Daily Meditation: Tuesday, June 17, 2003

The human being is naturally inclined to seek pleasure, and …

06/17/2003

The human being is naturally inclined to seek pleasure, and without it, life would lose its savour and become so dull, so monotonous! Pleasure animates us and gives colour to our life, and it is important not to suppress it. We must not make it our goal, however; but master this tendency and give it a positive direction. The human being is like a steamship that navigates the ocean of life. There are sailors on board who stoke the boiler with combustibles so it can continue on its course, but there is also a captain, with his telescope, who is in charge of navigation. The sailors represent that instinct which forever urges man to seek what is convenient and pleasing to him. It is this instinct which causes him to move forward, but it is blind. As for the captain, he represents intelligence, the wisdom which points the direction, so that the ship does not founder on the reefs or collide with other vessels. So you must be careful: keep watch on this ship which you command, and be sure your sailors are never left to their own devices!