Watchfulness While Travelling

214 — WATCH lest you overlook the fact that a student who indulges in travel merely for entertainment, may become as unfaithful to his demonstration as one who smokes without protest. The error in smoking is not the outward act, but in the enjoyment of a negative apathetic state of mind, which is the direct opposite of the mental alertness and activity which is fostered by Christian Science. One who over-indulges in travel for pleasure neglects his duty to God, to his Leader and to mankind, and differentiates between phases of the Adam dream, which is not a sound basis from which to perceive its entire unreality.

This is not a watching point to prohibit students from travelling; but it is a call for consistency and watchfulness. Mrs. Eddy was consistent when she pointed out her birthplace to Calvin Hill. She said, “Over there are the hills of Bow where they say I was born, but I was not. I was born in Mind.” Again, when she sent a student a book of beautiful poems for Christmas, she wrote, “I send you a book of dreams, but they are so sweet, some of them, that I listen to them as we take in the fragrance of flowers that are dreams of matter.”

Once, when a student was about to travel, Mrs. Eddy wrote, “Remember, that unless you travel mentally, that if you don’t traverse new lands spiritually, if you don’t cross metaphysical waters, that is, and reach shores hitherto unvisited in Soul, you have wasted your time, money and effort, and you will get nothing out of it. Don’t do less Science but more. May God enfold you in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, where no evil, no accident, no allurements, no blame lies, claiming some world more dazzlingly beautiful than the radiance of divine Love, for straight is the gate and narrow the way thereto.”