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There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy upon men: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them; this is vanity; it is a sore affliction [Ecclesiastes 6:1-2].
The intolerance of the intellect, despising ignorance and disdaining the plebeian, ensconced in its exclusive cognitive vestibule, inaccessible to the simple, or so it thinks. Sadly this is the state that keeps us from transcending material reality and knowing the Truth.
Much of today’s material wealth is a product of advanced technical and scientific developments. These advancements are themselves products of specialized mental activity.
Decreased physical activity frequently accompanies such specialized mentality. As we train our mind, we tend to neglect our physical body. Relying on our superior intellect, we no longer think it necessary to be physically stronger than our rivals.
As physical attributes become de-emphasized and the intellect tries to compensate, we generate a constant imbalance. To assure continued survival and prosperity, we give added attention to developing the mental attributes that contributed to our initial success. As a result, the ability to feel secure from physically attack to person and property is further diminished and even greater stress is placed on the intellect.
Our mind continues to experience fears for its physical reality and for the material possessions accumulated to safeguard a positive existence. We magnify this fear as the body continues to weaken.
The mind, therefore, feels obligated to take drastic steps to enhance the physical safeguards available to it in the reality it perceives. Its efforts are directed at developing material protection. This requires physical resources: more wealth, advanced technology, greater security.
The Lord preserves and guides. He wields adversity as He pleases, producing and relieving anxiety. He strikes us lightly to correct, remind and test. No fear prevails where there is true Faith. Peace. Tranquility. Equanimity.
