The truth is that all of these reminders, or so-called evils, are good; and we shall need them just so long as we continue to step outside the path. They are necessities for the time being; but the very moment we decide that we will never step outside of the path again, we shall never know those reminders any more; we meet them only when we step aside, and they are there to tell us to return; therefore they are good.

We all have had periods of experience proving the fact that when we continued on the path for some length of time we realized that we were not, during that time, in touch with adversity, sickness or pain on any side. We knew nothing about those things in our own experience. The reason was we were on the path; and those conditions do not exist on the path. But when something happened that caused us to step outside the path once more, we met pain, adversity and other reminders, informing us instantly that we had stepped aside from the true way of existence.

The question then will naturally be why we step off the path; and the answer is, that we are learning our lesson; and a mind that is learning is not complete in its knowledge. Such a mind may form misconceptions now and then, and may se cure impressions that are not in harmony with what we speak of as absolute truth. In other words, those impressions or ideas are fragments of what is really true; and such ideas may cause the mind to turn, occasionally, from the path of the absolutely true. We understand this perfectly; and even though we shall not be able, for a long time, to see the whole truth upon any subject, still we know that no matter how many imperfect impressions we may form in the future about life, law or existence - we know that the very moment we step outside of the path, whether we do so through the suggestions of adverse impressions, imperfect impressions, or whatever the cause may be, we have a group of good friends on either side that will tell us to return to the path at once. Those good friends are pain, sorrow, trouble, adversity and their companions. To act according to wisdom, therefore, we would take their advice and return, and henceforth so live that we shall never step outside the path again.

We all know, through experience, that these so-called evils produce effects upon mind and body that are anything but pleasant; then how can we think of these things as good. But here we remember that if those conditions produced a pleasant effect upon us we would not return to the path. We would remain on the outside and never accomplish what we are created to accom plish. So therefore, the fact that these so-called evils, or good friends, are painful in their effect is also a positive good. It is quite necessary that their effect should be such, otherwise we would not accept their advice and return to the great work we have in store.

In this connection it is most important to consider the fact that if we would always look upon those conditions as good friends, instead of thinking about them as evils, thereby filling our minds with a mass of useless impressions - if we changed our attitude in this matter, we would find that several things would happen. In the first place, we would find that all the energy that we had been sending out to annihilate those good friends to no purpose whatever, could be used to build up soul, mind, character and life on the great path. We all have experimented along this line, living for weeks and months in an attitude where we did not antagonize anything or anybody in any form whatever; and we discovered that, during such a period, we had more energy and life than ever before, and we accomplished far more than in the past; besides, our work was better, and we enjoyed life to a far greater degree; in fact, we had more life to enjoy, because we were not wasting life trying to remove evil, or trying to remove those conditions that are absolutely necessary where they are, acting as eternal reminders to the human race in order that no individual may remain on the outside of the path for any length of time.

We know the value of the great law, "Resist not evil;" and if we would never resist these so-called evils, never turn energy out to the right, or to the left, where it cannot be used for any purpose whatever, but on the contrary, use all our time, energy and attention in building for a greater life and in learning the great lesson, we would find the greatest difference in the world; we would find that where we took one step forward under the old mode of living, we would be able to take ten or twenty under the new mode.

We all know the effect of periods of grief and worry, how those conditions use up life and energy to no purpose; and the cause is simply this, that we are turning our energies out against conditions that cannot be removed, and therefore, all such energy is wasted. Instead of trying to remove evil, we should let it alone, and return to the great path. Evils do not exist upon the path; but they do exist outside the path; and it is absolutely necessary that they do exist there. No one, however, need turn to the left or to the right; therefore, no one need meet evil if living be always on the path. We shall meet them, however, just as long as we make it a practice to turn to the left or to the right at frequent intervals.

Accepting this idea, we will proceed to turn our energy where it can be used for some purpose; that is, in building for the great life that lies before us. And when we realize that every pain or adversity may have some good advice, some information that we need, we will, if we seek such information, gain decidedly; we will learn something of importance whenever we meet one of these good friends; and instead of antagonizing the so-called evil, we would ask what it all means, and what good advice this friend has to give us at this particular time.

Whenever we meet any condition that is not pleasing, we may know there is something for us to learn. We know that we have stepped outside the path, and we must investigate, so as to ascertain the reason why. We should meet these good friends, therefore, as monitors on the way, for that is what they really are; and if we look for information whenever we meet evil, instead of resisting and deploring our experience, we shall find what we are looking for and learn much.