Article June 13, 1931 Issue

Our Attitude towards Our Neighbor

CHRISTOPHER C. MONCKTON

The Master enjoined his followers to love one another; and his command was reiterated by others, among whom were his disciples John, who said, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God," and Peter, who enjoined, "Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves." And in his epistle to the Romans the Apostle Paul said, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." It is therefore incumbent upon us to reflect impartial spiritual love toward all; and as this is done, it will be found that all other human desires wane into comparative insignificance.

There are times when we may feel inclined to sit in judgment on our neighbor; and when these occur, we must refuse to accept the evidence of the material senses, and hold thought to the perfection of spiritual man in God's image and likeness. It is solely as a false concept that one feels injustice, intolerance, condemnation, or the like; and the unreality of these errors becomes apparent as the truth is recognized. Our own thoughts about our neighbor should concern us principally. We are liable to think of persons as good or otherwise; whereas mortals are merely counterfeits of man, the real man, existing in Mind as a perfect idea and entirely separate from the dream of mortal existence. All error must be viewed as illusion, as an impersonal lie against the truth, rather than as personal aggression. We must thus entirely separate it from our own thoughts of man. Our aim should be to keep our own thinking in accord with Truth; and as this is done we, as well as our neighbors, are benefited. The claims of error, seemingly expressed in all directions, must not be ignored; but we must acknowledge as real only the divine Mind and Mind's ideas, in which error has no place.

All unlovely traits of character, such as unkind criticism and resentment, should be replaced with love; and we must strive to forgive the neighbor who has offended us, whether pardon is asked for or not; for are we not commanded to forgive unto "seventy times seven"? To understand the nothingness of error is to forgive. We should not try to expose unnecessarily another's faults. Silence is golden; it should whenever possible be substituted for outspoken criticism. We should be charitable towards all. We are not called upon to meddle with our neighbor's affairs, and must let each work out his own individual salvation in his own way. As changes invisible to the material senses may be taking place in individual human consciousness, we should recognize that each one must work out his problem from the standpoint of his own thinking. We should bear in mind that each sees the same situation from his own point of view, which may not necessarily be that of his neighbor.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Poem
Awakening
June 13, 1931
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit