CHAPTER XII - COURAGE
Courage is a quality with which all spirits are endowed, to a higher or lesser degree. It is one of the distinguishing traits of the human personality.
The firmer man's character becomes as a result of the harshness of daily life and his struggles for self-improvement, the more the spirit feels the need to test this valuable asset, so that the results obtained can match the efforts made.
Whenever man, upon choosing a pattern of conduct, has to resort to his own courage and select a route to follow, his spiritual assets are increased, invigorated, and enriched.
At one time or another, every human being has an opportunity to demonstrate his moral fiber through an accomplishment. This brings a real heart-felt joy that gratifies one's conscience, brightens the countenance and, as a major reward, gives one the pleasant feelings of an accomplished duty.
All faculties tend to languish if they are not regularly exercised. Exercise strengthens and invigorates. It is necessary to both body and mind. Exercising the mind consists of the routine practice of acts and thoughts of courage which should be stimulated from childhood.
Such actions and thoughts may be seen in the home when a teenager accepts responsibility for his faults, when he expresses sympathy for the difficulties and suffering of his parents and siblings, and when he is capable of self-denial and abnegation on behalf of his fellow-beings.
They are also demonstrated in school when a student is capable of fair play in sports, when he acts in a dignified way in his studies and tests, when he acknowledges his parents' efforts and tries to be worthy of their sacrifice.
If these high spiritual attributes are exercised by adolescents, they will begin young adulthood with a moral preparation that will clearly reflect their traits of courage.
This will enable them to resist the worldly temptations inherent to their age, to lead a methodical, disciplined life, to regard work as a reward and to demand for themselves the same respect they pay their fellow men.
During the adult years, - as explained in Chapter VI - man's organic cells reach their maximum vitality and the spirit retains the precious treasure represented by the lessons learned in adolescence and youth. Man needs to be able to depend on that valuable store of knowledge in order to escape the errors and vices that predominates in his environment.
Courageous attitudes, fearless when necessary, bold if needed - but always serene and peaceful, pondered and fair, inflexible and straight - this is the main characteristic of the remarkable quality which is courage.
A man who lives under the precepts of honour and duty, moulds his habits according to the pure principles of Christian morals, keeps himself under the dynamic incentive of good vibrations, is permanently encircled by an armour which the thrusts of evil cannot penetrate.
This armour, although invisible, maintains all its rigidity as long as man remains alert. A mere oversight may cause everything to be lost. But the strong, backed by enlightenment, strive not to become heedless. The purpose of Christian Rationalism is precisely to guide and enlighten the strong so that they will remain on the alert, and the weak so that they will become strong.
An individual's courage begins with self control. The essential quality he needs in order to develop courage is to know how to control his nerves and thoughts, subduing reprehensible impulses and inclinations. Thus reasoning will show him the best solutions.
Any individual who is in a position of leadership first needs to learn how to lead himself and to set examples of serenity, courage and valour. He must check himself in the presence of life's emotional situations, and avoid self-control or harming his subordinates.
FAIRNESS
As a rule fairness is exercised when the sprit acts with serenity, impartiality and concern for truth. We need fairness as much as we need courage and honour.
Therefore, man should seriously strive to be fair, courageous and honest. It must be understood, however, that no one can be fair without being tolerant and judicious, without understanding life in all its complexities, spiritual aspects and realistic content.
A clear, true understanding of life enables man to speed his development and the refinement of his spiritual qualities. It can reduce the number of reincarnations in the distressing environment of this school-world. Here ignorance has created the materialism in which mankind is engulfed, and with it the moral abasement that has infiltrated all social strata.
The understanding of life gives man a practical sense of relinquishment of earthly values. He becomes assured that his stay on Earth is transitory, and that material values are also for his temporary use. With them man can reach only some short-range objectives.
Material values are not owned by men. They belong to the world which entrusts them to Earth's inhabitants to manage and to make good use of, as a short-lived reward for their efforts and accomplishments.
The sense of relinquishment, self-denial, abnegation, sacrifice and solidarity is therefore an outgrowth of a greater understanding of life which, in a brotherly manner, brings men closer together as identical particles of a single Whole.
Let us not confuse, however, this noble spiritual quality with lack of interest for worldly things as a result of the disappointments and disillusionment which often makes people apathetic, sceptical, lonely, vagrant, exotic or fanatic sectarians.
The enlightened, strong individual does not allow himself to become disappointed or disillusioned. He understands the causes of human weakness and viciousness, does not believe in the existence of the flawless man, and always seeks a rational understanding of events.
He is truthful, loyal, honest, and well balanced. He never forgets, in times of danger, that his moral integrity should prevail above all considerations and interests, and does not fear the consequences of an inflexible stand against corruption.
DIGGING ONE'S OWN ABYSS
Let us always keep in mind that the forces of evil will never prevail over the forces of good. The latter will, in the end, eternally prevail. The former are transitory, and act over a period of time that marks their own destruction. All wrongdoings damage severely the character of those who perpetrate them and leave marks which are difficult to erase in their spiritual personality.
It is therefore imperative that man strengthens his attributes of courage to conquer undignified behaviour.
Unfortunately, the selfish, unethical individual who goes about deceiving his fellow-man, taking advantage of all situations, is not hard to find. Unconcerned about the misfortunes of others, he delights only in gratifying his own interests, no matter how vile.
By doing so, however, he inadvertently begins to fall in a self-dug abyss from where he will only be able to emerge at the cost of tremendous sacrifice.
The gestures of spiritual grandeur which reveal a man's degree of courage are also the ones that dignify man the most and gives him the happiness he seeks. Courage is to light what weakness is to darkness. Both are mutually exclusive.
No rational person would rather have negative than positive action, nothingness rather than all, backwardness rather than progress, doubt rather than certainty, failure rather than success, fear rather than courage, darkness rather than light.
Those who choose ugliness instead of beauty - a symbolic comparison - are foolish people who put aside commons sense and behave at the whim of an apathetic conscience, entirely unable to appreciate authentic values.
In all its books Christian Rationalism stands for a change in this unfortunate state of mind which is partly due to man's surrender to obscurantistic sectarism that is unaware of life's evolutionary process and of man's spiritual duties.
Good or bad actions, besides never being lost, carry with them corresponding consequences, by imposition of the natural laws that rule the Universe.
Disincarnation occurs as a result of cardiac arrest. A bomb explosion brings destruction. Earth's revolution around the sun makes day and night.
Thus, both good and wrong doing determine some sort of consequence to the performer. These consequences invariably match the nature of the thoughts that generated his actions.
Those who believe that through forgiveness and other makeshift means they can evade the consequences of their actions are therefore wrong. On the spiritual level there is neither forgiveness nor gods to forgive.
Man needs to reason in order to live sensibly. He needs to act in an independent way, using his own moral and spiritual resources. Those who do wrong will inescapably have to redeem it sooner or later.
Only good actions enrich one's personality and dignify one's character. Those who practice good come to play an effective role in the work of pacification and spiritualization of the human masses.