| CM SERIES HOME | CONCISE SUMMARIES | PARAPHRASED IN MODERN ENGLISH |
Charlotte Mason in Modern English
Charlotte Mason's ideas are too important not to be understood and implemented in the 21st century, but her Victorian style of writing sometimes prevents parents from attempting to read her books. This is an imperfect attempt to make Charlotte's words accessible to modern parents. You may read these, print them out, share them freely--but they are copyrighted to me, so please don't post or publish them without asking.
~L. N. Laurio
pg 126
PART II - The Will
Chapter
1 - The Will-less Life
It sometimes seems like human nature is as great a riddle as the
Sphinx. The more we
try to figure ourselves out, the more baffled we are. It's true, man is
a puzzle, but that doesn't mean that 'leaving the puzzle alone' is a
good idea. The baffling question of human nature needs to be on our
minds all our lives. Human nature consists of our talents and gifts,
and we need to answer to God for the way we used our talents.
Anarchy
in Mansoul
Thus far, we've established that the Heart, with its affectionate love
and justice, and the Intellect, with its reason and imagination, and
even the Conscience itself, act pretty much like the other organs of
the body--brains, lungs, heart, etc. If they get their proper
nutrition, exercise, rest and air. then they'll be equipped and able to
do their work by themselves. It hardly seems like it's us who's
imagining, or loving, or whatever. All of us aren't consciously
dominated by ideas, but every writer has experienced something that
seems to write itself almost without his intention. Everyone knows how
pg 127
the affections act--how Love, as lord of the heart, plays all kinds of
troublesome pranks with no accountability so that the poor person often
has a miserable time. Blind Cupid playing mischievous tricks isn't just
a cute fanciful image. It actually presents a fairly accurate picture
of how Love acts if left to itself!
Even Conscience, in spite of the dignity and seriousness that we attach
to it, can be as illogical and aggravating as any blind god if left to
himself. We all know at least one person with a rigid conscience who's
fussy about some trivial detail like packing tape, while totally
neglecting real relationships and responsibilities.
And consider how passionate and intense the imagination can get when
it's always feeding (usually on garbage), never doing any work, never
getting enough rest, and never getting a breath of fresh air by
stepping out into reality from time to time. A person who lets his
imagination run away with him like a horse bolting away from its rider
can get some very distorted views, twisted principles and strange
behaviors. He might get involved with drugs or alcohol, or get hooked
on trashy novels to stimulate his disillusioned mind, because he has to
keep on going somehow. He doesn't know any other way to live. Such a
person is like a man with a team of unbroken, wild horses, each
wanting to go in a different direction and trying to drag the poor man
along after it. What can such a person do? Who is able to get his
affairs under control?
It is The Will, that power inside each of us, who saves Mansoul from
this kind of anarchy. We don't know how, but the Will is able to manage
the rest.
An
Easy Life
It's been said that the Will is 'the only practical faculty that man
has.' We recognize the truth of this in our common speech. When
something is done with the Will's consent, we call it voluntary. When something is done
without the Will's consent, we say that it's involuntary. As we've already
mentioned, people are able to reason, imagine, love, or make judgments
pg 128
without any involvement from the conscious Will at all. In fact, life
has been made conveniently easy for us with society's conventional
habits and the customary traditions of socio-economic groups. Many poor
souls grow to adulthood and live into old age without ever calling on
their Will to consciously choose between this or that. They think what
everyone else thinks, do what everyone else is doing, feel what's
expected, and never rely on their own true selves, which is where the
Will is. It's easy enough to live this way, but people who do this are
limited and cheated in every way. They haven't nourished or exercised
or learned to control any of the abilities that God gave them. To these
kinds of people, life is a series of events, some good, some bad, but
they always happen. Without any deliberate purpose or resolution of
their own, they can't possibly understand that these seemingly
unrelated events are part of God's plan. As a result, their religion is
reduced to popular sayings and superstitions.
This is the most common result of a Will-less life, distinguished by a
weakening of abilities and lack of purpose. The only thing they can
even conceive of is being like everyone else, doing what everyone else
is doing. Even a patient in an insane asylum can reason with clever
logic, feel valid emotions and act in good conscience (as Mr. Dick did,
fighting valiantly against 'that head of Charles I' in David Copperfield) But he's totally
lost because he has no Will-power to manage the members within his own
heart and mind. It's the same with a young man who is his own worst
enemy. He's swept off his feet by every stray suggestion that sounds
fun or exciting.
It's good for us to consider what it would be like to live without our
Will. Then we can decide how we want to live. Do we want an aimless,
drifting life? Or do we want to take up the responsibility of living,
and make deliberate choices of our Will?
pg 129
Chapter
2 - The Will And Willfulness
Willful
People Can Have Various Dispositions
What about the person who's always trying to get his own way with
either stormy tempers, manipulation, sneaky evasion or determined
persistence? An obstinate or furious person is commonly said to have a
strong will. A sneaky or manipulative person isn't as obvious, so it
isn't as easy to label him. But the fact is, all four of these people
might manage to get their own way without exerting any more of their
Will than the casual person who lets things slide. When we abandon
ourselves to greed, vanity, ambition or lust, we go on without any
restraint from our Will, and we get what we want in blatant or
devious ways, depending on our personality. Robber barons in the Middle
Ages were violent, merciless, and insolent. Their actions were often
the result of impulsive outbursts. Such men were supposedly strong
willed. Examples are the Wild Boar of the Ardennes [from Sir Walter
Scott's Quentin Durward],
Charles of Burgundy [from Sir Walter Scott's Anne of Geierstein] and even
England's own Richard the Lion-Hearted [from Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman]. These heroes of
pg 130
'strong will' have their good qualities--they're generous and
unstinting in bestowing gifts, as quick to give as they are to take.
They will always have devoted followers whose instinct is to loyally
follow a leader. Those who get their way with more subtle, devious ways
aren't as appealing. King John [Shakespeare] and Becky Sharp [from
Thackeray's Vanity Fair]
don't have any loyal followers. We tend to prefer someone like Joab to
Achitopel, and we find Esau to be a more winning personality than
Jacob.
With Esau and Jacob, we can easily compare a Man of Will to a willful
creature. Apparently, the difference isn't that one pursues his desires
in a forthright way with generosity, and the other sometimes uses sound
logic to get his way, and sometimes uses clever tricks. No, the
difference lies deeper.
A
Willful Person Has One Goal
A willful person is at the mercy of his appetites and the whims of his
desires. Esau felt that he had to have the red stew, he had to hunt, he
had to have a wife, or do whatever his desires compelled him to do at
the moment. Compelling desire is what drives the scheming gambler, the
closet alcoholic, the lazy soul, the person who's obsessed with reading
novels, or anyone who thinks that life means nothing but pleasure. All
of
these people are only consistent about one thing, and they always need
to have their way, but their way is like an elusive carrot that leads
them every which way. Wherever they think they'll find gratification,
there they'll go--whether it's gratification for their vanity, or
gourmet tastes, or charming society, or ambition, or drive to be first.
This is a willful person. He has no power to control which way his
nature leads him because he has no goal except gratifying some physical
desire, appetite or affection. J.M. Barrie's Sentimental
Tommy is a good example of
pg 131
a willful person and worth analyzing. Tommy has always found a way to
get what he set out for, and there isn't usually anything wrong with
what he wants in and of itself. But Tommy is insincere. He does lots
of generous things and he's a bit of a genius, but everything he does
is motivated by the whims of his vanity. At all costs, he must impress
everyone around him. He always gets his way--yet his life falls apart
in the end because he's dominated by vanity instead of by a determined
Will.
