Man’s Trial

The price to be paid for success in the trial of life is the negation of self. A man can only discover universal truth by losing his sense of individual selfness.

What a wonderful blessing the eyes of man are! When he closes them, he can see nothing. His whole world is clothed in darkness. There is a world that he cannot see, objects he cannot perceive.

Then, an astonishing spectacle opens before him when he opens his eyes. Black can be distinguished from white. What moves appears to be moving, and what stands still is motionless in his sight. Animate and inanimate appear for what they are.

It is in this quality—the ability to distinguish between things—that man is unique. He can tell between right and wrong, light and darkness. He can see truth and falsehood for what they are. He can differentiate between what is proved by sound reason and what has no sound rational basis.

Man’s uniqueness puts him in a critically testing position, for God is putting him to the test in his power of discretion. Man must show that he used his power of discretion to differentiate between right and wrong. A path of justice and one of oppression will open out before him. He must follow the first and shun the second to succeed in his trial. He will be required to weigh up matters on the scales of sound reason. He should accept what is proved by clear signs; what has no clear proof to support it is to be rejected.

This task may appear more effortless than it is. The negation of self is a price to be paid for success in the trial of life. A man can only discover universal truth by losing his sense of individual selfness. He cannot pay this price all too often, thus, falling short of the required standard. The fruits of success in life’s trials elude him.

The truth appears before a man in this world, but he fails to see it. Its calls echo in his ears, but he cannot hear them. It knocks on his door, but he does not allow it in. When truth appears before a man, and he can choose to accept it or reject it, man is required to make the right choice. However, sadly he fails just where he must succeed.