True Ethics
Benjamin Teixeira de Aguiar
by the spirit Eugênia-Aspásia.
The essential in ethics is to be spiritual. There are those who are ethical and suffer terrible punishments, because they have a veiled goal of benefiting from the righteous behavior. On the other hand, there are people who make some mistakes throughout life, and yet, life seems to reward them, as if they had done the right thing all the time.
Contradiction? Oh, no. It’s justice: they did their best and are recognized for it. I am not referring here to thieves who are enthroned in positions of power or those corrupt who enrich themselves on the good will and good faith of others.
I refer to something more complex and subtle – to those issues related to dignity, like the husband who is unfaithful but is forgiven, after correcting his behavior, but another one, who continuously strives to overcome his fickle nature, without ever slipping, and is continuously annoyed by his wife for no reason. Perhaps, this last one does not betray not because of a lack of will, or by a special dignity, but to keep his image unspoiled, or because he is simply not brave enough to face the situation, tension and eventual consequences, as in case of his wife finding out his escapades.
Please understand that I am not suggesting to anyone to loosen their impulses. This would be a return to the jungle. The limits imposed by civilization, the prejudices of society that require discipline, are highly beneficial, facilitating the maturation process of the soul. However, there are limit-circumstances, in which the individual does not incur in error, such as the hypothetical case that we showed above, not because of moral grandeur, but exactly the opposite: vanity and cowardice. And, frankly, at this point where the black and white of right or wrong becomes a really dense grey, who could say what the most correct attitude is? Jesus once said: Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’.
In the book of Revelation, by the mediumistic interpretation of John, the Master says again: because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Of course we are not proposing here any return to the primitive Manichaeism – this would even be contradiction with our own ideas, already explained in other numerous opportunities. What I want to draw your attention to is the fact that it’s not the act itself, but the intentions behind it that make the individual vile or not. And the world, no matter how much it’s accused of cruelty, often recognizes this. Not coincidentally, religious hypocrites are regarded with contempt, while ordinary celebrities, with scatological vocabulary and vulgar behavior, are often seen with sympathy and tender acceptance.
In this age of the politically correct, where people are too worried about ideological appearances, neglecting the essence of feelings, many people want to seem ethical and show off honesty, as if it were possible to be decent by merely acting out dignity. Integrity is like an aura that involves a person, an atmosphere that exhales from one’s soul and, regards mainly to whether one is being consistent with one’s current level of evolution and sincerely giving one’s best. No one can dissimulate the essential. The dishonest one trying to pass for a saint causes immediate repulse. It becomes obvious, even if it is not possible to prove anything; and one is seen with suspicion, even if one plays everything correctly, manipulating facts and information.
Dear friend, it is clear that you should not be careless with your image, openly exposing yourself to the evil and to the malice of others. However, before you try to seem ethical or honest, be it. No one fools God or oneself, and life shows, sooner or later, that we also cannot fool others either. The price of mystification is always very high. At best, those who can successfully deceive the crowds, live tormented by distrusts at home, incapable of taking off the mask among those they love or doubting the innocence and purity of valuable souls, at their side, who truly love them, torturing and getting tortured in terrible and distressing psychological mistreats, wasting the greatest opportunities of being happy, frightening off those who are worthy, and eliminating the love and even the presence of those to whom they should be forever grateful, for loving them despite everything..
And if you have made any slip in your youth, or even today, stop silly concerns about reputation. Whoever is sincere
and well intentioned with their actions, is also forgiven for their mistakes and even more admired in their weaknesses, when they do not try to hide them with lies. Not everything can be acknowledged in public – it is also clear: the omission of truth, though not its distortion, will still be an indispensable practice on the Earth of today, still hypocrite, inconsistent and evil. However, if you emanate good intentions, good will, a desire to serve and be useful, to be assertive and improve yourself, people will notice it, and they will easily grant you understanding, if not forgiveness. Focus, then, on the good you can do now – this is the essential – because, as said by the Apostle, love covers a multitude of sins.
Whoever is without sins cast the first stone, Jesus said. You do not need to consume yourself in remorse for having caught yourself in error. If you realize your mistakes and try to mend yourself, you are in the path of progress. The problem lies in not seeing your own imperfections, or in noticing them and not doing anything about them. Make a continuous effort to improve yourself and, the energy of your spiritual effort to improve yourself, and the psychic standard of a tranquil conscience, generated by this effort, will attract the sympathy, respect and consideration of people, no matter what has happened. And, as for those who deny you affection and approval, remember also that it is inevitable that you come across them in a world still so behind as the planet you live in, no matter who you are, no matter how much good you do, no matter how perfect you try to be. Therefore, refrain from surrendering to any kind of guilt feelings, when you notice their look of disdain, dislike, hate or mockery. You cannot blame yourself for the evilness, madness or ignorance of others. Just follow, at peace, in your path of ideal, and trust exclusively (not even to yourself) to God, the Being of Infinite Love and Absolute Forgiveness, the task of judging you. Focused on the best, in doing your best and to become better, time itself will dissolve all the dark clouds that you feel weigh over your head, quickly converting them into hosannas of praise, filling with joy your valuable heart and with tranquillity your soul, thirsty of serenity and peace.
(Text received on January 3, 2001.)