Jacob also often gets his way by subtle means, although every one of
his deceitful tricks is punished. But he isn't seeking what he wants
for
its own sake. All of his whims come second to a higher priority. For
him, that higher priority was establishing the kingdom that God had
promised. He used both good and bad methods to realize his goal. His
punishments were so severe that, at the end of his life, he complained,
'The days of my life have been few and evil.' Yet he always worked
steadily with a will towards a goal outside of himself.
Lord Beaconsfield's career is an interesting study. It shows two phases
of willfulness and Will. In the beginning, all he has is the rather
dazzling willfulness of ambition that young men often have. He's
determined to succeed, and determined to make himself heard in the
House, and he does it. But that's the end of it, there's nothing more,
and the country draws the conclusion that he's driven by impulsive
whims. But after a while, his Will manifests itself, and he develops
the Will of a great politician. His personal desires take a back seat
or disappear in the presence of the ruling Will. And so he becomes a
man suited to serve his country. We don't have any record in history
that Wellington ever had a time in his life when he was willful. He
always
had an iron will. That iron will didn't just keep those under him in
line, it also kept any instability of his own body or spirit in line.
Chancellor Otto von Bismarck of
pg 132
Germany also had this kind of steadfast will that was focused on
accomplishing an end goal
A
Successful Career Doesn't Require Any Exercise of Will
But it's possible to awe the world even without that kind of strong,
determined Will. Napoleon, for example, came upon Europe like a bad
omen, but he was driven along the path of least resistance by his
nature, which was made of genius, great courage, conceit and excessive
ambition. Yet he never achieved the status that men do when they aim
for a goal that's outside of themselves. Napoleon never exerted any
determined will on anything outside of himself. He was wildly generous,
like a child. He was also fretful and stubborn, like a child. He must
have had a child's instability, too. How else could he have endured the
shame of fleeing from Russia ahead of his troops?
We can't assume that success in life results from a resolved Will. A
person is as strong as his Will. Many people have become rich or famous
without ever exerting any force of Will because fame and fortune came
as a result of their easy nature and the force of their whims, while
others who have exercised their Will faithfully live in obscurity,
unknown to the world. Yet it's these people who have a constant Will
who are of value to the world, and who should be recognized for the
treasure they are.
There's a difference between rich, successful men. Some set out to make
money, and others, such as certain merchants,
manufacturers, shopkeepers and lots of others, fell into wealth and
success almost by accident. They didn't set out to be rich and
successful, they were simply doing their duty and keeping focused on
some greater goal outside of themselves. These are the kind of people
that are recognized and valued for their character.
There's nothing likeable about Redgauntlet [by Sir Walter Scott], but
he gains our sympathy because he was a man
pg 133
with a strong Will. He was able to look beyond himself and build his
life on a great purpose. Sir Walter Scott, as a great novelist, has
lots of examples of this kind of person. He had some legal sense that
made him accurate at discerning character. His books may have some
errors in historical details, but not as many as we might think. A man
who could deal with the case of 'Poor Peter Peebles' [Redgauntlet] knew how to sift
through documentary evidence. Earlier, I quoted passages from his
characters William de la Marck and Charles of Burgundy. King Louis XI. [Quentin Durward] might have been
mean and unappealing, but at least he was concerned about matters
outside of himself, even if he was only a little concerned about them.
And we get a great study of Will and Willfulness in the Crusader's camp
in The Talisman! Each of the
princes who was there was concerned about the stubborn pursuit of his
own self-interests, each fighting for his own control. Meanwhile,
Saladin looked on with a noble mind and generous heart because he was a
man with a determined Will focused on a goal that was more than
himself. I can't think of a better moral education than reading Sir
Walter Scott and Shakespeare. Scott is easier and more obvious, but
both of them recognize that a man is only as much as his Will. As far
as Shakespeare, I think the day will come when universities will have a
Shakespeare wing, not dedicated to its literary value, but focused on
ethology--the study of character.
A
Dividing Line
Both Shakespeare and Scott used what we might think of as a dividing
line. On one side they put willful, wayward, weak and forceful people.
On the
other side were people who had a resolved Will.
pg 134
Faust, Lady Macbeth, King Lear, Edward Waverley, Charles II., King
John, Marlborough, and all kinds of unlikely people are on the side
where Will isn't in command. On the other side are also unlikely
people--Wolsey, Sir Thomas More, Laud, Mahomet, Henry V. of England,
and
Henry IV. of France. Mary Queen of England and Mary Queen of Scots fall
to either side of the line.
If I tried to make even a partial list of characters who illustrate
this, it would cover too much history and literature. But I'll repeat
that this kind of study is what will make our reading beneficial. It
will help us get to know people and prepare us better for life. Modern
psychological novels are hardly ever useful as 'life examples or for
teaching manners.' They have too much of a tendency to accept people as
they are, as if they can't help what they are. They avoid the issue of
Will and instead analyze thousands of little traits manifested by
characters with or without their will. Modern novels try to catch
characters and put them under a fishbowl for observation.
A man in the midst of the ranks of soldiers can't drill his company. In
the same way, the restless citizens of Mansoul can't be controlled by
someone down on their level. They need a Will who's at the front,
aiming for something outside of itself. From the front, it's easier to
see
where Mansoul is going and keep its members in order.
'Will'
Can Be a National Attribute
At this very moment (1904), we Britons are in the midst of a
large-scale object lesson being presented to us by Japan, an
extraordinarily strong-willed nation. Yes, nations can have determined
Wills, too, not just individuals. It seems like every individual in
Japan has an impersonal goal. He has a resolved Will to serve his
country with every fiber of his being,
pg 135
so that, in comparison, his own preferences, whims, desires and rewards
don't matter a bit. The Japanese seem to show with the way they
sacrifice for their country with their goal, method, planning, every
reasonable device, and unlimited skill that 'he who loses his life will
save it.'
This isn't the first time that the Japanese have been an example of
will-power that's exemplary in history. Thirty years ago [1868?] they worked out a revolution
unlike any the world had seen before. The people didn't rise up with
weapons and force their rulers to step down. The rulers [shoguns?] maintained the country
and their authority like feudal princes. They realized on their own
that the people couldn't progress and keep up with the world under this
kind of feudal rule, so they took it upon themselves to cease ruling
and owning land. They chose to leave their wealth and dignity and
become ordinary citizens. They even served as soldiers in the army and
workers in the police force. They 'lost their life' as superior rulers
to 'save it' in helping revive their country.
In contrast, their neighbor empire, China, is an odd demonstration of
chaos and useless labor. Yet China also has taste, literature,
cleverness, its own art, morals that are probably better than we
suppose, the honor of a long, long history. And yet, even with all of
this, China still acts like a cranky, obstinate, temperamental child
with the rest of the world. Why? We westerners might be quick to blame
race and color, but maybe recent events will teach us better. Great
things have come from the eastern world in the past. Perhaps more great
things are still to come in the future.
The truth is probably that China and Japan are each on different sides
of that imaginary line.
pg 136
Meanwhile, we western nations have weakened ourselves by falling for a
philosophy whose first principle is that, under no circumstances,
should we lose our life.
Publicly, we claim that our first priority is whatever will mean the
greatest happiness for the most people. Individually, comfort at any
cost is what we desire. Secretly, or maybe not so secretly, most of us
follow the rule of 'Every man for himself.'
We don't need to be alarmed or fear the deterioration of our nation or
anything like that, and we don't need to compare ourselves unfavorably
to any other nation. The fault is in the teaching we've allowed and
spread. This teaching urges people to choose the path of least
resistance to their natures.
