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The concept of
Mind in itself, in the abstract, unlimited sense of the word, does
not imply free will, but the individual mind, mortal mind, has
freewill as an inseparable, defining component. In the passage on
p.1216 entitled ‘The Mind Arena of Choice’, there is a striking
sentence that almost expresses the kernel of the whole human
condition: "Human consciousness rests gently upon the
electrochemical mechanism below and delicately touches the spirit-morontia
energy system above".
Viewed in these
terms, what a finely-tuned creature a human being seems; what a
mysterious fragility everyday existence has; and what grave
responsibilities are implied for all the choices we make!
Whether
undifferentiated, in the sense of infinite or absolute mind, or
finite, acting through the ministry of the adjutant mind spirits,
all mind can be ‘superimposed upon energy’ (p.102) – in other
words, mind can directionize energies through its own choices. Mind
adds meaning to energy.
Another thing we
can say about all mind is that it originates from the Third Source
and Centre, the Third Person of Deity. But that does not mean that
mind is inherently divine. If it were, it would presumably be free
of error and misjudgement. Nor would it be distorted by fear and
prejudice.
One of the
mysterious features of creature mind is that it develops in ways
that can’t be accounted for by physical growth or intellectual
maturity. Individual minds do aspire upwards, or inwards, to the
Third Source and Centre, which attracts them through the
mind-gravity circuit. If this were not so, presumably the creature
races would never progress, because they would not be able to
assimilate values and make choices based on more than mere Things
and Meanings. But we, as material beings, can’t view this
objectively; being unable to discern mind-gravity at work, we can’t
distinguish it from spirit gravity.
Material beings
are most familiar with the workings of material gravity. It is the
only kind of gravity of which mortals can have objective evidence.
In fact, even that gravity is something we have only discovered in
the last four centuries of our long existence. Mind, we learn on
p.140 of the revelation, is ‘Organized consciousness which is not
wholly subject to material gravity, and which becomes truly
liberated when modified by spirit.’
Our choices as
mortals, then, are not as free as we might imagine, because of this
invisible gravity pull, just as the tides are affected by the pull
of the moon.
We must remember
that Adjusters have minds of their own (p.1181), but don’t
exercise free will; this is the prerogative of the will creatures
they indwell (p.1183). They have indwelt us through an act of
volition, but their own free will is sacrificed to ours. The
prepersonal is at the disposal of the personal.
And this is why
it is so dangerous to automatically attribute our moral choices and
decisions to adjuster guidance. The adjuster’s leading may be felt
in the long term, and maybe seen with hindsight, but, the book tells
us (p.1207), it is wiser and safer to attribute our thoughts,
choices and decisions to purely mental activity.
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