The Message

The state of Hell is not a difficult place to find, Every Man.  It is the place that is left for those that stay behind.  Those that are looking for Heaven instinctively understand that they must consistently move forward for Heaven is ever before those seeking it.  There is a simple road map to Heaven and it is this, when in doubt go right and then straight.  When in trouble go right and then straight.  Hear me; go right and then straight!  The road Every Man walks is paved with Daemons that try to get you to stop your journey.  Keep moving!  Find rest along the way in the companionship of other sojourners but do not stop.  Those faithful that regularly attend a church, temple, synagogue or mosque understand how to find rest among the company of other sojourners.  When the troubles and cares of life seem overwhelming, it is a good thing to attend a service and rest from the journey.  Those that are not part of a group pilgrimage towards Heaven are at much greater risk of faltering and are often cajoled into abandoning their spiritual quest by two of the most deceitful daemons known in Hell.  The two I speak of are Gluttony and Sloth. 

     Sloth presents himself to you Every Man as a dear friend.  He will never judge you; he will never push you along in your development.   On the contrary, he will tell you that you look tired and hungry from so much rest deprivation.  Beware Every Man!  If you entertain him his entreaties will create a fatigue in you that does not subside.  He will cause wave after wave of ideas and preoccupations that will fill your mind and keep you ever with him for his desire is to see you die without a struggle. 

It is not long before he introduces you to his partner and close companion, Gluttony.   Gluttony bids you to eat of that which will never satisfy.  Cravings always, appetite unfulfilled, this is the offering of Gluttony.   Gluttony is never far away from Sloth for the one feeds the other’s victims and their diet is the virility of Every Man.  Entering your mind they gorge themselves on your hopes and dreams but because they cannot stomach anything that comes from Heaven, they immediately regurgitate into your mind their infernal bile of Fears and Despair. Can you see them in the mirror?    Sloth is rail thin, yellow skin over protruding bones always sitting, immovable.  Every muscle in him has atrophied from disuse for he never exerts himself for anything.  He sits and waits for his victims to come to him.  Gluttony sits beside him immovable as well but his immobility derives from his gross obesity. Unrestrained appetites are his disease and his body is proof that the infection has completely overrun him.  Both of them struggle for each breath, sloth out of weakness and gluttony from his immense girth.  Can you tell me, Every Man, what makes such an unlikely pair as these two so dangerous to so many of your kind? It is because men avoid the helper Diligence.  Diligence is the sentinel on the road to Heaven that exhorts the faithful to push ever forward.  He is the friend that teaches you how to rest while you walk and how to run when you have stopped for too long.  He is the voice that calls to you when you are in the company of Sloth and Gluttony.  Do not ignore him for he is here to help you.  Those that befriend Diligence find in him a friend that is concerned with the physical, mental, and spiritual state.  With his guidance they become the antithesis to Sloth and Gluttony.  Be therefore wise and seek out Diligence and ask that he walk with you.  By befriending him, you will blossom, physically, mentally and spiritually.

The spirit of Everyman speaks.  The words that No Man speaks I have heard before and I admit that there is something that rings true in them.  It is in my nature to cling to life and put off death but why do you ask me to be moral as well.  Why is heaven the reward for the morally good and hell the punishment?  Is God not good?  Will he not commit a sin if it is in his power to keep me from sinning?   You counsel me to seek heaven in order that I may avoid hell but who is it that counsels me?  Where is God and why is he so silent while I am made to suffer the consequences of my decisions? 

    No Man responds.  Why do you ask about what you already know?  Morality is but the mirror within which Every Man sees his invisible soul.  Heaven is Harmony, light, understanding, and life.  It is opposed by Hell which is discord, darkness, ignorance, and death.  In this world, Heaven is sought after while Hell comes at no invitation.  Every Man’s life can attest to this.  The former is attained by exerting the will, but the latter requires no effort at all!  Are you struggling for the former, for the latter is coming whether you like it or not?  The end of Every Man is simple.  There can be no confusion.

     In Pride does Everyman deny that he should be made to assign morality to his decisions!  Why is that?  Because Every Man’s decisions have become continually self seeking, self serving!  What is in it for me is first on your lips, Every Man.  You no longer see a thing for its own beauty, its own merit.  That is why you have lost so much respect for Virtue.  That is why you will not come together to seek the good.  See now how your countenance changes when I accuse you of Selfishness Every Man?  Do my words unsettle you?    

Why does being called selfish drive you to Anger?  If what I have said is untrue then cast it aside, but do not let Anger grab hold of you for he will carry you off to where you do not want to go! 

     Hear me.  Anger is the archfiend of Hell and his presence is ubiquitous. He is among the highest ranking Hellions for he is able to push men to commit what is against their very conscience.  He is fury bread from contempt and he is supremely powerful.  He is second in rank only to Pride, the chief of Hellions.  Pride, the oldest of the malignant spirits, was born on the day the created first learned of the difference between itself and the Source. For an eternity he was the brightest of the stars in heaven beautiful beyond any comparison.  His countenance was rivaled only by his character and the whole of Heaven was enthralled.  He asked permission from the Source to look upon himself (for mirrors are forbidden in Heaven) and his request was granted to him as a test of his character.  He failed.  His downfall was immediate but in that moment of initial rebellion other Heavenlies cast their lot with the Morning Star and fell as well.  As his ranks lay before him bruised and battered and afraid for the first time, wounded Pride called for a champion to rise from the Fear and strike out against anything from Heaven.  Hatred sprang forth and Anger followed and they swore in that moment that Heaven would no longer be a place easily found.  Whoever sought heaven would have to go through them first and they would not spare anyone.  Behold the birth of Hell and of the Destroyer!  The Destroyer is Pride, Hatred and Anger, three in one. The three strongest malignant Spirits make the Destroyer’s power limitless and he is drunk with it.  Its desire is for destruction complete for it demands a three fold bounty;

 one to feed the over arching Pride that is incensed by the offender’s worthlessness,

the other to feed the all consuming Anger that is stoked by the offender’s merit,

and the third to pay for reminding Hatred that it was born from Fear.

      The destroyer is Hell’s juggernaut and he would consume the world were it not for his adversary. I will tell you a secret.  There is a Virtue that arises from the presence of the Destroyer equally as lethal, equally as vengeful.  It is when light becomes the shadow but not darkness.  He is the twilight in between the opposites and he is called Righteous Indignation.  When the Destroyer attacks the virtuous, tramples and humiliates them in the light of day for everyone to see, then Heaven calls forth Righteous Indignation to smite the Destroyer and push him back into the darkness.  Injustice is made to endure its own lash and feel the pain it so freely doles out.  Righteous Indignation is a temporary hero called on for a moment when the darkness is overcome with itself.  

     Awake, awake, Every Man!  You have been sedated and seduced by Hell’s vices so that you will not see the power that you wield.  In you has a light been placed and that light is meant to guide your footsteps and keep you from stumbling.  You continually dampen that light by your self serving but you have not forgotten its use.  You turn to it from time to time and are amazed at how it still works even after so, so long.  Reach for the light!  Shine it on your life!  See how the insects chase the shadows that retreat even faster.  Your sin is found out!  It pleads with you to turn off the light for the truth burns!    Let it burn…

     Understand that you must first raze bad habits to the ground before you can raise good habits back from it; Common Ground in all men for Every Man to know.  Do I speak in riddles?  Before Common Sense will return to Every Man their must be Common Ground for it to stand on.  Every Man, where are your Virtues?  Where are the gifts that No Man has given you?