THE SPIRITUAL TREE

When he is angry and controls his anger, he is developing in his personality the art of turning negativity into positivity. When he faces a crisis situation and manages to keep his patience, he is developing the ability of positive planning. If he faces a violent situation and refrains from reacting, he is developing his personality in such a way that he can maintain his peace of mind no matter what condition he finds himself in. This gives Man the ability of not wasting his energies and, instead, of devoting himself totally to constructive work. When he faces a provocative situation and maintains his balance, he develops selfcontrol. It is as if he has enrolled for a course in intellectual development. By developing self-control he is developing in himself a mindset that will enable him to manage the crises everyone faces in life, at some time or another. All these situations are like intellectual food for us. If you try to face these situations with a positive attitude, you will be helping yourself grow. You will be enhancing your creativity. You will be developing your personality on positive lines. One who adopts this course will surely emerge, sometime or the other, as a well-developed personality, like a full-grown tree. Every person is born into this world with tremendous potential, but he or she has to work hard to unfold this innate potential. This potential is provided by nature, but its unfolding is entirely every person's own job to do. Nature never discriminates against anyone with regard to the blessings that it showers on one and all. It is Man who makes himself either a success or a failure. o ILLUSTRATION BY SETH MCWHORTER