The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-07
COMPENSATION.


upon the good that comes OF giving, and al
though the first impulse of each one of them
would be to deny, if asked, that hope of per-
sonal remuneration was the actuating force
behind 1T all, the fact would remain that COM
pensation was desired and expected. The
deeper Meaning OF Glove thy neighbor as thy
SELF Is not understood by many, nor is the
Illumination which giving sometimes causes
to settle upon the heart of the recip-
lent always considered. Too often the
giver gives because of the JOY it
affords himself, and with such one there is
pleasure in seeing distress, because of the
opportunity to do that which will comfort his
own heart. Nevertheless, physical acts, be
tney good or bad, are not always a true reflex
OF what the heart and mind are doing There
are those who do good wholly for goods sake,
as there are those who do evil for evils sake.
Emerson says that "Mankipd divides itself
into two classes and malefactors"
but that could no: be true unless some men
are assigned by destiny to the role of bene-
factor and some to the role of maiefactor. No
such assignment has ever been made. On the
contrary 1t is true that at times all men are,
at heart at least, would-be benefactors, and
all men at times are, at heart at least,
malefactors 1t is not true that mankind is
divided irrevocably into the always good and
the always bad. 1t is true, however, that man
kind is so divided for the moment. The bene-
factor OF to-day might be the malefactor OF to-
morrow, but, in any event, it is true that the
benefactor is almost always a benefactor be-
cause he expects compensation for so being,
ana the same holds good with the malefactor.
AS have already said, physical acts are not
always true reflex of what the heart and
mind are doing in secret. The benefactor
might have sinister motive back of the pro-
posed act, which would be far more evil in IN
tent and Infinitely worse in consequence than
the worst injury the malefactor had In
mind to intiict. But, as a matter of fact
there is at best cruelty, more or less refined, in
the nature of us all, and when we let our ma
tural selves, or rather our lower natures, fur
nish the compass for our sailing down the
river OF life we are malefactors very much
oftener than we are benefactors-not that we
commit physical acts that are open to condem-
nation, out thought acts, which are far more
destructive to "our neighbor" than the physi-
cal acts of the malefactor.
Humanity wants and expects compensation
for every exertion, aud nothing so exasperates
it as the failure of expectation. No one likes
to admit it, but it is the fact, nevertheless,
that when the fire alarm is sounded and we
rush off to the supposed confagration disap-
pointment settles upon our hearts II the IRE
proves to be of no consequence.
1t is our human nature to want to be re-
munerated by witnessing the destruction OF
property for the trouble to which the fire
alarm put us. On the other hand, if the con-
fagration ass umes the dimensions of great
disaster the excitement of the occasion gives
satisfaction, and however great the calamity
the spectacle does not over-remunerate us for
going from our comfortable homes to stand
about in cold winds.
We do not like to admit it. but it is the fact
that when we see crowd hastily gathering on
a street corner or before drugstore. and we
rush off and join the throng, there is more
satisfaction when we are told that some
one has been killed or terribly wounded
than if the excitement proves to be the result
of a trick of streetgamin to startle the COM
munity, 1t is remuneration we want for being
enticed from our path, and if we expect to see
dead or wounded man we want no failure OF
expectation. That is human nature-iower
human nature. 1t is true, also, that when we
PICK up newspaper and the headlines say
"a Great Battle Fought" we turn away from
it in disgust if the body of the dispatch says
there was only half dozen or SO killed. The
headlines excited great expectation; and
half-dozen dead men does not compensate
does not satisfy expectation.
Now, this characteristic of humanity runs
through all expectation and effort, and it is
nothing more nor less than an indwell-
ing desire of the lower nature for re-
Enumeration for mental or physical exert1on;
and it is this same CHARACTERISTIC which, in
some persons, makes them malefactors be-
cause they try to force collection of fancied
remuneration due AID unpaid. For instance:
"The world owes me a living, and am going
to have it one way or another"
That court of oyer and terminer in which the
law OF ethical causation is the only code and
statute, makes no difference between the acts
of the benefactor and the acts of the male
factor when desire for personal compensation is
back of the act except that when another is
injured an added punishment is melted out
The moral law takes into account the "why''
of the benefactor as well as the ''why" of the
malefactor realizing fully that the seed of the
''why" was there, deep-rooted, before the act.
But the law accepts no excuse If the fruits of
the seed be thistles instead of figs. Buddha
taught that no seed will die of It's own accord
but the husbandman may root up and kill
seed.
The burden OF the cry of every Avatar has
been, "Kill out desire, kill out desire.'
When the great Hindoo reformer was asked
what he meant by xiii out DESIRE, he said
that the avarice which the hope of reward for
expended effort kindles is the essence of evil.
Then he told that to be good and true one
must consider only how his Thought. his act,
his purpose was likely to affect others. To
walk in the Path one must first root out the
seed of desire for reward, Tor TO see clearly how
to walk Alright one must look through the eyes
that are within. 1t is the law of the universe
that reward follows acts, only that there
should be no desire for compensation for good
acts. Evil is its own rewarder and it is a most
faithful paymaster.
The rest of the night is the reward for the
activities of the day, but If the night is Ionged
for because it gives relief from hated burdens
rather than for the renewed strength which it
gives that the duties of the new day may be
met and mastered, the purpose Of that ones
life is wholly selfish. Chance nor accident
have no place in the economy of existence
What men call "fate" is the execution of the
verdict imposed by the law of Karma.
'If we meet no gods it is because we harbor
none" ARMoND