Way of The Seekers — Page 31
31 THE actions are materialistic exercises. There is no doubt that even these exercises are of some use. But if men do not aspire to be good and perfect, and if the approval of God is not their aim, how will they attain the fulfillment for which they are made and after which they ought naturally to aspire? Mental and spiritual action and effort depend so much on good motives. Even physical actions depend on the motives which buttress them. All experts on physical culture will tell you this. When taking exercise, if you keep an eye on the result, the end of the exercise, it will make a great difference. Without this extra attention, the result is not as good as it can be. The second answer to the difficulty is that we practice morals to win the approval of God. This does not mean we expect to have something in return for our moral effort but only that we return our thanks to Him, for what He has already done for us. Thus the discharge of this moral obligation, the expression of our gratitude should enable us to acquit ourselves well in a manner of speaking. Lastly, the critic fails to understand himself. If reward makes an action selfish, the critic too is not any the less selfish. Let him ponder the question. Why does he tend a sick person, look to his needs and so on? If the answer is–his heart compels him to do so, then tending the sick no longer is his virtue. It is his heart which should have the credit, but for whose compulsiveness the tending of the sick would not have taken place. Alternatively, the answer could be that it is a matter of give and take. Tend a sick man for maybe when you happen to be sick, you will have someone tending you in return. The element of return is unavoidable. But look at us. When we perform a good action, we do not expect to have our return in cash or in some other form. By the present action we thank God for the opportunities we have had in the past for doing good things. Good Man Defined