CHAPTER XI - EVOLUTION
Evolution is the fundamental principle of life in the Universe. In evolution lies the basis for the understanding of everything that comes to pass within and outside the reach of human perception.
Whenever evolution is disregarded, there is no logical or rational explanation for existence.
Let some deny it out of ignorance, others out of scepticism, or sectarian interests. To reinforce their denial, let them employ all imaginable sophisms, flourishes, and figures of speech. Evolution will always be present, always alive and active in all manifestations of life since its emergence.
Why do certain sects take so much interest in denying evolution? Why are they so uncompromisingly opposed to it? Why don't they surrender and accept it? The reason is not difficult to determine if we consider that acceptance of evolution would entirely destroy the mystique of salvation.
Therefore, the acceptance of such truth would imply the destruction of a system which is directly or indirectly shared by millions of individuals whose personal interests are placed above the higher interests of mankind.
Nor are all of the opponents of evolution convinced of its inexistence. It is by no means small the number of those who deny it but at heart admit it. Some deny it because truth would not be convenient to them professionally. Others deny it out of submissiveness to dogmas that turned them into fanatics and obscurantists.
By hammering the idea of salvation into a child's mind, this fantasy is gradually impregnated in the child's perispirit until it becomes deeply rooted. Later in adulthood, the individual repeats mechanically what he or she has become used to hearing, without submitting it to reason. This occurs because of the disagreeable clash between fallacy, so long stored in the subconscious, and truth, which is alive in consciousness.
FALSE IDEAS
Besides being an absurdity, the "salvation" dogma is an incentive to self-indulgence. Sectarians do not understand laboriousness, the struggles that man must undergo, the effort he must make in order to attain spiritual advancement and material success. They would rather rely on "grace", "favours", or divine protection.
Even idlers and loafers are still entitled to celestial immunity if they came into this world as the "elect" and therefore immune to the consequences of earthly sins. After all aren't the representatives of divinity always handy to absolve the delinquent and grant the passport to heaven?
The deepest human disagreements which have brought about so many tragedies and misfortunes in the world - such as hatred, wars, even misery and hunger - all have their primary or remote origins in the false ideas instilled in people by innumerable sects.
An unaware victim of these evils, mankind is pushed towards pain in an almost endless sequence of lost incarnations.
However, one thing is certain: evolution must be accomplished, at all costs. This is an imposition of the natural, immutable laws that rule the Universe. And these laws are not influenced by the foolish pretentiousness of those who believe they can evade or nullify them.
Therefore, everyone should strive to give a sound orientation to his life in order to shorten evolution. He should strive to be hard-working and progressive and turn his attention to the betterment of his own personality.
Evolution is perceived everywhere. It is felt in the seed that sprouts into a flower; in the tree that grows larger and bears fruit; in the human being that enters school illiterate and leaves it a scientist; in the development of the arts, letters, sciences, music, laboratories, industries, inventions and social needs.
The atom has existed since the beginnings of life. And why were scientists only recently capable of identifying and isolating it? Why didn't they do it before? Even in the biological realm why didn't man's appearance on Earth precede that of other animals, if in the animal scale man is the most highly developed of them all?
The answer is obvious: man made his appearance on Earth as a result of the evolution of the animals that precede him. And, despite the present degree of advancement of this planet, the march towards evolution in the three kingdoms of nature proceeds without interruptions or alterations. It is just that those who are now beginning their evolution in human form, in our day and age find more favourable conditions for their mental development.
Even though such primitive human beings may be considered much more advanced than the inferior animals which they previously were, they are in reality so lacking in intelligence that they are actually guided more by instinct than by reason.
EVOLUTIONARY TRAJECTORY
Mankind's history is filled with innumerable historical marks which point to man's long, immense evolutionary trajectory. And, because it is impossible to make that long journey in a single physical existence, those who cling to religious traditionalism refuse to accept evolution so that they will not be compelled to acknowledge reincarnation - the means by which it is processed in the animal or human stage.
