Page 50 - 102717-James Allen-Byways to Blessedness-flipbookversion_Neat

46 BYWAYS TO BLESSEDNESS

means of moral guidance, and all his selfishness must, perforce, appear to him good and right and
proper. X- may appear evil to you, but is he evil to himself? Does he regard his own conduct as
evil?

D. Whether he regards himself as evil or not he is evil.

E. If I were to regard you as evil because of your hatred for X- should I be right?

D. No.

E. Why not?

D. Because in such a case hatred is necessary, justifiable and righteous. There is such a thing as
righteous anger, righteous hatred.

E. Is there such a thing as righteous selfishness, righteous ambition, righteous evil? I should be
quite wrong in regarding you as evil, because you are doing what you are convinced is right,
because you regard your hatred for X- as part of your duty as a man and a citizen; nevertheless,
there is a better way that that of hatred, and it is the knowledge of this better way that prevents
me from hating X- as you do, because however wrong his conduct might appear to me, it is not
wrong to him nor to his supporters; moreover, all men reap as they sow.

D. What, then, is that better way?

E. It is the way of Love; the ceasing to regard others as evil. It is a blessed and peaceful state of
heart.

D. Do you mean that there is a state which a man can reach wherein he will grow angry when he
sees people doing evil?

E. No, I do not mean that, for while a man regards others as evil he will continue to grow angry
with them; but I mean that a man can reach a state of calm insight and spotless love wherein he
sees no evil to grow angry with, wherein he understands the various natures of men — how they
are prompted to act, and how they reap, as the harvest of their own thoughts and deeds, the tares
of sufferings and the corn of bliss. To reach that state is to regard all men with compassion and
love.

D. The state that you picture is a very high one- it is, no doubt, a very holy and beautiful one- but it
is a state that I should be sorry to reach; and I should pray to be preserved from a state of mind
were I could not hate a man like X- with an intense hatred.

Thus by this conversation it will be seen that D- regarded his hatred as good. Even so all men
regard that which they do as necessary to be done. The things which men habitually practice those
things they believe in. When faith in a thing wholly ceases it ceases to be practised. D-’s individual
liberty is equal to that of other men, and he has a right to hate another if he so wishes, nor will he