Question: Suppose I see the group as either thriving or in some kind of dire state. Can I assess my progress by the way I perceive the group in one state or another? For example, if they are all striving toward the goal, does that relate to me or not?

Answer: What does “the group in a dire state” mean? There are ascents and descents, disagreements, confusion, objections, and moments when the yearning to move forward suddenly seems to pull backward. But these are essential elements of growth. How else can one advance?

I hear from our groups in different countries about all kinds of conflicts, and I receive seemingly unpleasant news. But I do not feel it as unpleasant; I simply understand that these are growing pains.

Growth cannot happen without difficulties or without mistakes. Every step forward is built on mistakes, on trying, on doing something incorrectly, and on recognizing where you went wrong. That is how you correct and move forward.

Why does it have to be this way? Because from the start, we are not making mistakes,, but are uncovering the evil within us, the flaws we were born with. These are not mistakes that we create ourselves but our egoism revealing this evil, our flaws.

So when a person does something for the first time and fails, these are not mistakes but the uncovering of their inherently flawed nature.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Signs of Advancement 2” 3/11/10

Related Material:
The End of Growing Pains
The Basic Principle Of Spiritual Development
To a World of Love

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