Way of The Seekers — Page 39
39 THE Why should this happen? Why are the more permanent ends of life ignored? First, because of ignorance which may be permanent or passing. Permanent ignorance is a thing apart. Temporary ignorance is ignorance despite knowledge. This sort of ignorance can have many causes: a. Greed. Too much greed blinds a person to many important matters; b. Pugnacity; c. Intense need; d. Bad health; e. Excessive fear; f. Excessive love; g. Excessive optimism; h. Excessive pessimism; i. Excessive insistence on anything; j. Excessive desire; k. Excessive lack of desire; l. Hereditary tendencies. These are the twelve sources or circumstances which produce or promote ignorance. Besides ignorance, the second big source of sin is social contacts and companions. Man is a born imitator. He tends to do as others do, without weighing and considering the conse- quences of what he is doing. These social influences include the influence of parents and other relations, playmates, teachers, social Institutions and customs. One source of sin and sinning we have said is ignorance. But ignorance can be just ignorance or it can be wrong knowledge which makes it different from sheer ignorance. Wrong knowledge is sometimes accepted as knowledge and spurious generalizations as authentic principles.