Moral problems – Questions addressed to Saint Louis

Revista espírita — Jornal de estudos psicológicos — 1858 > Maio > Problemas morais – Perguntas dirigidas a São Luís

Question 1: opulence and work

 ─ Of two rich men, the first was born into opulence and never knew need; the second owes his fortune to his work. Both employ it exclusively for personal satisfaction. Which one is the most culpable?

Response

─ The one who knew suffering. He knows what it's like to suffer.

question 2: accumulation of goods without doing good

─ Will someone who accumulates continuously, without doing good to anyone, have an acceptable excuse in the idea of accumulating in order to leave enough to the children?

Response

─ It is a commitment to an evil conscience.

question 3: the misers receive according to their works

─ Of two misers, the first deprives himself of what is necessary and dies of privation over his treasure; the second is only avaricious towards others: he is prodigal towards himself. While he shuns the slightest sacrifice in order to render a gift or do something useful, he does not limit his personal pleasures. He gets annoyed when asked for a favor; he wants to surrender to his whims, which he never lacks. Who is the most guilty and which one will have the worst place in the world of spirits?

Response

─ What you enjoy. The other has already received its punishment.

Question 4: can fortune be used for good after death?

─ Does he who in life not use his fortune usefully find relief in doing good after death, by the fate that it gives him?

Response

─ No. The good is worth what it costs.