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803. Are all men equal in the sight of God?
"Yes, all tend towards the same goal; and God has made His laws for the equal good of all. You often say, 'The sun shines for all;' and, in saying this, you enunciate a truth much broader, and of more general application, than you think."
All men are subjected to the action of the same natural laws. All are born in the same state of weakness, and are subject to the same sufferings; and the body of the rich is destroyed like that of the poor. God has not given to any man any natural superiority in regard either to birth or to death all are equal in His sight.
804. Why has God not given the same aptitudes to all men?
"All spirits have been created equal by God; but some of them have lived more, and others less, and have consequently acquired more or less development in their past existences. The difference between them lies in their various degrees of experience, and in the training of their will, which constitutes their freedom, and in virtue of which some improve themselves more rapidly; hence the diversity of aptitudes that you see around you. This medley of aptitudes is necessary, in order that every man may concur in working out the designs of Providence, within the limits of the development of his physical and intellectual strength. What one cannot do, another does; and thus each contributes his share of usefulness to the general work. Besides, all the words of the universe being united by solidarity, it is necessary that the inhabitants of the higher worlds, most of which were created
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before yours, should come and dwell in it, in order to set you an example."
805. Does a spirit, in passing from a higher world to a lower one, preserve, in their integrity, the faculties he had previously acquired?
"Yes; we have already told you that a spirit who has progressed cannot again fall back. He may choose, in his spirit-state, a corporeal envelope more benumbing, or a position more precarious, than those he quits; but all this is so combined as to teach him some new lesson, and thus to aid his future progress."
The diversity of human aptitudes is thus seen to be the result, not of any diversity in the creation of men, but of the various degrees of advancement attained to by the spirits who are incarnated in them. God, then, has not created the inequality of human faculties, but He has permitted spirits of different degrees of development to be thus brought into contact with each other, in order that the more forward may aid the more backward, and also in order that all men, having need of one another's help, may arrive at the practical comprehension of the law of charity that is destined to unite them.
806. Is the inequality of social conditions a law of nature?
"No; it is the work of man, not of God."
- Will this inequality eventually disappear?
"Nothing is eternal but the laws of God. Do you not see that it is being effaced, little by little, every day? Your present inequalities will disappear with the disappearance of pride and selfishness; the only inequality that will remain is that of desert. A day will come when the members of the great family of God will no longer regard themselves as being of blood more or less pure; they will know that it is only the spirit that is more or less pure, and that this does not depend on social position."
807. What is to be thought of those who abuse the superiority of their social position by oppressing the weak to their own profit?
"They deserve to be anathematised! Sad will he their fate; for they will be oppressed in their turn, and they will be re-born into an existence in which they will endure all that they have caused to be endured." (684)
808. Is not the inequality of riches a result of the inequality of faculties, which gives to some persons more means of acquiring than are possessed by others?
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"Yes, and no. And knavery and robbery? What do you say of them?"
- But hereditary riches are not the fruit of evil passions?
"How do you know that? Go back to their source, and you will see whether it is always pure. How do you know whether they were not, in the beginning, the fruit of a spoliation or an injustice? But, without speaking of their origin, which may have been bad, do you think that the hankering after wealth, even when most honestly acquired, the secret longings to possess it more quickly, are laudable sentiments? These are what God judges; and His judgement is often more severe than that of men."
809. If a fortune has been ill-gotten in the beginning, are those who subsequently inherit it responsible for this?
"Most certainly they are not responsible for the wrong that may have been done by others, and of which they may be altogether ignorant; but you must understand that a fortune is often sent to such and such an individual for the sole purpose of giving him the opportunity of repairing an injustice. Happy for him if he comprehends this! If he does it in the name of him who committed the injustice, the reparation will be counted to both of them; for it is often the latter who has endeavoured to bring it about."
810. We may, without infringing legality, dispose of property more or less equitably. Are we held responsible, after death, for the disposition we have made of it?
"Every seed bears its fruit; the fruit of good deeds is sweet that of others is always bitter; always remember that."
811. Is an absolute equality of riches possible? and has it ever existed?
"No, it is not possible. The diversity of faculties and characters is opposed to it."
- There are men, nevertheless, who believe it to be the remedy for all the ills of society. What do you think of them?
"They are framers of systems, or moved by ambition and jealousy; they do not understand that the equality they dream of would be speedily broken up by the force of things. Combat selfishness, for that is your social pest; and do not run after chimeras."
812. If equality of riches be not possible, is it the same in regard to well-being?
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"No; but well-being is relative, and every one might enjoy it if men had arrived at a good understanding among themselves. For true well-being consists in employing one's time according to one's bent, and not in work for which one has no liking; and as each has different aptitudes, no useful work would be left undone. Equilibrium exists in everything; it is man who disturbs it."
