IV
The progress of humanity results from the practical application of the laws of justice, love and charity. These laws are founded on the certainty of a future life. If we eliminate this certainty, we remove the cornerstone. These laws are the basis for all others, as they comprise all the conditions of human happiness. They alone can cure the plagues of society, and we may judge, by comparing the various ages and populations of the Earth, the improvement that takes place in the conditions of social life, as these laws are better understood and better carried out. If even just a partial and incomplete application of these laws manages to produce a noticeable improvement, imagine what it will be like when they become the basis for all social institutions! Could this be possible? Yes, because as human beings take ten steps forward, it is clear that they can take twenty, and so on. In that vein, the future can be inferred from the past. We see that the hostilities between different nations begin to soften, the barriers that separate them are toppled by civilization, and people are joining hands from one end of the world to the other. A larger measure of justice governs international laws. Wars occur less frequently and do not exclude humane feelings and attitudes. Consistency is established gradually in relationships, while the distinctions of races and classes are erased. People of different religious beliefs eventually set aside their preconceived notions so that they may unite with one another in worshiping one God. We are talking about the nations that are at the forefront of civilization (see nos. 789-793). In all these relations, we are still far from perfection. There are still many ruins to be torn down before the last vestiges of barbarism are cleared away, but can those ruins withstand the relentless action of progress, which, in itself is a law of nature? If the present generation is more advanced than the last, why shouldn’t the next be even more advanced than ours? This will always be the case by the force of circumstances. First, as each generation passes away it takes supporters of old injustices and abuses with it. Therefore, society is gradually rebuilt with new members who have thrown aside antiquated prejudices. Second, when people want progress, they study the obstacles that impede it and focus on the means for removing them. The progressive movement of human society is irrefutable, therefore progress undoubtedly continues in the future. It is in the nature of human beings to want to be happy. We want progress to increase our happiness, otherwise progress has no purpose. Where would we be if progress did not improve our position? When we obtain all the gratification that we can attain through intellectual progress, we realize that we have not obtained complete happiness, and that this happiness is impossible without having security in relationships. We can only obtain this security through moral progress. Thus, by the force of circumstances, we will work tirelessly for that end, and Spiritism will offer us the most effective means of reaching that goal.
