Freedom or Bondage ~ Ernest Holmes
"We, therefore, arrive at the conclusion that while bondage is an experience, there is a Reality to which bondage is not real. To that Reality bondage is not even an illusion or hallucination; there is a part of us that is never fooled. That is why, in the midst of the greatest trial, death, or any human suffering, something rises from within and says with Job: "Though I die, yet shall I live."
Freedom of will means the ability to do, say, and think as one wishes; to express life as one personally desires, to be able merely to think and dream of freedom would not be liberty. A prisoner under a life sentence can do that. To imagine, without the power to manifest such imagination, would be to remain in a dream world which would never come to self-realization; this is not the world in which man lives at all, for man's world is one of self-expression, even though this expression appears to limit him.
We are in an Infinite Mind and Infinite Mind is also in us. It is by this Mind that we think. This Mind is eternal therefore, we are eternal. This Mind is complete, therefore, we are spiritually complete, thought we do not appear to be so. This does not alter the fact that potential man is just as perfect as is the inherent God. As Jesus said: "Fear no, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom;" if it is the Father's good pleasure to give us the Kingdom we should learn how to receive and use It.
A freedom under compulsion would amount to the worst kind of bondage. The Bible says: "If there had been any law whereby this freedom could be compelled, then verily by the law would that freedom have been given." If there had been a way by which the Divine Creative Principle could have compelled man to suddenly appear on the scene of experience full-orbed with all his freedom - and still be an individual- then verily by the law would this have been done. But even God could not do this. The only way God can evolve a spontaneous individual is to let him alone and allow him to awaken to himself. "Behold I stand at the door and knock..."
So man must be created with the possibility of limitless freedom and let alone to discover himself. On the road to self-discovery he must be subject to the Law of Reality, and if in ignorance he violates this Law, he must thereby suffer. This is not, however, because any Divine decree ordains suffering but simply because it is the necessity of the case. God never intended man to suffer. Suffering may be salutary in that it leads us to a place where we learn that it is unnecessary! We shall cease to suffer as we more and more comply with the Laws of the Universe, all suffering is the result of some infringement of these Laws. It is a solace to the mind when we come to understand that all human limitation, from the standpoint of the Divinity within us, is unnecessary. We recognize that we experience pain, but how could there bean eternal reality to pain? If this were true, we would have a suffering Universe, a suffering God, an agonizing Deity, all of which seem untrue, unreal and impossible.
We must know definitely and consistently that the Universe is for us and not against us. But someone will say "The Universe is not for us, look at the evil, the limitation, lack and physical pain and anguish of the human race." We shall have to learn that evil is neither person, place nor thing of itself, but is an experience which we are allowed to have - because of our divine individuality - until through negative experiences we learn to use the Law affirmatively, to cooperate with It, and thus to enjoy Its full benefits, for the true Law is a Law of Liberty and not of bondage. The Universe is fool-proof. It does say we can have what we can take, while at the same time we must expect toe experience the logical result of our thought and act, be it good or what we call evil.
The meaning of freedom implies the possibility of suffering, because if we are free we are free only by virtue of the possibility of choosing more than one course of action as an experience. There is no freedom or happiness, as a spontaneous individuality, unless there can be a temporary restriction of bondage and unhappiness through the wrong use of freedom. (All things are possible to the Infinite, but the Infinite forever remains true to Its own nature and never contradicts Itself.)
If man takes his images of thought only from his previous experiences, then he continues in the bondage which those previous experiences create. If we talk about discord, we shall become more discordant. The more the world arms for war, the more certain it is that there will be war. People who spend all their time talking about their unhappiness become more unhappy. Jesus understood these great laws of cause and effect in the Universe, which work sometimes with apparent slowness but always with sureness. Eventually we shall understand that all human bondage is an invention of ignorance."
"We, therefore, arrive at the conclusion that while bondage is an experience, there is a Reality to which bondage is not real. To that Reality bondage is not even an illusion or hallucination; there is a part of us that is never fooled. That is why, in the midst of the greatest trial, death, or any human suffering, something rises from within and says with Job: "Though I die, yet shall I live."
Freedom of will means the ability to do, say, and think as one wishes; to express life as one personally desires, to be able merely to think and dream of freedom would not be liberty. A prisoner under a life sentence can do that. To imagine, without the power to manifest such imagination, would be to remain in a dream world which would never come to self-realization; this is not the world in which man lives at all, for man's world is one of self-expression, even though this expression appears to limit him.
We are in an Infinite Mind and Infinite Mind is also in us. It is by this Mind that we think. This Mind is eternal therefore, we are eternal. This Mind is complete, therefore, we are spiritually complete, thought we do not appear to be so. This does not alter the fact that potential man is just as perfect as is the inherent God. As Jesus said: "Fear no, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom;" if it is the Father's good pleasure to give us the Kingdom we should learn how to receive and use It.
A freedom under compulsion would amount to the worst kind of bondage. The Bible says: "If there had been any law whereby this freedom could be compelled, then verily by the law would that freedom have been given." If there had been a way by which the Divine Creative Principle could have compelled man to suddenly appear on the scene of experience full-orbed with all his freedom - and still be an individual- then verily by the law would this have been done. But even God could not do this. The only way God can evolve a spontaneous individual is to let him alone and allow him to awaken to himself. "Behold I stand at the door and knock..."
So man must be created with the possibility of limitless freedom and let alone to discover himself. On the road to self-discovery he must be subject to the Law of Reality, and if in ignorance he violates this Law, he must thereby suffer. This is not, however, because any Divine decree ordains suffering but simply because it is the necessity of the case. God never intended man to suffer. Suffering may be salutary in that it leads us to a place where we learn that it is unnecessary! We shall cease to suffer as we more and more comply with the Laws of the Universe, all suffering is the result of some infringement of these Laws. It is a solace to the mind when we come to understand that all human limitation, from the standpoint of the Divinity within us, is unnecessary. We recognize that we experience pain, but how could there bean eternal reality to pain? If this were true, we would have a suffering Universe, a suffering God, an agonizing Deity, all of which seem untrue, unreal and impossible.
We must know definitely and consistently that the Universe is for us and not against us. But someone will say "The Universe is not for us, look at the evil, the limitation, lack and physical pain and anguish of the human race." We shall have to learn that evil is neither person, place nor thing of itself, but is an experience which we are allowed to have - because of our divine individuality - until through negative experiences we learn to use the Law affirmatively, to cooperate with It, and thus to enjoy Its full benefits, for the true Law is a Law of Liberty and not of bondage. The Universe is fool-proof. It does say we can have what we can take, while at the same time we must expect toe experience the logical result of our thought and act, be it good or what we call evil.
The meaning of freedom implies the possibility of suffering, because if we are free we are free only by virtue of the possibility of choosing more than one course of action as an experience. There is no freedom or happiness, as a spontaneous individuality, unless there can be a temporary restriction of bondage and unhappiness through the wrong use of freedom. (All things are possible to the Infinite, but the Infinite forever remains true to Its own nature and never contradicts Itself.)
If man takes his images of thought only from his previous experiences, then he continues in the bondage which those previous experiences create. If we talk about discord, we shall become more discordant. The more the world arms for war, the more certain it is that there will be war. People who spend all their time talking about their unhappiness become more unhappy. Jesus understood these great laws of cause and effect in the Universe, which work sometimes with apparent slowness but always with sureness. Eventually we shall understand that all human bondage is an invention of ignorance."
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