““I have repeatedly emphasized that the process of spiritual growth is difficult and requires immense effort. This is because it is directed against natural resistance—against the natural tendency to keep things as they are, to cling to outdated maps and well-worn paths, and to follow the easy road.
Regarding this natural resistance—the force of entropy—there is more to be said. As in the case of physical evolution, the miracle lies in the fact that this resistance is overcome. We grow regardless of everything that hinders the process; we become better. Not all of us, of course. It is by no means easy. But a significant portion of humanity somehow manages to perfect themselves and their culture. There is a force that pushes us to choose the more difficult path, leading us out of the mire in which we so often find ourselves born.
The pattern of spiritual evolution can be applied to the existence of the individual. Each of us has our own impulse for growth, and every one of us who follows it must fight against our own resistance…
Our sense of disappointment comes from the fact that we expect more from ourselves than our ancestors did. Human behavior that we find repulsive and disgraceful today was seen as normal years ago… I find the current average level of parenting (concerning the spiritual education of children) to be appallingly low, yet at the same time, I consider it higher than that of parents only three or four generations ago. For example, a recent study on child care begins like this: ‘Roman law allowed a father absolute control over his child—he could sell or kill the child without being held accountable.‘”
— M. Scott Peck, “The Road Less Traveled”
What M. Scott Peck writes about the resistance to entropy (chaos) is identical to what Yehuda Berg writes about resisting reactive behavior to create Light. Going against the current—choosing the most difficult path—requires spiritual effort and leads to a spiritual result. Yehuda Berg calls it creating Light, for M. Scott Peck, Light is Love, and for Jung, it is Consciousness.
Regardless of what we call the result of taking the narrow and difficult road, one thing is certain: the progress of humanity depends on it. Even if we have doubts about the dominance of the “bright side” of human nature, the truth is that the laws governing human relationships today are far more humane than they were during the time of Roman law… and that is not all.
Note: The quotations are translated from Bulgarian and are not presented as verbatim citations.