Mere reasoning will show that no serious opposition can be made to the law of evolution. Without evolution, everyone would have the same degree of intelligence, advancement and spirituality.
It is inadmissible that the "God", which people are taught to worship, would create spirits of differing degrees of advancement and consciously produce an idiot and a genius, in an arbitrary, imperfect, unfair way of doing things.
Time will come when sectarians will discern this absurdity in divine practices. Then they will no longer rebuff that which is rational, logic and intuitive because they will find the explanation for all of life's phenomena in the very remote origins of the evolution of the spirit.
It should be emphasised that this is the one origin of the evolution of the spirit. At the beginning of the evolutionary process, all particles of Universal Intelligence start with the same possibilities and resources, have identical conditions and equal potential values.
Therefore, all particles develop in the same proportion until they can be classified as spirits. At this stage they become endowed with free will in order to act at their own discretion and risk. We have already seen in Chapter IX how spiritual evolution is delayed by improper use of free will.
Any observer who really wants to see will have before his eyes a picture of the evolution of the spirit on Earth. No two individuals are alike, although there are those who are similar. Everyone is promoting his advancement in his own way and at his own cost, in accordance with the pattern of conduct adopted by him in the course of previous incarnations over a period of thousands of years.
Those who made better use of their free will obviously have made progress in the same number of incarnations than those who were less thoughtful.
This is one of the explanations for the great dissimilarities in mentality, disparities in feelings, and disagreements in opinions found among people.
The reason is that the number of incarnations lived varies among individuals, as well as the profit gained from them and the effort made by each individual.
There may be one who lost two hundred incarnations as a result of disorderly life, and another who lost only twenty in a similar period. The latter is undoubtedly more advanced than the former.
A SIMPLE, CANDID DISCLOSURE
Notice how this revelation of life differs from that presented by sectarians. Theirs is filled with inconsistencies, absurdities and contradictions because it is grounded on biblical nonsense partly inspired by playful spirits of the Inferior Astral, known by the name of "prophets". These often engage the help of talkative mediums, similar to so many we have encountered, who exploit human credulity, and derive large profits under the guise of scientific knowledge.
When the books which, in our enlightened day and age, still enrapture and atrophy the reasoning of millions of worshippers were written, thousands of years ago, the world was in a much worse condition.
Evolution on Earth is promoted by those who live on this planet. In those times Earth's inhabitants had a much lower degree of evolution than now. They knew nothing about mediumnity, its effects and consequences. Mediumnistic phenomena, which today are commonplace, were looked upon as occult and supernatural.
Comprehension and knowledge about things are an outgrowth of spiritual evolution. Many of those who are now incarnated already look at life from a different angle which becomes closer and closer to truth.
Let us not believe that fanatics will admit as real the truths asserted in this book. Fanaticism clouds intelligence and hinders reasoning. For a fanatic, there are sacred books dictated by "God" which he cannot and should not doubt under penalty of incurring sin and risking his "salvation".
This is what really happens. But not all is lost. The believer has the right to reincarnate as many times as necessary to try to acquire during earthly life the knowledge and experience needed to consciously accept the truths he previously rejected.
Man cannot ascend to a higher level of evolution as long as on Earth he stubbornly persists in abiding by deceitful ideas about life and erroneously following them.
It is to be regretted that man, out of ignorance, transforms the wide road to evolution into a narrow, rough, winding path filled with obstacles which are difficult to overcome.
Sooner or later everyone will have to realise that all mankind travels in the same direction towards a common goal which is improvement. This goal can be reached only through well-guided self-effort, disciplined individual work and the grasp of knowledge, at the expense of vigorous, permanent action.
Every individual should look inside himself and learn to rely on himself. He should become aware that he possesses immense, invaluable resources to carry each earthly existence to a successful conclusion.
By following this trend of thought he will become synchronised with evolutionary currents which will lead him to spiritual evolution without major sacrifices or stumbling blocks.