ACTION AND REACTION 39

In character-building we find the same
difficulties; we have been careless, for instance,
in seeking troth until we have formed the
habit of speaking untruths or half-truths, and
we find that the struggle to speak truth is
almost beyond us, for we have swerved from
the direct line and " cannot help it"; or
we have allowed passion to dominate us,
and when we think in this life we have
mastered the serpent, we find that its head
appears in unexpected places, and that it
is stronger than we are, and it needs all
our struggle over and over and over again
to keep it in subjection, much longer to slay
it

Ignorance and laziness are closely allied. In
the past we have let ourselves " go," possibly
we loved luxury rather than learning and to
walk in (t high places" rather than to seek
knowledge; and now, when our eyes are partial-
ly opened, what is the result? The brain is
atrophied and we cannot get it to work. We
find that it tires, and we cannot get through
the work that we would do.

At last we come to the time of a turning-
point in our career or life when we long to be of
service to the world. The love of humanity
burns in our heart. We turn to the Light