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Advanced Course in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism412
“right” and justifiable a few hundred years ago, even to the “best people”
of the times, are now regarded as very “wrong” and base. And many of
the things that seem perfectly right to us today, will be regarded by our
descendants as barbarous, “wrong” and almost incredible. Read a chapter
of life in the Middle Ages, for instance, and see how ideals and ethics have
changed. Then come near home, and see how differently slavery is regarded
now than fifty years ago, not to speak of one hundred years, Then read
Bellamy’s “Looking Backward” for instance, and see how it may be possible
for public opinion to radically change. (We mention this book merely as an
illustration—we do not claim that just those changes are to come to pass,
although we know that changes just as marked and radical are before the
race.)
And even in our own time we can see that different ideals are held by
men and women in different stages of unfoldment, and that there is no
fixed and arbitrary standard of “right” and “wrong” accepted by all. We
may agree on the main points of ethics, but we, as people, differ materially
upon the minor points. The average intelligence and “conscience” of the
people are represented by their laws and “public opinion,” although, as we
have said, the laws are just a little behind even the average ideal, just as the
average “conscience” is just a little ahead of the average rule of conduct. The
average man is fairly well satisfied with the laws as they are at any particular
time, although some of those upon whom the laws bear heavily consider
them too strict and based upon a visionary idea of “good,” while to men
above the average the prevailing laws often seem based upon too low and
undeveloped an ideal, and are often considered absurd, inadequate, more
or less unjust, and not based upon an advanced ideal of ethics.
Not only do “good” things grow “bad” as time rolls on, but many “bad”
things gradually lose their “badness” and are seen as perfectly good and
proper when viewed from the point of advanced knowledge. Many things
have been pronounced “taboo” or “bad” because they did not fit in with the
fashionable religion, or social views of the times, and when custom changes,