The Theosophical Forum – July 1941

AN ORIGINAL POINT OF VIEW — E. J. Dadd

What is the "I", anyhow? For the most part it is just an egoic resultant of the interaction of a spiritual entity and an environment. Change the environment suddenly and a great deal of the warm halation which can arise in generously endowed surroundings, and which to the unwise is "I", will disappear like hot air from a pricked bladder. Oh what, what fools we mortals can be! We stand within the protecting shade of the great ones and are well pleased with what we accomplish. But are we so very confident that we shall not wilt when we move out into the hot sunlight?

Yet we must not be unduly severe with ourselves. Life, for the most of us, is very much of a riot. Our intentions are good and we step out valiantly to help the T. S. work along as best we may, lacking sufficient insight and experience to avoid the confusions along the pathway. The essential fact however that we are a spiritual entity within an environment will carry us through to relative safety. We may wilt for a time; but we shall gradually become used to the sunlight. And — and — shall I say it? — we may discover that we are still within the protecting shade of the great ones (and minus the halation). "Step out from shadow into sunshine in order to bring others within that protecting shade."



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