Page 51 - Mystic Pathways through the Bible

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mind can be in uenced by tremendous restlessness that gives rise to egoism, pride, jealousy, abnormal greed, violence and many other negative qualities in the human personality.
Parents lacking brahmacharya will have little understanding of their responsibilities and the true meaning of love. As a result, they sacri ce each other as well as their children in their mad chase for what seems to be pleasurable and delightful. Children that grow up in a family that is not pervaded by a spirit of brahmacharya often become psychologically ill, because they have not been in uenced by higher ideals. They live in a chaotic environment of delusion, fraud and deception that has a profound impact on their lives. On the other hand, children brought up by parents who are infused with the spirit of brahmacharya generally are a blessing to themselves and to society.
In a society that places so much emphasis on sex and physical beauty, it is dif cult for a person to age with any dignity. One may follow a path of passion as a young person and feel quite delighted with such a life. However, in later years as one ages and beauty fades, without the person having developed an inner spiritual life, the mind can sink into gloom and darkness. Lacking the same youthful appearance and passion one had in youth, the aging person can feel like a useless failure.