Two Christian Scientists, driving along the highway, were discussing a third, whom they both loved. The young man in question was having difficulty in becoming established in his profession. These two had been so desirous of seeing him active and progressive that they had grown discouraged after the long period of failure. On this particular day, they began to enumerate what they thought were the causes for his lack of progress. One said that he was lazy; the other, that he lacked ambition. They agreed that he had little enthusiasm, that he lacked initiative, failed to make use of good opportunities, and did not seem to reflect much intelligence. Suddenly, the one driving the car cried out in pain. A hip bone had slipped out of place, and it was only with the greatest of difficulty that the two were able to bring the car to a stop at the side of the highway.

Immediately they awakened to the erroneous nature of their thinking. One said, "We should reverse each erroneous statement that we have made about our friend." Aloud he declared concerning the young man: "He reflects Mind, the source of all activity; therefore, he must be active and full of life. He reflects that all-knowing intelligence, whence comes inspiration; therefore initiative, alertness, intelligence are his in abundance. He is controlled by divine Principle, and nothing can keep him from being led into the paths of right activity." When each false statement had been corrected, they discovered that the dislocated hip bone had slipped back into place, the pain had ceased, and the healing was complete. In a very short time thereafter the young man was actively and successfully engaged in his profession.

Certain helpful lessons are to be gained from this experience. First of all, if we wish to express harmony ourselves, we must not entertain critical thoughts concerning our fellow man. In order to restore the driver to a state of harmony, it was not necessary to treat a misplaced bone. When these two corrected their thinking about their friend, their own experience became harmonious. They had been awakened to the scientific truth that we cannot accept into our consciousness false concepts about our brother and demonstrate our own well-being at the same time. How much human suffering might be overcome, were one to search his own thinking and ask himself the questions: "Am I seeing all my brothers as God's children, perfect in every respect? Is there so much as one individual in whom I can find anything to criticize?"

In the thirty-second chapter of Genesis we read that Jacob had been entertaining thoughts of fear, hatred, and distrust toward Esau, his brother; and humanly it would seem justly so, for had not Esau threatened to kill him? "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. ... And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint. ... And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ... And he blessed him there."

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," on page 308, Mary Baker Eddy says of this experience, "Jacob was alone, wrestling with error,—struggling with a mortal sense of life, substance, and intelligence as existent in matter with its false pleasures and pains,—when an angel, a message from Truth and Love, appeared to him and smote the sinew, or strength, of his error, till he saw its unreality; and Truth, being thereby understood, gave him spiritual strength in this Peniel of divine Science." Jacob saw that he must replace the false concept of his brother with divine facts about man. His thinking was "out of joint" with the one Mind when he allowed thoughts of fear and criticism to fill his consciousness. However, when only a blessing—love, confidence, and peace—prevailed in his thoughts, Jacob presented a wholly harmonious being.

There is a second lesson to be discerned from the experience of the two Scientists. Rather than adopt the weak, negative attitude of merely refraining from criticism, ignoring the error, we need to adopt the positive attitude of refusing to accept the claims of error as real, and voicing in their stead the truths of being. Such was the example set by Jesus. Mrs. Eddy tells us on pages 476 and 477 of Science and Health: "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." When the young man's friends reversed the erroneous concepts which were being entertained about him, and vigorously declared the truth about each false quality, they helped to break the chains of error by which he had been bound to a sense of limited activity. They did not undertake to treat him, but they were fulfilling their duty to Principle to think of him only as God, their true Mind, gave them to think.

Let us adopt a positive attitude, substitute truth for criticism, in regard to the present world conflict. Why become discouraged, seek for material causes, perhaps condemn our leaders and our allies when our progress in overcoming the enemy is not so rapid as we think it should be? Indulging in such thinking does not aid ultimate victory. Let us realize that all of God's children are at one with Spirit, and that God alone governs, associates, co-ordinates, controls, and directs. Opposed to each and every lie there is a truth, which if seen as everywhere active, annihilates anything unlike itself. Let us proclaim these divine truths and their operation. Let us sustain our leaders, our allies, our armed forces with the truths of being.