But if we chose a goal outside of ourselves, we'd be as capable of
great things as any nation, past or present. If all we could manage to
set our sights on was nothing more than Skepsey's cry, like a cuckoo,
of 'England' [One of Our Conquerors
by George Meredith], then we'd be restored and able to resolve our Will
again. That's only possible when we're removed from focusing on
ourselves. We'll be capable and effective in doing this, according to
how
much we resolve our Will.
Jesus's teaching seems to have been intended to awaken the Jews from
the laziness of their national superstitions and their individual
goals. He wanted to give them the power to Will. After all, it's only when a
man Wills that he's really a
man in the full sense. 'What do you want Me to do to you?' 'Oh,
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I would have liked to gather your
children together in the same way that a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings. But you wouldn't let me!'
'If any man wills to do God's
will, then he'll understand where the doctrine is from.' [John 7:17]
pg 137
Chapter
3 - The Will Itself Is Neither Moral Nor Immoral
'Willing'
Isn't Necessarily the Same as 'Being Good'
Maybe what we've said about the Will makes it sound like a child's
understanding of 'being good, and our imaginary line might seem like
all the good people should be on one side, and all the bad people on
the other. But a man who has a resolved Will might have mixed motives
and use both ethical and unethical methods to achieve his goal. Louis
XI., for example, had France in mind in everything he did. He was loyal
to his own concept of his role as king. But he was not a good man. He
used dishonorable methods, and his immediate motives were unworthy and
inferior. Anarchists and rebels might conceive of a goal outside of
themselves and steadfastly stay focused on that goal until it's
accomplished. They might use immoral and even illegal methods, but you
can't say that such a person ha a weak Will. There are even people
whose
sole purpose in life is to advance some doctrine designed to eliminate
social restraints and moral convictions. They deliberately want to harm
society, but they call it a good thing. They say that the freedom to do
whatever we want is the highest good for mankind. And this is the goal
they work towards with such sacrificial enthusiasm. Their very focus on
a goal outside of themselves is what
pg 138
convinces so many people to follow them. When people confuse Will with virtue, they're easy to
convert to any and every radical form of 'free-thinking.'
That's why it's good for us to know that, even though volatile,
obstinate people aren't ruled by Will but by the impulsive passions of
their own desires, it's still possible to have a steady, resolved Will,
but to use it for an unworthy or even evil goal. It's even possible to
have a good goal in mind, but to achieve that goal with unworthy
methods. Rebecca's only wish was for God's will to be done. In fact,
she determined to bring it about herself. She would make sure that the
younger chosen son would be the one to inherit the blessing, just as
God had promised. And she set herself to scheming in order to bring
about what she thought was good. She's an example for every age,
especially our own!
The Lord calls a simple, amended Will 'the single eye,' and it seems to
be the one thing we need if we're going to live right and be prepared
to serve.
'Will'
Isn't the Same Thing as 'an Ideal'
It might seem like 'Will' means the same thing as an 'Ideal' because an
ideal, whether good or bad, is the motivating power that determines
what we do. This concept sounds familiar to us because most of us have
an ideal hidden somewhere within ourselves, even if our ideal is only
'a decent guy' or 'a nice girl.' We've seen for ourselves how much
influence the Bushido has in
Japan. That seems to be their ideal of chivalry. But it isn't really
the ideal that's so effective. It's the force of Will-power. We all
know that cherishing sentimental fantasy ideals, no matter how
beautiful they might be, is a source of weakness. And we know that some
people practically worship great ideals. They enjoy
pg 139
experiencing exquisite emotions surrounded by an elegant location
as they reflect and idealize the life of St Francis. Self-culture is
considered an acceptable ideal, but when we understand that
self-culture is centered in Self with no goal beyond that, then we see
the gentle youth holding a lily with his head posed to the side a bit
differently. That youth isn't a man of Will as we thought, because the
first condition of Will, whether good or bad, is that it has to be
focused on something outside of itself. Browning asks an interesting
question--Is it better to have resolved Will for the wrong goal and
accomplish it, or to persist in a steady course of wrongly wanting,
thinking and feeling, but never having the Will to follow through and
put it into action? Most people who read The Statue and the Bust will agree
with Browning that working for the wrong thing but failing because of a
lack of Will, is just as bad as accomplishing the wrong thing. If the
Will can't be called good, then it should at least be called virtue in the linguistic sense of
the word. It's the same as manliness.
Another thing to be aware of is that even a constant Will can have
times of ebb and flow. Later, we'll discuss one of the secrets of
living--how to ride through the tide of our failures when our
Will-power slips.
We've already said that one of the secrets to the art of living is
being able to pass tempting side trails and keep moving straight
forward. A traveler who knows this art will be able to escape many
dangers. I'll invite you to consider the way the Will works later.
Not many subjects are more confusing and vague than the subject of the
Will. But it's everyone's responsibility to understand a little bit
about how the Will that leads us acts. Little by little, we'll see that
the Will isn't just an illusion, like a will-o'the-wisp leading to
destruction. It's a real power working in cooperation with the other
powers in Mansoul. It has its own job description and is bound to keep
its own rules.
pg 140
So far we have seen that, in the same way that ruling well
distinguishes a king, the Will distinguishes the quality of a person. A
king isn't a king unless he rules, and a man isn't a man unless he
resolves his Will.
We've also seen that we have the choice whether or not to use our Will.
It's even possible to go through an entire lifetime without ever using
our Will. If everything we do or think, in spite of ourselves, is
subject to the impulses of our nature, then we're not using our Will.
Will itself isn't good or bad, but a constant Will needs to have some
goal outside of itself, and that goal can be good or bad. The Will has
times when it's stronger than at other times. During the Will's weak
times is when we're in the most danger.
pg 141
Chapter
4 - The Will and Its Friends
The
Will is Subject to Appeals
It's pretty easy to picture the Will standing in front of Mansoul's
forces saying 'Go' to one of them, 'Come' to another one, and 'Do
this,' and he does it. The Will has to listen to propositions all
around it in the form of 'the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye
and the pride of life.' We've seen how every demon of Mansoul
tries to get the Prime Minister's attention [See Self-Knowledge, Book I of volume 4].
Each one tries to persuade the Prime Minister that he alone, all by
himself, can provide everything that the government wants. Whether it's
the greed of eating too much, or ruthless ambition which has been
called 'the final disease of noble minds,' every one of the forces in
Mansoul will take over if it's allowed to, and will become an
instrument of misrule. But have courage, lord Will! Then all the forces
will fall into line and obey the word of command.
We've already seen how a firm Reason, an enlightened Imagination,
well-controlled Affections and an educated Conscience are always ready
to offer counsel every time the Will wants to act.
The
Will Doesn't Act Alone
It takes the whole person to Will. A person can only Will as fairly and
pg 142
wisely as his abilities are trained and educated. It's good to know
this, and to be absolutely persuaded that we can't afford to let any of
our members remain ignorant or untrained. We dare not entertain the
notion that whichever members are capable can be counted on to do the
best thing.
There's more to living than events of one day melding into the next. We
need to understand that so we can exercise our conscious Will. 'Why is
it that you won't understand?' is what the Lord asked the Jews. They
would only see the obvious. They wouldn't reflect or even try to
interpret the signs of the times. That's the way most of us are: we won't understand. When we're young,
we think there's nothing particular in our lives to resolve our Will
about, but that there will be when we're older and out in the world.
But it's the same truth: defining moments aren't confined to any
specific period of our lives. They come in the form of the little
matters we deal with in our routine day. We need to be aware of this.
The great sphere of influence for our Will is within us. Our priority
in life should be to make sure we're prepared. The extent in which
we're prepared will determine which occasions come our way and how
we'll be used. Will's mission isn't to try to control the outside
world, but to keep Mansoul from wasting its resources and to keep every
province in Mansoul well-managed.
pg 143
Chapter 5 - The
Functions of the Will
As we've seen, the Kingdom of Mansoul only has one power that's totally
at its disposal, a free agent who can do whatever he wants, and that
one power is the Will. Yet the only thing that the Will really does is
to make one choice over another. In everything we do every day of our
lives, the command to 'Choose this day' comes before us. The Will's job
is to make that choice.
