The Chela
is not only called to face all the latent evil propensities of his
nature, but, in addition, the momentum of maleficent forces accumulated
by the community and nation to which he belongs. For he is an integral
part of those aggregates, and what affects either the individual man or
the group (town or nation), reacts the one upon the other. And in this
instance his struggle for goodness jars upon the whole body of badness
in his environment, and draws its fury upon him. If he is content to go
along with his neighbours and be almost as they are--perhaps a little
better or somewhat worse than the average--no one may give him a
thought. But let it be known that he has been able to detect the hollow
mockery of social life, its hypocrisy, selfishness, sensuality, cupidity
and other bad features, and has determined to lift himself up to a
higher level, at once he is hated, and every bad, bigotted, or malicious
nature sends at him a current of opposing will-power. If he is innately
strong he shakes it off, as the powerful swimmer dashes through the
current that would bear a weaker one away.
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