All over the world men and nations are striving after...
The Christian Science Monitor
All over the world men and nations are striving after self-government of some sort or another. They are overthrowing kings and emperors, setting up new governments, adopting and amending constitutions, and they are achieving these results in ways varying in accord with the progress they have made out of materiality. Some are achieving with machine guns, others by genuine elections. And all the while, right where this tumult and shouting is going on, there is ideal government already in existence, now and always established. For as Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p.106 ), "Man is properly self-governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love." And again on page 125 of the same book, "Refiecting God's government, man is self-governed." Man reflects exclusively one boundless intelligence, the infinite consciousness, or God. This intelligence is the divine Ego, the limitless I am. Man, created and controlled completely by his Maker, is governed by this one infinite intelligence. Thus, faultless government is here to-day, now, and it is unchangeably good in its perfectly unfolding variety.
Truly, all the present struggles of the world in its bolshevistic, its socialistic, its revolutionary movements of all kinds, make up the birth throes of the world in the bringingh forth of its better understanding of genuine government. But upheaval and revolution are not required to set up true government, for the real sovereignty is even now in control. Men, turning constantly, again and again, to Principle, and permanently turned to Principle, would experience real revolution. The nations that have reached the highest human sense of true ruling at the present moment are, in general, experiencing the least difficulty. And in proportion as they cling steadfastly to improved understanding of government, and seek higher and higher concepts, they will continue to go calmly and gloriously on.
Principle and its idea is all the government there is, infinitely good in all its beneficent forms. Therefore men need only to look to Principle for every phase of governmental activity. What sum total of legislative, executive, judicial, and constitutional activity is included in the wonderful statement of the one mighty authority which is even now being disclosed to the world, as given in the Christian Science textbook. There Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health, p.340 ): "One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself;' annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry,—whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed." This limitless government, the one infinite Mind, is executive in unifying men and nations and ending wars. It is legislative and judicial in annihilating injustice and evil in social and civil customs and enactments, in criminal, political, and religious laws and promulgations. It is truly constitutional in equalizing the sexes. The one Principle and lawgiver is the all-sufficient and ever active sovereign of His image and likeness.
The unveiling of pure government, in which human personality is being shown to have no place at all, has made great strides throughout the earth. One very great proof of this is the falling of autocratic government, where dynasties in some instances had continued for centuries. For the autocrat, the absolute monarch, is a clear example of government depending entirely on finite personality, instead of infinite Principle. One such famous autocrat once said: "The state; it is I." The nation ruled over by this absolutist, progress has long since purged of such a concept of government.
But however much there is cause for rejoicing in the realization that government by the people through their representatives is sweeping the earth, and that this is a far loftier mode of ruling power than other modes displaced by it, the fact remains that this is but an approach to man's absolutely ideal ruling power, the divine consciousness. Unadulterated democracy and self-government, as shown in the quotations from the Christian Science textbook, are not government by numbers of people, whether many or few, by many minds, whether so-called brilliant or dull, but by infinite Spirit, divine Mind. God brings forth and directs His unbounded expression, and man reflects and is always satisfied with that dominion. Such administration is continuously successful, happy, inspiring. Its very perpetual existence is absolute and has no opposite. Infinite Mind knows nothing unlike itself; it has no sense of matter, human personality, material autocracy, limited democracy, or minds many. Principle, governing man, is unlimited democracy, for as the result of this sovereignty man has infinite freedom of thought, worship, and expression.
It is self-evident truth that man is created free, and coexistent with his Maker. He is undeniably released from all evil, oppression, domination, and absolutism of every kind; for good is the one existence. That this is so is seen from the simple demonstration in Christian Science that divine consciousness and its infinite idea is all there is, and what is contains no element of what is not, no element of destruction or evil. So, all there is is good. Principle and its expression is complete and unqualified declaration of independence from all that is wrong, lawless, disorderly, and tyrannical.
