Article May 18, 1987 Issue

Are you floating or swimming?

What happens when we actively follow God's direction instead of passively going along with the crowd?

Evelyn M. S. Duckett

Are we, perhaps without realizing it, just going along with the thoughts of the people around us—rather like floating on the tide without looking to see where it's taking us?

In an article called "Contagion," Mrs. Eddy points to a need for alertness about the tendency to accept unquestioningly contagious disease. The article can also be applied to the many ways we allow others' thoughts to influence us. She writes: "Whatever man sees, feels, or in any way takes cognizance of, must be caught through mind; inasmuch as perception, sensation, and consciousness belong to mind and not to matter. Floating with the popular current of mortal thought without questioning the reliability of its conclusions, we do what others do, believe what others believe, and say what others say."^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 228.}

But how are we to know what other people are thinking? And if "everybody is doing it," doesn't that make "it" all right? Why should we suppose that we know better than others do? Isn't it a good thing for us all to agree as often as we can, unless of course we're all being misled together? Christian Science answers these questions by giving us a new and higher concept of man and his thoughts. It shows that man isn't uncertain or passive, prone to listlessness and inertia. Understanding this makes us unwilling to accept the concerted human opinions offered us.

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