Self-Control, the Whole Law (By Henry Lindlahr)

[Guest guest]

Obedience to all laws on all planes of being depends primarily on

self-control. Self-control is, therefore, in a sense, the whole law,

for man cannot break any one law unless he breaks first this

fundamental Law of all Laws. This implies that the demoralizing

effect of sinning or law-breaking, on any one of the planes of being,

does not depend so much upon the enormity of the deed as upon the

loss of self-control. Continued weakening of self-control in trivial

things may therefore, in the end, prove more destructive than a

murder committed in the heat of passion. If there is not self-control

enough to resist a cup of coffee or a cigar, whence shall come the

will-power to resist greater temptations?

 

Truly, lack of self-control in small things is the " dry rot " of the

soul. Is it not, then, somewhat unreasonable to expect God or Nature

to strain and twist the immutable laws of Nature at the request of

every healer in order to save us from the natural consequences of

overeating, meat eating, whisky drinking, smoking, tobacco chewing,

drugging and a thousand and one other transgressions of natural laws?

 

In spite of the finest-spun metaphysical sophistries, we continue to

burn our fingers in the fire until we know enough to leave it alone.

Herein lies the corrective purpose of that which we call evil--

suffering and disease. The rational thing to do is not to deny the

existence of Mother Nature's punishing rod, but to escape her

salubrious spankings by conforming to her Laws.