The spiritual life

The Use ofEvil.^201

is the manifestation of the opposing poles of

Spirit and matter, of light and darkness, that

1 spoke of in the beginning; and, secondly,

becauseforthedevelopmentofallpositivequal-

ities,itisnecessarythattheyshouldbeexercised

against opposition. Without opposition node-

velopment is possible; v^ithout opposition no

grov^th is possible. All growth and develop-

mentresult fromthe exerciseof energyagainst

somethingwhichopposes. Thinkforamoment

and you will see how true this statement is.

You have musclesin yourarms; if you want

todevelopthestrengthofthemuscles,howare

you to doit? By exercising them,bystimu-

lating them, not bykeeping them still. You

know there are some people who practise a

particular form of asceticism, who extend the

armandkeepitrigid,sothatmuscularcontrac-

tion cannot take place. What is the result?

After a time the arm becomes fixed in that

position,it becomes rigid, the muscles losethe

power of contraction; they are no longerthe

channels of living energy; in fact, there is

stagnation, absence of effort, absence of mus-

cular contraction, of pulling against resistant

forces; the result is to throw the arm back-

wards, as it were,intoa lower form of living

thing, to which motion as a whole does not