevation,--repression only in the sense of
mastery; but this means--nay, this is--elevation. In other words, we
should be the master, and not the body. We should dictate to the body,
and should never, even for an instant, allow it to dictate to us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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