Editorial November 9, 1912 Issue

THE LITTLE AND THE LARGE

John B. Willis

Nothing is more distorting to judgment, more despoiling in the long run to happiness of heart, than the habit of looking at things from a petty point of view. In the experience of the average man, ignorance, selfishness, and fear join hands to induce him to be governed by the little things rather than the large. How often in every-day life do men disclose their absorption in some passing satisfaction, some bauble of gain, to a degree that makes them quite forgetful of civic, humanitarian, or Christian interests,—the fulfilment of their duty to their state, their neighbor, and their God.

And what is true of these is true of all. The things of material sense, even at their best, the most coveted places, possessions, and pleasures,—how well we know their relative nothingness, and yet how universally does the conscious or unconscious desire for them darken spiritual vision, while illustrating the utter folly of devotion to the inconsequential. The fact is that nothing worth while can be accomplished, no duty can be well done, and no abiding joy can be gained, unless the larger interests are constantly kept in view. Indeed, the serviceability of genuine good-will always resides in the fact that one is ready to sacrifice the good opinion of those about him rather than be untrue to their highest welfare. The mother who is seeking ever to please her child, who fails to think of him ever in the light of his higher nature, mission, and destiny,—such a mother is not even a friend to her child, much less his best friend, and she is sure to meet with disappointments and sorrow of heart, because she has substituted the little worth for the large.

All this gives significance to the fact that Christian Science inculcates the habit of always maintaining our loyalty to the larger view. Our estimate of human relations, situations, values, and events must always be determined by regard for the truth of being, and since this truth is basic, ideal, and unvarying, we have in it the "sure word of prophecy," the anchorage of faith, and the abiding occasion for joy. The vision of God and His universe, the infinite compass of Truth,—this is the background of all of Christ Jesus' teaching, and he was never forgetful of it for one moment. This gave him his poise, and here too we must follow him if we would escape the enslavement and the sorrows which pertain to a dwarfed sense.

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