The
Effort of Choosing
We're usually game about making choices between things, although there
are some people who shirk even that responsibility. They try on two
dresses and can't decide between them. In fact, the success of
advertising rests on the fact that we prefer to let somebody else, even
if it's the salesperson, make up our minds for us. There's a clever
story about a girl who couldn't decide between two guys. So one of them
made it easy for her by falsifying his death! Now the girl no longer
had to feel pressured about making a choice.
Doing What Everyone
Else is Doing
Lots of people minimize their effort in life by following fashion when
it comes to clothes, decorating, books, entertainment, art and even who
they'll have as friends.
pg 144
We're all glad to have this kind of help because one choice is as good
as another in some of life's trivial issues. But fashion itself is a
fluctuating thing, and sometimes we can't avoid having to make a
choice. The Joneses put off making a decision until the last minute.
They asked for opinions from friends and consulted travel guide books
and considered many options. But the more information they got, the
more difficult it became to make a decision about where to spend their
summer vacation. So they went to the train station and trusted to
last-minute inspiration. But, as it turned out, Margate ended up being
the decision!
The inability to make a decision seems to be a growing trend in
England, or maybe all over the world. Perhaps that's because we're
hesitant about making a choice for ourselves, even though we're
enthusiastic
about pressuring others. We know which furniture is right for them,
which career, what they should like, who they should hang out with--and
we pressure them into what we think is for their own good. Perhaps
it's true that one dress is more flattering, or that a person is suited
for a particular career. But every time we make a choice for someone
else, we do them an injury. We've taken away an opportunity for them to
fulfill their main priority in life, which is making choices.
We harm ourselves even more when we dress ourselves the way someone
else says we should, or adopt someone else's opinions, because every
time we give up the opportunity to make our own choice with our own
Will, we're acting more like a machine than a person. We aren't
fulfilling our purpose in life any better than artificial plants used
in tacky decorations. Any person who isn't continually making conscious
choices on the basis of a balanced Will is like a puppet, pulled by the
strings of other people's opinions.
pg 145
Choice
and Obedience
But you might ask, 'What about obedience, then? We owe obedience first
to our parents, then to our government and church, and always to God's
will. If a person is only truly an independent being when he's making
conscious choices, then doesn't obedience destroy personality?' No. On
the contrary, obedience is the ultimate test and sustainer of our
personality, but only if the obedience is by free choice. Since making
a decision takes so much mental effort, children should be saved the
labor by being trained to have a habit of obedience. Every gallant boy
and noble girl has learned to choose
to obey their parents, pastor, and Master, and anyone else in authority
over them. This kind of obedience is the essence of chivalry, and
chivalry is the exact opposite attitude of mind as self-seeking. A
chivalrous person is a person of constant Will, because, as we've
already seen, the Will can't be steadily maintained merely for personal
gain. But obedience must be given simply because it's the right thing
to do.
You might think that life will become too much of an effort if every
one of our choices matters, and every decision has to be made
first-hand. But I'm reminded of a fable about a clock pendulum that
went on strike and caused the clock to stop because it had counted how
many ticks it would have to give every day, in a year, and in many
years. The number of ticks was overwhelming, so the pendulum stopped.
The clock face asked what was going on and the pendulum told him the
amount of ticks he would have to make. The clock face said, 'Indulge me
by ticking just once.' And the pendulum did. 'Was that difficult?' 'No,
not at all. But I'm not complaining about one single tick. I'm
complaining about millions of ticks.' The clock face said, 'But you're
only required to give one tick at a time, and there's always a second
of time for you to tick in.' And it's the same way with our Will.
pg 146
Yes, there are lots of decisions to be made, but they come one at a
time, and there's always time provided to make the choice.
Choosing
Between Ideas
Still, it's good to know what it is we're choosing between. Things are
only symbols representing ideas.
Several times a day, we'll find that two ideas are before us and we'll
have to make a decision based on reasonable grounds, and on what's
right. The specific things may not matter much in themselves, but
our choice matters. Every time we exercise our conscious Will, our
personality grows stronger. But every time we shirk an opportunity to
decide for ourselves, we get weaker.
pg 147
Chapter
6 - The Scope of the Will
Allowance
Often Passes for Choice
We've determined that the Will's job is to choose--not primarily
between things, people, and courses of action, but between the two
ideas that these things represent. Every choice we make implies a
rejection of one or many ideas represented by that choice.
Even if we allow our Will to rest passively, things and issues will
still continue to come before us, but we'll be allowing instead of making a
conscious choice. A suggestion from the outside that appeals to our
nature will decide for us. There might not seem to be much difference
between the two paths, but most ruined lives and broken families are
the result of settling for making allowances instead of doing the duty
of making conscious choices with the Will.
I don't mean that a person has to go through the effort of making a
decision about every little thing. A man shopping for a suit may have
already made a choice. He decided a long time ago that the class of
people he mingles with have good taste and common sense, and what they
tend to wear is a sufficient guide when it comes to clothes. He
remembers what Lord Chesterfield said, so he won't be the first person
to adopt a certain trend, and he won't be the last person to discard
it. Those parameters provide a limit to his options, and the available
selection
of suits sees to the rest. But, you might protest, he hasn't made any
conscious choice at all!
pg 148
Yes, he has. With good sense, he modestly chose to follow the lead of
the other men in his social circle.
But another young man who is more pretentious comes to look for a suit.
The salesperson shows him the latest arrival, a style that will be all
the rage in a few months. He asks lots of questions, deliberates for a
long time, and finally allows the salesperson to say, 'It's just
perfect for you! Mr. Foley bought the very same suit just last week.'
And that does it. The trendy new suit is paid for, bagged up and
carried home. The young man is satisfied that he's made his choice. But
he hasn't. The salesperson has taken advantage of his vanity, and the
man's purchase was really an allowance he made, not a real
choice. He acted just like Malvolio after all. Another man also
goes looking for a suit. The salesperson measures him in more ways than
one. The man isn't frivolously vain, but he's proud. He won't be
pressured by fashion to wear the latest thing. He considers himself
above that sort of shallowness. 'I never wear that,' he says and talks
about what he 'prefers.' The salesperson humors him, and his final
purchase is also a matter of allowance instead of conscious choice.
Still another man is so conceited that he defies convention and likes
to startle the world by making unexpected choices, wearing checkered
jackets when everyone else is wearing stripes. He prides himself on
being an independent thinker. And yet he's merely obeying the dictates
of the conceit he formed about himself. His bold and daring fashion
purchases come from allowances, not real choice. We won't follow a
woman in the mall shopping for a dress--the considerations would be
far too complicated! But even in her case, the final purchase either
comes from a deliberate choice based on reasoned principles that
determine the boundaries of style and cost, or from allowance, perhaps the allure of a
dress on a display model, or hints from a saleswoman about what's
stylish and what's flattering.
pg 149
Once we figure out our principles about these kinds of matters, the
individual occasions take care of themselves. Making a conscious choice
implies some previous experience with judgment and conscience, some
knowledge of the subject, and, usually, a little taste and imagination.
We don't pick out a particular dress because we resolve our Will to buy
it, that would be extreme. It's that our Will is acting on information
and previous reflection. The question of a lady shopping for a dress is
just a side-issue, but it's still worth considering. Unfortunately, the
shopping scene at the mall is too familiar. It also stresses and
discourages the shopper as well as the salespeople she deals with.