- Is it possible to arrive at this mutual understanding?
"Men will arrive at it when they practise the law of justice."
813. There are men who fall into destitution and misery through their own fault; surely society is not responsible in such cases?
"Yes; we have already said that society is often the primary cause of such failures; and besides, is it not the duty of society to watch over the moral education of all its members? Society often perverts their judgement through a bad education, instead of correcting their evil tendencies." (685)
814. Why has God given wealth and power to some, and poverty to others?
"In order to try them in different ways. Moreover, as you know, it is the spirits themselves who have selected those trials, under which they often succumb."
815. Which of the two kinds of trial, poverty or riches, is the most to be dreaded by man?
"They are equally dangerous. Poverty excites murmurings against Providence; riches excite to all kinds of excesses."
816. If the rich man has more temptations to evil, has he not also more ample means of doing good?
"That is precisely what he does not always do. He often becomes selfish, proud, and insatiable. His wants increase with his fortune, and he never thinks he has enough, even for himself."
Worldly grandeur, and authority over our fellow-creatures, are trials as great and as slippery as misfortune: for the richer and more powerful we are, the more obligations we have to fulfil, and the greater are our means of doing both good and evil. God tries the poor through resignation, and the rich through the use he makes, of his wealth and power.
Riches and power give birth to all the passions that attach us to matter, and keep us at a distance from spiritual perfection: this is why Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. (266)
817. Are men and women equal in the sight of God, and have they the same rights?
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"Has not God given to them both the knowledge of good and evil, and the faculty of progressing?"
818. Whence comes the moral inferiority of women in some countries?
"From the cruel and unjust supremacy which man has usurped over her. It is a result of social institutions, and of the abusive exercise of strength over weakness. Among men but little advanced morally, might is mistaken for right."
819. For what purpose is woman physically weaker than man?
"In order that to her may be assigned certain special functions. Man is made for rough work, as being the stronger; woman, for gentler occupations; and both are differenced that they may aid each other in passing through the trials of a life full of bitterness."
820. Does not woman's physical weakness make her naturally dependent on man?
"God has given strength to the one sex in order that it may protect the other, but not to reduce it to servitude."
God has fitted the organisation of each being for the functions which it has to discharge. If God has given less physical strength to woman, He has, at the same time, endowed her with a greater amount of sensibility, in harmony with the delicacy of the maternal functions and the weakness of the beings confided to her care.
821. Are the functions to which woman is destined by nature as important as those which are allotted to man?
"Yes, and still more important; for it is she who gives him his first notions of life.”
822. All men being equals according to the law of God, ought they also to be such according to the law of men?
"Such equality is the very first principle of justice. Do not unto others what you would not that others should do unto you."
- In order to be perfectly just, ought legislation to proclaim an equality of rights between men and women?
"Equality of rights, yes, but not of functions. Each should have a specified place. Let man busy himself with the outer side of life, and woman with its inner side; each sex according to its special aptitude. Human law, in order to be just, should proclaim the equality of rights of men and women. Every privilege accorded to either sex is contrary to justice. The emancipation of woman follows the progress of civilisation; her subjection is a condition of barbarism. The sexes, moreover, exist only through the physical organisation. Since spirits can assume that of either
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sex, there is no difference between them in this respect, and them ought consequently to enjoy the same rights."
823. Whence comes the desire of perpetuating one's memory by means of funeral monuments?
"It is the last act of pride."
- But is not the sumptuousness of funeral monuments more frequently due to the action of relatives desirous to honour the memory of the defunct, than to the defunct himself?
"In such cases it is an act of pride on the part of relatives who desire to glorify themselves; for assuredly it is not always for the one who is dead that all these demonstrations are made, but rather to gratify their own vanity by making an impression on others, and to parade their wealth. Do you imagine that the remembrance of their loved ones is less durable in the hearts of the poor, because the latter have no flowers to lay upon their graves? Do you imagine that marble can save from oblivion the name of him who has led a useless life upon the earth?"
824. Is funeral pomp blameable under all circumstances?
"No; when displayed in honour of a noble life, it is just, and conveys a useful lessen."
The grave is the place of meeting for all men - the inevitable end of all human distinctions. It is in vain that the rich man seeks to perpetuate his memory by stately monuments; time will destroy them like his body nature has so willed it. The remembrance of his deeds, whether good or bad, will be less perishable than his tomb; the pomp of his funeral will neither cleanse away his turpitudes nor raise him a single step on the ladder of the spirit-hierarchy. (320 et seq.)