01. Why does the environment influence our way of living/behaving?
Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, Sir William Crookes Spiritist Society linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.
It influences us due to the imperfections of our spirit. The more imperfect the spirit is, the more it will suffer influences from the environment.
02. How should we behave in the face of unpleasant comments made by others or an unpleasant fact that occurred?
We should go through a small test every time we hear things from others. This test consists in filtrating three times what we hear about others and/or life events: Socrates called it the Triple Filter. He used it every time he heard comments related to his close friends. We can adapt it to our daily lives, asking:
The first filter is the TRUTH.
Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?
The second filter is GOODNESS.
Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?
The third filter is USEFULNESS.
Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to someone?
If what we are going to tell is neither true nor good nor even useful, we should not comment on it.
03. How should our attitudes be? Where can we apply them?
Our attitudes should always be positive and consistent, no matter where we are since the reality is only one. We should apply our positive attitudes within our relationships, at all times and places.
04. What does it mean to be ethical?
We should always be ethical: do the right thing (act with honesty, according to Jesus’ teachings and the material laws); no matter is there is someone watching us or not.
05. How should we behave in regards to our fellow creatures?
We should aim to act in accordance with just, equal rights and love to our fellow creature, as Jesus taught us. We should also do to others what we would like others to do to us.
06. What is going to matter most for God?
In the end of the day, what will matter most for God are our attitudes.
07. How should we act so we don’t need to regret our attitudes in the future?
We should always act according to our consciousness, conducting our life with ethical and honest attitudes.
08. Is there a justification for our mistakes?
We are still imperfect spirits, subject to making mistakes and getting it right but we should aim to get it right at all times. We should never justify our mistakes based on mistakes from others.
09. How can we make it possible to only do positive actions?
We should pay close attention to our thoughts, so they can become positive actions. Our thoughts should be optimistic, ethical, and based on honesty.
10. When should we assist our fellow creatures?
We should assist our fellow creatures when they are going through a difficult time. We should always help; that way we are practicing solidarity and charity. It is our duty to do something about it; otherwise, we are going to be negligent and responsible for our omission.
11. What is empathy and when should we practice it?
We should practice empathy constantly: doing to others what we want them to do to us; that is, putting ourselves in others’ perspectives.
12. Why shouldn’t we just ‘follow the crowd’ (do something bad simply because “everyone else is doing”)?
Because we should not let ourselves be influences by other people’s negative attitudes. We have to make an effort to overcome negative influences, evaluating if what we are going to do is in accordance with Jesus’ teachings since we are responsible for our destiny.
13. How can we reach perfection?
In order to reach perfection we must get rid of the imperfections we still possess: pride, selfishness, avarice, etc. We should also study and look for the understanding for this transformation by putting into practice everything that was learned, accelerating our evolution.
14. What was the lesson left by Jesus when He was on the cross?
Christ asked God to forgive his executioners when he said: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke; 23:34). Our loved Master takes into account the ignorance of the people: they do not know what they are doing.
“Therefore, to love one's enemies does not mean showing affection which would not be within our nature, as contact with an enemy makes our heart beat in an entirely different manner to the way it beats on contact with a friend. To love one's enemy means we should not hate, nor bear rancor against them, nor desire vengeance. It means to forgive all the evil they have caused without hidden thoughts and without conditions. It means to not put obstacles in the way of reconciliation and to wish them well, instead of bad things. It is to feel joy, instead of regret, at the good things that may come their way; to help them whenever possible and to abstain by words or acts from everything which might prejudice them. Finally, it means to always return goodness for evil without any intention to humiliate. Whosoever can proceed in this manner fulfils the conditions of the commandment: Love your enemies.” Extracted from The Gospel According to Spiritism
15. What should we do to carry through these achievements?
In order to carry through these achievements, we must make an effort and decide that we want to progress. We must also persevere even if there are many challenges on our way. On top of that we should pay good care of our physical body (not drinking, not smoking, no taking drugs, etc) and our Spirit (us). We should also exchange imperfections for virtues, so we can progress spiritually and reach relative perfection as Jesus did, who is our guide and model.