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The Fifth Lesson: The One and the Many.783
of course, a wanting for something which it lacked—so It could not Desire
unless it Lacked—and it would know that Desire would be hopeless, even if
indeed it did Lack.
So you see that if we regard the Infinite Reality as Perfect, we must drop
all ideas of It Desiring or Lacking—and of it Growing or Improving—or
of it obtaining more Power, or Knowledge. These ideas are ridiculous, for
an Absolute, Infinite Reality, must possess All-Knowledge; All-Power; All-
Presence, else it is not Absolute and Infinite. And, if It does not possess
these attributes of Being, then It can never hope to acquire them, for there
is Nowhere from whence they could be acquired—there is no Source
outside of the All-Source. A Finite Thing, may lack, and desire, and improve
and develop, for there is the Universal Source from which it may draw. But
the Infinite has no Universal Source, for it is Its own Source. Do you see the
nature of the Final Question? If not we will again state it—it is this:
“Why should the Infinite Reality, which possesses all that may be possessed, and
which in itself is the only Source of Things—Why should It Desire to manifest a
Universe from and within Itself?”
A little consideration will show you that there is no intelligent answer to
the “Why,” either in your own minds, or in the writings and teachings of the
greatest minds. The matter is important, to those who are confronted every
day with some of the many attempts to answer this Final Question—it is
well that our students inform them regarding the futility of such questioning.
And with this end in view, we shall herein give a few of the wise “guesses” at
the answer, and our reasons for considering them inadequate. We ask the
student to consider carefully these remarks, for by so doing he will post
himself, and will be saved much tedious and perplexing wandering along
the dangerous places in the Swamp of Metaphysics, following the will-o’-
the-wisp of Finite Mind masquerading as the Infinite Wisdom! Beware of
the False Lights! They lead to the quagmire and quicksands of thought!