The Freedom of Life | Page 4

Lord, to keep Thy law,
And make us free at last!_
_Lord God of Israel,-- Where Thou art we are free! Freed from the rule
of alien minds, We turn our hearts to Thee. The alien hand weighs
heavily, And heavy is our sin,-- Thy children cry to Thee, O Lord,--
Their God,--to take them in._
_Lord God of Israel,-- Where Thou 'art we are free Cast down our idols
from on high, That we may worship Thee. In freedom we will live Thy
Love Out from our inmost parts; Upon our foreheads bind Thy Law,--
Engrave it on our hearts!_
_Amen._

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
THE FREEDOM OF LIFE
HOW TO SLEEP RESTFULLY
RESISTANCE
HURRY, WORRY, AND IRRITABILITY
NERVOUS FEARS
SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE
OTHER PEOPLE
HUMAN SYMPATHY
PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE
SELF-CONTROL
THE RELIGION OF IT
ABOUT CHRISTMAS
TO MOTHERS

INTRODUCTION

INTERIOR freedom rests upon the principle of non-resistance to all the

things which seem evil or painful to our natural love of self. But
non-resistance alone can accomplish nothing good unless, behind it,
there is a strong love for righteousness and truth. By refusing to resist
the ill will of others, or the stress of circumstances, for the sake of
greater usefulness and a clearer point of view, we deepen our
conviction of righteousness as the fundamental law of fife, and broaden
our horizon so as to appreciate varying and opposite points of view.
The only non-resistance that brings this power is the kind which yields
mere personal and selfish considerations for the sake of principles.
Selfish and weak yielding must always do harm. Unselfish yielding, on
the other hand, strengthens the will and increases strength of purpose as
the petty obstacles of mere self-love are removed. Concentration alone
cannot long remain wholesome, for it needs the light of growing
self-knowledge to prevent its becoming self-centred. Yielding alone is
of no avail, for in itself it has no constructive power. But if we try to
look at ourselves as we really are, we shall find great strength in
yielding where only our small and private interests are concerned, and
concentrating upon living the broad principles of righteousness which
must directly or indirectly affect all those with whom we come into
contact.

I
The Freedom of Life

I AM so tired I must give up work," said a young woman with a very
strained and tearful face; and it seemed to her a desperate state, for she
was dependent upon work for her bread and butter. If she gave up work
she gave up bread and butter, and that meant starvation. When she was
asked why she did not keep at work and learn to do it without getting
so tired, that seemed to her absurd, and she would have laughed if
laughing had been possible.
"I tell you the work has tired me so that I cannot stand it, and you ask
me to go back and get rest out of it when I am ready to die of fatigue.

Why don't you ask me to burn myself, on a piece of ice, or freeze
myself with a red-hot poker?"
"But," the answer was, "it is not the work that tires you at all, it is the
way you do it;" and, after a little soothing talk which quieted the
overexcited nerves, she began to feel a dawning intelligence, which
showed her that, after all, there might be life in the work which she had
come to look upon as nothing but slow and painful death. She came to
understand that she might do her work as if she were working very
lazily, going from one thing to another with a feeling as near to entire
indifference as she could cultivate, and, at the same time, do it well.
She was shown by illustrations how she might walk across the room
and take a book off the table as if her life depended upon it, racing and
pushing over the floor, grabbing the book and clutching it until she got
back to her seat, or, how she might move with exaggerated laziness
take the book up loosely, and drag herself back again. This illustration
represents two extremes, and one, in itself, is as bad as the other; but,
when the habit has been one of unnecessary strain and effort, the lazy
way, practised for a time, will not only be very restful, but will
eventually lead to movement which is quick as well.
To take another example, you may write holding the pen with much
more force than is needful, tightening your throat and tongue at the
same time, or you may drag your pen along the paper and relieve the
tendency to tension in your throat and tongue by opening your mouth
slightly and letting your jaw