Cheap
Items
The notion that we're supposed to get the best there is at the cheapest
price is a source of wasted time, needless spending and stress.
Scrutinizing sales flyers, driving from one store to the next, calling
around town collecting prices on items and other offenses could be
avoided if we determined to let certain principles guide our actions.
One such principle might be that, instead of pursuing the best at the
lowest cost, we'll be satisfied to have what meets our needs at the
price
we can afford.
The mad hunt for the best, the most impressive, and the cheapest isn't limited only to
clothes, accessories, household items and furnishings. We're just as
likely to chase after opinions and ideas in the same restless,
uncertain way. When we dash off to some sale, we're deceiving ourselves
with the silly notion that we're going to get something at a 'bargain,'
for less than it's actually worth. yet, all this time, it's ideas that
we're really chasing.
pg 150
It's good to keep in mind that in all of the many relationships of
life, whether it's our books, our friends, our politics, or our
religion, the one action that our Will is capable of, the act of
choosing, always needs to be exercised in a conscious choice of one
idea over another. It isn't that ideas symbolize things, but that
things symbolize ideas. We need to analyze the deeper significance and
ask ourselves what we're really after when we allow this or that,
choosing one thing over another. Are we looking for the most novel, or
the cheapest in morals and religion? Are we picking up our concepts
from the latest magazines, or small talk with acquaintances? Those are
easy to come by, but, in the end, will prove to be a poor bargain.
That's merely sacrificing the one thing that makes us valuable--our
individuality--for something that's worthless. Our personality, which
is distinguished by our deliberate resolve of the Will, is wasted, not
by over-use, but by mis-use, in proportion to our lack of exercising
it. We need to base our opinions on widely varied reading, thoughtful
reflection, conscience and sound judgment, even if we're only forming
an opinion on a novel or a sermon. If we're considering how to spend
our day, then we also need to consider our principles.
'Whoever sweeps a room as unto the Lord
Makes both the room as well as the act itself an excellent thing'
[from The
Elixir by George Herbert]
is a general principle. An action is only excellent if it's reaching
for a principle that's greater than itself. Whatever ideas we allow
into our minds will become our opinions. The opinions we act on become
our principles. Whatever opinions and principles we hold are who we
are, they define our character and make up the part of ourselves that
we're responsible for.
There's just one idea that's truly ours to freely decide, one
consummate choice of the Will that's available for all of us to decide.
We're obligated to wait for circumstances and opportunities to come our
way, but those who put off making that one big decision
pg 151
will find that they aren't ready when circumstances or opportunity do
come to them. What is that one resolve of the Will, that one choice of
life that we all have to decide on? Whether or not to make our
particular Mansoul--that is, our own self--ready for service using
the tools of knowledge, love and deliberate effort. We can determine to
do that much, but the opportunities that come or don't come our way
aren't
our responsibility any more than a soldier can help whether he gets
guard duty, or is sent to the front lines.
Chapter
7 - Self-Control, Self-Restraint, Self-Command, Self-Denial
Moral
Self-Improvement
The four kinds of behavior we're going to look at now aren't pretty. We
have some kind of instinct--maybe a true instinct--that makes all
words that have 'self' in them seem distasteful. When a goal of
self-improvement is presented as something we should strive for, we
shrug it off and say, 'What's the use?' and even our Will winces. It
refuses to be swayed to do anything for long that comes from
self-centered motives. Yes, it's true that many self-originated motives
stemming from vanity and pride such as self-esteem and self-respect can
prompt us to action, but that prompting isn't against our Will, it's without it. Even self-discipline,
which is rightly encouraged from
our earliest childhood, and self-control, can be practiced and done
well merely for the sake of our prized Self, because we believe that
serenity will be rewarded, that self-esteem makes us feel good and that
self-satisfaction makes us happy. This kind of moral self-improvement
pays. So then, Self feels justified in making such improvements. They
even make the lives of everyone around us more comfortable. They result
in peace and pleasant relationships.
pg 153
Self-Absorption
But I'm not so sure. Moral self-improvement that's only done for its
own sake can tend to make a person oddly detached. They lose some sense
of spontaneity and develop a hint of being on a higher level than
everyone else, curbing the natural sympathy that most people have. In
fact, that sympathy is the only real gift we have for each other. Any
obsessive absorption has this effect. Nobody expects much from a person
newly in love, or a poet, or a student studying for mid-terms. But at
least the person in love is only going through a phase, and the
student's mid-terms will be over soon. The poet may be obsessed, but,
if he's a good poet, at least his work benefits the world. But if a
person is absorbed with himself, there's no benefit except to himself.
That was the only goal. People don't usually like to be helped by those
who seem to live on a superior level. Even Jesus came down to reach us
at our own level. He was 'tempted in all points, just like we are.'
I remember once at a large party, I met a woman who confused me. She
was impressive-looking and pretty and very friendly. Whatever was going
on at the party--acting, reciting, games, chatter--she was leading
it, and doing better at it than anyone else. She was nice, too. When
there was any kind of problem or someone got hurt, she was right there
to help. She intrigued me because, even though so many things about her
were charming, she had a certain distance that was offensive. I
wondered if she had some kind of history that made her that way, but
nobody seemed to know much about her. Finally, her kind wish revealed
the reason for her aloofness. If a person was to stretch out in bed and
say, 'I'm very happy, there's nothing wrong with me,' for a certain
amount of time every day, they would have perfect peace of body and
mind.
pg 154
Then I saw what it was that made this woman so out of touch with those
around her. She was involved in her own personal cult, a cult that
revolved around her own well-being. In spite of her many kindnesses,
that seemed to be like a wall surrounded by broken glass to everyone
else--we couldn't approach her. Even though she performed the various
actions I mentioned, and others, too, it made no difference to everyone
else.
A
Better Way
It's a wonderful thing to have self-discipline in our appetites,
self-control about expressing our passions and emotions, self-command
of our temper, and self-denial to be able to do without the things we
really want. But there's an even better way.
When the Will focuses on something outside of itself that's greater
than the self, the appetites cease being so urgent, the emotions aren't
so overpowering, and the temper isn't so rebellious (except for quick,
impulsive instants that are regretted and recovered). As far as
self-denial, love doesn't do without the things it really wants; it
isn't even aware of personal wants. A mother feeding her child the last
crust of bread, or dressing it in the last rags available, isn't
denying herself. She's loving. We probably do more harm than good to
ourselves and others by exercising what we think of as self-denial. 'I
don't want you saving your dirty soul on me,' said one Irish woman to a
visitor to her area. What she said expressed a law of life: it isn't
possible to be good to others, or even good to ourselves, just for the
sake of being good. Love and serving in love are the only things that
count.
If the Will is provided with something outside of itself to focus on,
it will
pg 155
be eager to serve, even when the service is as difficult as controlling
its own forces of Mansoul. The failures in self-discipline,
self-control, and self-denial that plague us and that we recognize as
sin by the very misery they cause to us and others, and the way they
put a wall between our heart and others, aren't overcome in a grand,
monumental one-time heroic act. It takes many deliberate efforts of the
Will. It's not a matter of striving to manage ourselves better. It
takes something outside of ourselves to make us forget ourselves, and a
certain valiant effort of the Will. That's the way to cure the faults
that frustrate us.
But someone might say, Hasn't Jesus commanded us to deny ourselves?
