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TO which he replied: Good, you have spoken cleverly of the (ultimate)
end. But what should be our (immediate) goal or mark, by constantly
sticking close to which we can gain our end, you ought first to know. And
when we frankly confessed our ignorance, he proceeded: The first thing, as
I said, in all the arts and sciences is to have some goal, i.e., a mark for
the mind, mad constant mental purpose, for unless a man keeps this before
him with all diligence and persistence, he will never succeed in arriving
at the ultimate aim and the gain which he desires. For, as I said, the
farmer who has for his aim to live free from care and with plenty, while
his crops are springing has this as his immediate object and goal; viz., to
keep his field clear from all brambles, and weeds, and does not fancy that
he can otherwise ensure wealth and a peaceful end, unless he first secures
by some plan of work and hope that which he is anxious to obtain. The
business man too does not lay aside the desire of procuring wares, by means
of which he may more profitably amass riches, because he would desire gain
to no purpose, unless he chose the road which leads to it: and those men
who are anxious to be decorated with the honours of this world, first make
up their minds to what duties and conditions they must devote themselves,
that in the regular course of hope they may succeed in gaining the honours
they desire. And so the end of our way of life is indeed the kingdom of
God. But what is the (immediate) goal you must earnestly ask, for if it is
not in the same way discovered by us, we shall strive and wear ourselves
out to no purpose, because a man who is travelling in a wrong direction,
has all the trouble and gets none of the good of his journey. And when we
stood gaping at this remark, the old man proceeded: The end of our
profession indeed, as I said, is the kingdom of God or the kingdom of
heaven: but the immediate aim or goal, is purity of heart, without which no
one can gain that end: fixing our gaze then steadily on this goal, as if on
a definite mark, let us direct our course as straight towards it as
possible, and if our thoughts wander somewhat from this, let us revert to
our gaze upon it, and check them accurately as by a sure standard, which
will always bring back all our efforts to this one mark, and will show at
once if our mind has wandered ever so little from the direction marked out
for it.
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