Character
Is more important for our evolution than events
November 14th 2018
What is most important for the evolution of human beings is not the conditions or events through which they must pass during their lifetime, but who they are; that is to say, what their moral qualities and character are. If they possess good reasoning powers, a generous heart, and the ability to control themselves when either success or disaster come their way, it bodes well for them.
For example, when someone suddenly inherits a large fortune or makes a brilliant marriage, everyone exclaims, ‘Oh! What happiness, what luck!’ Only sages first study the mentality of the person before making pronouncements. If the person is capricious, weak, and egotistical, they pity them, because with such a temperament, the higher the person rises, the greater their fall will be. Whereas another person receives everyone’s pity because they have lost everything – their health, their fortune or their good reputation – but a sage may say, ‘This person is strong: they have a high ideal and great love, and they will be able to transform their losses into spiritual wealth.’