Yes, but He wants the kind of self-denial that comes from a disciple
who has so much love for his Master that he no longer focuses on
himself--as if he has no Self.
pg 156
Chapter
8 - The Effort of Decision
We
Avoid Decisions
I've tried to demonstrate how the Will is moved to action by the touch
of an inspiring thought. It does sometimes work through vanity or greed
or some other lesser motive, but when it does, it's more like a
supporting actor. Natural tendencies are strong enough to accomplish
their goal without any effort of the Will. All it takes is making
allowances, it doesn't require any effort of deliberate decision. And
yet, every day brings many tiresome little decisions, and it seems like
overkill to bring in the strong power of the Will for every one of
them, as if a steam hammer
was being brought in to crack a nut open. So, instead of making a
deliberate decision, we question ourselves, 'What will Mrs. Jones say?'
'I wonder which side Holford will take,' and so on. We try to avoid the
effort of making decisions by imaging what others would do. This is a
burdensome process because we know so many people and their decisions
are so varied. Even if we rely on the judgment of one person as our
guide, we're still not confident because circumstances are never
exactly the same for two different people. We're forced to think for
ourselves. And there are so many little considerations pressing in on
us that we start to feel harried like a person who's spent all day at
the mall and finally decides on the last thing he sees only because
it's right in from of him and he's tired.
pg 157
Indecision might be a symptom of our age, and it's not necessarily a
bad sign. It could just be the result of having so much more
information, opinions, practices, and different principles to choose
from. Sir Richard de Coverley might be like our patron saint, to be
invoked on all occasions. He said there's so much sense on both sides
that it's impossible to make up our minds. So finally we just pick
any old thing blindly and, as a result, find ourselves in a place we
never meant to
be.
'Tolerance'
We admire this mindset in ourselves and call it Tolerance. It's a sort of creed
that can summed up this way: 'There's a certain amount of good in
everything and anybody, and a certain amount of bad in everything and
anybody. Nothing or nobody is better than anyone or anything else, so
one choice is as good as another.' And that results in, 'What
difference does it make?' And that attitude prevails about going to
church, or bothering to vote, or troubling about political issues, or
bringing truth to the ignorant. 'What is truth,' as Pilate jested, and
we lift our eyebrows and repeat, 'Every person's principles and
opinions are undoubtedly what's best for him, and why should we
interfere? We have to worry about our own affairs!'
Even when it comes to our own affairs, many people don't take much
trouble. Some people rely on 'luck,' and some people rely on
'providence' to make all of their important decisions. This is the kind
of vague, indistinct thinking that goes on in many people's minds these
days. They wear themselves out with trivial decisions while walking
blindfolded into decisions that really matter.
'Providence'
and Choice
But someone might say, doesn't Providence decide the boundaries of
where
we live, and guide us in what we do? This is a blessing and restful
truth that gives every Christian
pg 158
soul a sense of peace, but Providence isn't supposed to save us from
the effort of making our own decisions. It's the decision-making
process that shapes our character. The Father who brings up His
children is in heaven. In the
same way that wise parents make sure that their children get enough
exercise, we can safely assume that Providence strengthens people by
giving each of them some opportunities to expend their own effort,
especially the
effort of decision. The Will grows strong when it expends effort, and
the Will defines the person's character.
There's a charming picture by Ludwig Richter called Unser Vater that illustrates 'Give
us this day our daily bread.' A mother is spoon feeding two precious
chubby babies who are sitting before her with their mouths open. Behind
them, their big brother has a slice of German black bread, a sower is
sowing in the next field, and a bird follows him to eat some of the
seed. This is a great picture of how Providence works. The sower sows,
the mother feeds, and God gives the increase. But nobody is sitting
around waiting for a hand-out. They're working with open eyes and busy
hands, and the good life that results comes along the lines of their
own effort.
Opinions
and Principles
Making decisions is part of the work we're meant to do, along with the
'sweat of our brow by which we earn our daily bread.' But
decision-making shouldn't cause worry, stress, anxiety and fatigue over
such things as buying a yard of ribbon, or decorating a house, or
choosing a career. If it is, then we're on the wrong track--our Will
is negligent and we're being torn to pieces by conflicting desires and
affections.
The decisions that the Will makes are always simple because, for better
or worse, they have an end goal focused on something outside of
pg 159
the Self. We've seen how no part of us operates in isolation. All our
lives, the Will has been busy getting input from the Imagination,
Reason, Conscience, and the Affections. Little by little, it's been
forming those major decisions that are the foundation for what we do,
which we call Principles, and
the major decisions that are foundational to what we think, which are
called Opinions. Once formed,
our principles and opinions are always ready to serve in big or little
occasions. Our job is to make sure that we aren't distracted by the
many different aspects of Self. Then our decisions will be prompt and
final. We won't be anxious, second guessing whether we made a mistake,
or if we should have chosen something else instead.
If we've done the best we could do with all we had within us, and added
prayer if there was still any uncertainty, then we can rest as assured
as the sower that Providence is on our side, although there are no
guarantees how rich or poor the immediate harvest will be. In either
case, we benefit because we
grow with each decision we make so that there's more strength of
character within us for the next time of action. So, we can go on our
way with that much more strength and peace.
This isn't an easy way to a quiet life, but in all work there's some
gain. Without work, there's no gain in either heart matters or material
things.
pg 160
Chapter
9 - Intention, Purpose, Resolution
The
Story of a Resolution
A man was strolling along the shore in the south lake with his wife,
who was an invalid. He noticed a greater black-backed gull that had
fallen dead on the sand. Other sea things caught his interest, and
before long, he had begun an impressive collection of sea artifacts.
His collection continued to grow, and his knowledge increased along
with it. Finally he had such a large collection and he had it arranged
so neatly, that the idea of opening a big county museum came to him. He
loved the idea and committed himself to that project. Any obstacles in
his way merely strengthened his resolve to face all the long hours of
collecting and classifying.
This is the way the mental process works in all people who accomplish
things. First, something attracts their attention: the man walking
along the shore might not have considered the dead bird an idea, but
what captured his attention was an idea all the same. Perhaps the idea
was aroused and piqued by his interest and admiration in the delicate
beauty of the bird's feathers when seen up close.
Then came the obsession of the mind on natural objects from the sea,
which led to the
pg 161
intent to learn more about
them. The intention might have been a bit vague and general, but it was
strong enough to motivate him to do something about it. He found more
things, and did more research. Then the intention became more definite.
He had a goal in mind that he was determined to carry out--a purpose. And, in the face of
difficulties, that grew into strong resolution.
The
Progress of an Idea
Perhaps another man read a book about Francis Drake as a boy. From
that, he got a certain sense of spaciousness, and of the kind of
adventure that risks everything for love of queen and country. Although
Drake, as a hero, isn't always admirable for his goodness, his manly
devotion to a cause appeals to the boy. He finds that he feels
perfectly at home in 'the spacious days of great Queen Elizabeth,' and
that's the kind of reading he enjoys for many years. He learns about
the Elizabethan dramatists, politicians, seamen, and poets. His
thoughts begin to be colored by his reading. There's a certain
largeness in his opinions and the way he acts that has an uplifting
effect on those around him. He helps them to see issues from a
perspective other than their own personal or traditional way. He
himself may not have taken up any greater adventure than that of a
doctor or businessman, but he brings a breeze of adventure with him,
and his friends are all the better for it. One of his sons joins the
navy, one is stationed in India, and the third is in South Africa, all
of them carrying the spacious thoughts and impersonal goals that they
got from their father. The man himself seems to be left at the birth of
the Elizabethan thought that first captivated him when he read the book
about Drake. The engaging of his mind and intention came with the
steady pursuit of reading Elizabethan
pg 162
literature. It's not as easy to follow the stages of purpose and
resolution, but they are there. That's evident because the fruit of
that first thought, like a seed, grew and perfected itself in his
mind, and it continued to bear fruit in the lives of his sons.
