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An Eternal Career: XII. Preparation

PREPARATION

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;
When health is lost, something is lost;
When character is lost, all is lost."

Life is forever with us. Indeed, life is an eternal career, yet how many people realize that as immortal souls, their main concern should be to prepare for life, which is eternal. Living is an art with its own inexorable laws, obedience to which is the basis of successful life and happiness.

In spite of this truth, instruction in the art of living, the most important of the arts, is neglected in our institutions of learning. Children are drilled in every description of physical and mental gymnastics, but left woefully uneducated in the ways of life. No one would hope to attain proficiency or skill in any profession without adequate instruction and appropriate study, yet most people are of the opinion that life has no laws, or if it has, they can be ignored and disregarded.

Unfortunately our system of education is most deficient in moral and ethical training. Take for example

fraudulently. That some unscrupulous and corrupt persons became wealthy proves nothing. They see only a part of life; they are not present at the inevitable hour of reckoning. One cannot plant thistles and reap roses on the material plane; neither can this be done on the moral plane.

Eventually the path of knavery reaches an impasse when the misguided one must slowly and painfully retrace his steps and undo the wrong he has done. Retribution is merciless, knowing no abatement, no vicarious method, but demanding that every farthing be paid, every injustice corrected.

Trial and error is foolish and costly; for life is no uncharted sea into which men have been thrown and left abandoned to the mercy of blind forces and cruel nature. Life has been well navigated, and enlightened voyagers have given us the benefit of their experiences. We can follow their wise counsel or we can ignore it. We succeed in proportion to the extent we follow their advice, and suffer in proportion as we disregard it.

Life is merciless to cowards and weaklings who seek to evade its issues and responsibilities and who blame others for their miserable existence. Life eventually forces them to become adult through painful and disciplinary measures, and after they have had abundant afflictive experiences, they will learn that self-rule is the only safe rule.

It is unfortunate that earthly success has become synonymous with money; indeed the man and his money are often well-nigh indistinguishable. It is

Earthly life should be lived to the best of our ability, but not as if it were all; for life follows life in endless succession. Those who were remiss in their duties before coming here found themselves poorly equipped for the struggle of terrestrial existence. Those who neglect the present and fail to make preparation for the life to come will similarly find themselves sadly deficient in spiritual requirements. We should live so that we will have more assets than deficits. We should think less of what we can hoard and more of what we can take with us. Far better to accumulate spiritual wealth, treasures

And if we have made a few hearts happier, a few minds wiser, lifted the load of a few fellow-travelers, we shall have done a work acceptable to our Father in Heaven. We shall have made a success of life.