A Record of Meetings held by P.D. Ouspensky - HolyBooks.com

Monday. November 8th 1937.MRS. C. Isn't the moral side of the system discrimination betweengood and evil?MR. O. Quite. But what do you wish to say by it?MRS. C. It can only be got from the sense of freedom. . . .MR. O. From what?MRS. C. From my own helplessness.MR. O. What is there moral about it? You begin to speak about onething and then speak of another which has no relation with the first.Where is morality here? You continue to speak without trying tounderstand. You cannot just pass from one thing to another.MRS. W. Morality deals with human relationships?MR. O. With conduct.MRS. W. It seems that elimination of negative emotions. . . .MR. O. You began to speak about morality, so keep to it.MR. C. Is morality obedience to cosmic laws?MR. O. Too big.MR. C. To law of cause and effect?MR. O. We are under it whether we want it or not.This word 'morality', 'moral side' was not used, and so you neverthought of it. And yet there is a very definite moral side of the system,which it is possible to separate. It does not mean that everything isincluded in the moral side: it is necessary to find out where it begins.Morality is connected with the feeling of right and wrong. But thefeeling of right and wrong is one thing, and the definition, thecontents, is quite another. Two people may have a very strong feelingof right and wrong, but what is right for one will be wrong for theother. Feeling does not presuppose definition. A man may have thefeeling of right and wrong, and wrong ideas about it.In the system objective consciousness is described as a state in whichwe can know truth. If in objective state of consciousness we can knowthe truth, so we can also know about right and wrong. Consequently,