If the idea that struck him had come from the narrow, self-involved
days of Queen Anne, he might have become a connoisseur collector of
Chelsea teapots and Chippendale tables. He would still have influenced
his friends since we can't help having an influence on those around us,
but his
influence would have been in the small graces of life rather than in
the larger issues.
Personal
Influence Must Not Be Deliberate
The whole issue of influence is very interesting. The old artists
painted saints with a halo, an aura of glory emanating from them, and
that visual seems to illustrate what's true for all of us. Each of us
moves around and lives within the radiance of our own
personality. This emanation of our personality influences everyone we
come in contact with. We might say that generosity emanates from a
generous person, and unkindness emanates from a mean person. Those who
come in contact with the generous person pick up some of his
generosity, and the hostility of the mean person rubs off on those he
comes in contact with.
We can't help this kind of influence. We're not even conscious that
we're affecting people this way, it's just our nature, who we are. We
shouldn't try to manipulate the natural way we influence others. At the
same time, we have no right to
deliberately attempt to influence others.
That doesn't mean that we shouldn't give and receive correction,
advice, or instructions when needed. But that's not the same as
influence, because those things are straightforward and sincere. The
other person is fully aware of what's going on. Our job is to be the
best we can be, and
pg 163
then to let our influence take care of itself. And we should be careful
not to allow ourselves to be in a position where we're being influenced
and compromised by an unworthy person.
None of us can totally insulate ourselves from the influences of the
people we associate with. But, in both books and people, we can
seek out the best, most elevating influences. We all know of somebody
whose company makes us a better person, even if the only thing we talk
about is fishing or scrapbooking. I doubt that anyone is helped by
legalistic pious talk, what some people call 'holier-than-thou,' but
everyone is uplifted and better after coming in contact with a sweet,
pure, confident soul whose nature is not just within himself, but
emanates and surrounds him and is taken in like the air by those around
them.
Sources
of Ideas
It's smart to get the kind of ideas that lead us to resolve to some
action from these kinds of people. Maybe the concept will come to
somebody reading this book, the idea that will take hold of his mind,
become a deliberate intention, focus into a purpose, and strengthen
into a resolution--the concept that, even if it's the only thing good
he can do in the world, he'll strive to be a Mansoul who has only pure
influence emanating from him, and nothing corrupt. Maybe other things
will come up for us to do, maybe great philanthropic projects will come
our way. Actually, any sincere work that helps somehow is
philanthropic, whether it's writing a book, working for a local church,
or helping to make laws in the Senate. But nobody needs to feel left
out because his work seems to be for no greater purpose than earning
their living. Even that can be a great goal, if he does it with a will and single-minded focus. And
such a person doesn't need
pg 164
to feel bad about having no influence, because everyone has influence.
Influence isn't something that comes from how much opportunity a person
has, or even how hard they try. Influence is what a person has with
their own personality. Mansoul truly is a kingdom whose treasures and
opportunities are there for anyone with the will to use them.
Will
is The Tool That Helps Us Make Use of Ideas
But there are people who never even entertain the ideas that present
themselves. Therefore, they don't form any intention, purpose, or
resolution on it. These are people who never use their Will. And some
people deliberately choose to entertain corrupt or abusive ideas. The
thoughts of those kinds of people are continually evil, and their
purposes and resolutions are always towards evil objectives.
These different acts of the Will--intention, purpose and
resolution--are not only possible for all of us, they're required of us. In fact, the Will
is the tool that enables us to make use of the good, inspiring thoughts
that come our way. When we grasp that kind of idea with deliberate
intent, act upon it with a purpose, and struggle against obstacles with
determined resolve, that's when we develop character and become useful
to the world.
pg 165
Chapter
10 - A Way Of The Will
The
Way of the Will is a Slow Way
We've already discussed a bit about the way the Will works. We know
that the Will acts on ideas, which are presented to the mind in various
ways--in books, talking, the Holy Spirit's influence. If we simply
allow ourselves to act on mere suggestion, then we're not exercising
the Will, we're just making allowances. An act of the Will isn't caused
by any single ability of Mansoul. It's an impulse that collects
strength from Reason, Conscience, and Affection. Little by little, it
slowly comes to a head, and then its progress is regular and successive
as it goes through the stages of intention, purpose and resolution.
Then, any time we need to use our Will to decide on minor matters such
as where we should go or what we should buy, we simply act on those
principles and opinions that our Will has slowly accumulated to help
guide us.
We all know that what we say and do isn't as important as what we
determine with our Will because the Will defines the person, and it's
what we do as a result of our Will that results in our character and
our personality.
The
Will is Opposed
Someone might say, 'That all sounds great, and I'd be happy to place
myself
pg 166
among people of good-will, but I know that in a crisis, I'll be
overwhelmed. That's how it always is--anger, greed, mean thoughts, the
desire to be popular or impress, confusion, or fear come upon me so
strongly that I have no power to Will or to do. All I can do is just
drift.'
Those sudden overwhelming feelings that flood our spirit, and the slow
assault of outside influences, are something we're all familiar with.
We call them temptations, and
we pray that we won't enter into them. But we tend to forget that God's
command includes the mandate to 'watch
and pray.' Perhaps seventy five percent of the times that good people
succumb to temptation are because they don't know or don't take time to
think about which area they need to be watching. They struggle over
their most troublesome sin issue and focus their attempts there so that
they can resist it. And, in doing so, they set themselves up by being
preoccupied with the wrong thing. Their familiar story has become a
proverb: 'Hell is paved with good intentions.'
The
Gate That Needs to Be Guarded
The place we need to keep on our guard isn't where we're always prone
to sin. We need to be watching at the very small, narrow little gate
where ideas present themselves for our examination. Our failures are
always due to the sudden arrival of ideas that are against what the
gate-keepers, Judgment and Conscience, have already approved.
These new ideas rush in. We've read how fair and just Othello was
instantly overwhelmed by the idea of jealousy when Iago deviously
suggested it. We can think of a thousand times in our own lives when
some unworthy idea has forced its way in, persuaded Reason to side with
it, come up with some justification to
pg 167
placate Conscience, and carried us headlong down some silly or evil
path.
Knowing that Reason and Conscience aren't reliable, once an idea has
been admitted after offering solid logic at the entrance, what we need
to
ask is how to deal with enemy ideas that pressure us to let them in.
Most Christian teachers will advise us to fight them. The medieval
church has a long history of fights with whips and lashes, stiff
shirts, fasting, and painful self-denials that block out all the
sweetness from life. Dramatic battles with evil, such as the incident
with Martin Luther's ink bottle, can't always be avoided once certain
destructive ideas have gotten in. But Jesus's advice to 'Watch
and pray,' saves us. If we have the Will, there is a means at our
disposal. It's as simple and unimpressive as David's sling and stone
seemed against the giant. But it's just as effective. The spiritual
world is like the physical world: the best ways are always simple.
Whenever a new idea shows up in a newspaper article or during a
discussion with our friends, or just suddenly pops up in our own minds,
we examine it with a quick action of a trained Reason and
educated Conscience. We do it without even being conscious of it, it
becomes a habit when the Will is trained (and the way to train a Will
is with exercise!) to subject every random concept that comes our way
to this kind of inspection before allowing it admittance and making it
our own.
What if the idea doesn't pass muster with the two gate-keepers, Reason
and Conscience, that make our judgments? Then what? Here is the
brilliantly simple way that the Will works.
pg 168
We don't have to struggle against or argue with or say bad things about
the trespasser. Instead, we consciously determine with a will to simply
think of something else immediately--not something holy and lofty, but
something interesting or entertaining. Perhaps we might imagine what
we'd like to do on our next vacation, or what will happen next in the
book we're reading, or we might think about a friend we haven't seen in
a while, or even a fly we see crawling across the ceiling. Anything
will do because anything that occupies the mind's attention will take
its
focus away from the treacherous idea that we want to get rid of. And no
idea has any power over us until we willingly
let it in and entertain it.
