Article February 10, 2014 Issue

The supremacy of good

António Francisco Ngoma

Originally written in Portuguese, this article first appeared in the August 2013 Portuguese, French, German, and Spanish editions of The Herald of Christian Science.

To me this passage by Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “As a man thinketh, so is he” (p. 166), in reference to the Bible verse from Proverbs 23:7, refers not only to our being, but also relates to every condition and circumstance in life. Our character is the outcome of our thoughts. As a plant would not exist without the seed’s sprouting, in the same way each act of a person germinates from hidden seeds of thought. This applies to spontaneous actions, as well as to ones deliberately executed. Therefore, a person reaps the sweet or bitter fruits of his own mental harvest.

I had not visited the district where I was born, and where my parents live, in 20 years. I returned to this district at the invitation of a friend, who is a big entrepreneur in the field of restoration and tourism. People are attracted to this region because of its oil production, which employs a very large workforce. Because of its geographic location, this district facilitates a smooth flow of trade. Therefore, this region offers many business and employment opportunities, and a cultural diversity resulting from the migration of people from other districts of the same province, as well as other places.

Cultural diversity is a wealth that transmits values and traditions of different peoples. There is no harm in differences when one acts reasonably, without exceeding the limits of morality that are based on ethical principles. I say this because, among other beliefs, I would like to mention one that caught my attention, the belief of zimbassu, which I wasn’t aware of when I was still living in that district.