Towards a Better World

Towards a Better World #36

Sunday 6 June 2021

New post

FAMILY LIFE

Taking on family, social and professional obligations in the world gives us daily opportunities to develop a sense of responsibility, more altruism and more care for those around us and, little by little, for the whole of humanity. [1] Cultivating love and respect for differences within one’s family, for example, is a real factor of progress on the Aumist spiritual path. [2] This is what this passage from the book Le Maître spirituel et le disciple, p. 283, expresses:

“Love for the members of one’s family is a stage on the path to universal Love.

Married life, bringing up children, facing difficulties, family and social responsibilities: all this helps to form character, to transform man and to develop his qualities.

One gets into the habit of overcoming certain forms of selfishness, and in the end even finds natural the conscious sacrifices made for the happiness of those one loves. (…) Out of love for one’s family, one learns to become patient, to control one’s reactions and one’s tongue so as not to hurt or shock. One spares the children, so vulnerable in their innocence and sensitivity. When love weakens, the sense of duty takes its place…

If one is a mystic, one strives to see God in those who surround us, love us and whom we cherish.“

[1] See post no. 33, “A healthy path”.

[2] See post no. 8, “Offering one’s actions”.

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