When life become stressful and we let down our guard, that's when we're
in danger. Ideas that appeal to our vanity or temper or whatever
assault us, and then our only salvation is a quick prayer--'Oh God,
hurry and save us! Lord, quick, help us!' and then, as quick as
thought, we need to turn our focus away from the frustrating
circumstance and think of something entertaining or interesting. The
weather, and what to wear for it, is always available as a topic!
We all pretty much recognize that our own moral Armageddon has to be
fought against an army of enemy ideas. But we may not be aware of the
simple, effective weapon that we have at our fingertips. Another thing
we might not be aware of is that intellectual
enemy ideas have to be dealt with in the same way as moral enemy ideas
that are within us. We aren't at liberty to think whatever we feel
like, any more than we're allowed to do
whatever we feel like. In fact, thinking is the real act. Our opinions
about God, other people, our church, the government, books and events
are as much under the jurisdiction of the Will as our moral judgments
are. In the same way, we must not casually entertain them. In our
thoughts and opinions, we need to watch and pray against the
irresponsible
pg 169
flight of opinions that are always fluttering around. Every opinion
needs to be examined at the gate. No matter how appealing it sounds, if
it doesn't pass the required tests, it needs to be pushed away and some
familiar diverting thought needs to take its place. It isn't a case
where we need to determine beforehand to reject a whole class of
intellectual concepts. But it's our duty and responsibility to examine
each idea that we meet by subjecting it to the tests of Reason and
Conscience. If it doesn't pass the tests, then we need to simply think
of something else that's enjoyable and engaging.
Once an idea gains admittance, it becomes our master, not our servant.
There are ideas, both good and evil, either moral or intellectual, that
captivate us, take hold of us, carry us away, absorb our whole being,
so
that, for better or worse, we can come to live as if we were the
instrument of a single idea. That's why it's so necessary for us to
keep watch at the gate where ideas come in. We need to become expert in
the simple way of repelling ideas that we don't want to willingly entertain.
If we carefully study the Gospels, we'll see how vitally important the
ideas of the Intellect are. We call them opinions and assume that
'every person has a right to form them for himself.' And he does, he
has a right and a responsibility, and he needs to face the risks.
The Gospels are full of Jesus in the middle of controversies about
fallacies. Fallacies are misleading opinions that have been approved by
the Reason and allowed to pass by the Conscience because the Will let
them in. It's a dangerous fact that Reason and Conscience themselves
are at the mercy of any idea that they haven't been asked to examine before it was allowed in.
pg 170
Chapter
11 - Freewill
Summary
of the Points We've Covered So Far
We've seen that the job of managing of Mansoul and coordinating its
abilities appropriately belongs to the Will. We've seen how the Will by
itself is neither moral nor immoral. We've seen that the Will's job is
to make choices, but the choices aren't between things, circumstances
or people. The Will chooses between ideas.
We've seen that, when the Will acts, that action has evolved from a
long time of preparation under the guidance of the Intelligence, the
Affections and the Conscience. The Will works through a process of slow
evolution going through these stages at the very least: intent, purpose
and resolution. Even when the Will acts immediately, not seeming to go
through any process of evolution in preparation or operation, that
action is actually based on principles and opinions that, themselves,
were previous actions that the Will had chosen through a slow process
of evolution and judgment.
We've also seen that, although man's job is to exercise his Will,
many people shirk that duty. Instead they drift along, making
allowances that determine their course of action, or following the
changing whims that are specific to their particular temperament.
Intellectual opinions and moral principles are both areas
pg 171
that are under the Will's jurisdiction. We understand that the Will
humbly accepts and does its job for Mansoul, but that it finds itself
constantly plagued with dangers, impulses on the one side, and
suggestions on the other side. But the Will's workplace isn't as
immense as it seems. It only has to keep watch at the gate where ideas
enter. This is especially necessary because, although Reason is a
reliable guide when it comes to ideas that the Will has rejected, it
becomes a convincing pleader for an idea once that idea has been
granted entrance. It's so persuasive that there's no crime or foolish
action that man's Reason hasn't justified with logical-sounding
arguments that can't be refuted. Even Conscience, the other judge of
our actions, can be persuaded by Reason. If Mansoul is to be safe from
anarchy, the Will has to be constantly vigilant at watching the gate
where ideas enter. We also saw how hindrances that arise from strong
impulses and powerful suggestions have a simple solution. The Will
doesn't need to struggle and insist on resisting. The only way it needs
to assert itself is to divert the thoughts as often as the impulse or
suggestion returns. Every recurrence of temptation will be weaker than
the last because the Will gains strength during pauses while the
thoughts are thinking about something else.
This is what we've been able to gather about the functions and actions
of the Will, although it's all a little vague. It's good for us to know
everything we can about this one practical aspect of man because we've
been given the task of working out our salvation from the foundational
habits
of our physical body, the scattered habits of our mind, excessive
emotions, and corrupt and conventional moral judgments. The Will is the
only tool we have to work with.
pg 172
The
Will and Mainstream Culture
Our Will is what has to keep us from getting caught up in the
intellectual and moral fallacies that our culture is full of. Our Will
is what saves us from the status quo kind of respectability that's
afraid to rock the boat and does everything according to convention.
This kind of mainstream respectability doesn't make a deliberate
thought-out
decision to conform, it just does what everyone else is doing out of
laziness. This kind of attitude might look like good-will, but it
saddens people who really care about others because these kinds of
people live for themselves and miss the real point of life and even
life itself. They live to be successful and prosper so that they can
have more luxury or culture or pleasure. This kind of life that's lived
for Self and one's own interests and comfort is what Jesus condemned
when He said, 'He who saves his life will lose it.'
That's why Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners and saved his
worst accusations for the 'respectable' classes of people. The sinners
still had a Will that might be inspired to rise, even if only weakly,
if exposed to a great idea, to a call to a life focused on something
outside of themselves. But the men who considered themselves above
reproach were so wrapped up in themselves that they were incapable of
exercising their Will enough to even 'Choose ye this day whom ye will
serve.'
There are only two kinds of service that man can choose between: a life
that has Self at its center and as its end goal, and a life that has
God and serving God's children as its object.
It's possible to choose to serve God unconsciously when we think that
we only have a passionate desire to help people. But there's no
possible way to drift into serving God when our goal is our own
personal success, not even if that success includes the ultimate
highest good of saving
pg 173
our own soul. It's been said that selfishness doesn't improve when it's
eternal selfishness.
If Jesus were to walk among us today, maybe He would cry out in our
streets, 'Woe to the land that holds up the standard of its own success
as the goal for every person!' We can't live our lives any higher than
what we aim for. Our Will needs to be focused on something other than
itself, whether that something is good or bad. Maybe that's why there's
more hope for some sinners than there is for some 'respectable' people.
We can discern a little of what the Will's job is, and how it acts. If
we try to look closer and analyze so we can define it, it eludes us
like all the other great mysteries of life, death and personality. But
we can discern this much: in a person of good-will, the Will is totally
free. As a matter of fact, the only kind of Will is a free will. That's
why a conventional mainstream person who never thinks through choices
doesn't have any free will. He's without a Will. The Will, or free
will, needs to have some object outside of itself. Tennyson said it as
well as anyone:
'Our Wills are ours, we don't know how.
They're ours so we can choose to be Yours.'
Paraphrased by L. N. Laurio
Please direct any comments or questions to me by emailing me at cmseries-owner at yahoogroups dot com.
|
CM SERIES HOME | CONCISE SUMMARIES
| PARAPHRASED IN MODERN
ENGLISH |