THE RIGHTEOUS WAY
The supremacy of man among the living creatures of the world is best utilized when it is used for achieving higher ideals. Higher ideals of life have been established with the objective that mankind would follow them and lead a life of happiness and peace. Paths are built so that, treading on them, the traveler reaches his destination without being lost or in¬volved in obstructions. The same is true for the laws of ethics and good conduct. Following them, one can reach his pre¬determined destination in time, thoroughly enjoying his jour¬ney to the noble goal.
The path of truth and good conduct is easy and straight for every one to follow. Even the illiterate, less intelligent and simple men can follow it. One has to be extra clever to lie, cheat or act dishonestly. An ordinary person, trying any of these, would be caught, ridiculed and defamed. Sooner or later, falsehood is detected and dishonesty found out. The folly of these then becomes obvious to the practitioner. For the one following the path of honesty and truthfulness, no such problems arise. Truth comes spontaneously. One need not be essentially clever to express what he has actually seen or felt. No difficulty, whatsoever, is involved in upright conduct. There can be no obstruction in measuring or weighing things cor¬rectly or assessing their correct value. But if the intention is to cheat or defraud the other person, extra cleverness is neces¬sary. The effort involved in covering up wrong actions is so immense that it leaves no mental energy left for the pursuit and attainment of higher ideals in life. So much can be achieved if the energy consumed in cover up operations is used for higher objectives.
