Theme: Changes in student’s social life as student spiritually advances. Don’t try to change people, whose soul still sleeps. Don’t get too close/attached with friends/coworkers. Don’t become a spiritual snob.
Reference: Stairway To Freedom – Pg. 139
Having achieved a measure of success in ridding oneself of the thoughts that we acquire upon arrival on Earth, it will be noticed that the friends that we had may start to disappear from our social circle and new friends will come into the circle. This is inevitable. Under the law of mutual attraction, like attracts like, and as our personality changes, so we would change our circle of friends. Should we continue to develop spiritually, then we will continue to change. Therefore, our circle of friends will change again and again. This must and will happen and nothing can prevent it from so happening.
From that, one can see that it is pointless in forming too close a relationship with any person. This statement needs explaining. One can appreciate that our work colleagues and those whom we meet during our daily round have amongst them numbers of people who will be at different levels of spiritual advancement. So, from that group, certain ones will be drawn towards each person. However, as we advance spiritually, so those relationships will become strained and other people will be attracted to the student. This will cause resentment amongst the first group who will feel rejected. In a work situation, an office, or a factory, where one is forced to work in close proximity with those who now feel rejected, this situation can cause pressure. Such pressure is not wanted. Life, spiritual life, is difficult enough without the backbiting caused by simple souls who do not understand the events occurring within and around them. Therefore, it is better not to form a too close relationship with one’s colleagues and friends.
View those relationships as temporary, even though you may work side by side with those people for many years. Do not be snobbish or standoffish. Just be natural and be friendly but do not try to form close relationships with them. However, your family and family relations are different. If you are married, you have a duty to try to love your partner. You do not have the right to change your spouse. So, as you advance and he or she does not, there is a tendency to grow apart. Do not allow this to happen. Use your increased spirituality to provide you with the humility to mask your spiritual superiority and to allow love to remain at all costs. There is nothing worse than a spiritual snob and even though you may make great strides, you will be low, indeed, compared to the advances that can be achieved. Recognise this and use your spirituality to provide you with the simplicity that you must develop anyway one day. Ensure that your spouse does not sense your greatness. That will indeed be a measure of your greatness. If you can spend your life in true love with a partner who is less spiritually advanced than you, then you will truly be advanced.
The same applies to your attitudes to your sons and daughters and to those who are close to you. Love them all in purity, accepting them as they are. Do not try to change them. It is inevitable that change will take place within the personality of those around you as you improve your personality. Such change may, however, come slowly into being and, therefore, you must wait patiently and expectantly until your spouse and family responds to the benign waves emitted from your aura and grow in stature. Then you may begin to live as a happy family.
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