Chapter 8 chapter eight

Pierre felt again the anguish which he dreaded most.After giving a speech at the branch, he lay on the couch at home for three consecutive days, neither meeting anyone nor going anywhere. At this time he received a letter from his wife, who begged to meet him and wrote that she missed him and hoped to dedicate her life to him. At the end of the letter she informed him that she had returned to Petersburg from abroad in the last few days. Immediately after the letter from his wife, Pierre was intruded into his retreat by a fellow Masonic who was least respected by Pierre. Take this as the advice of brothers and sisters to noble people.It had a great influence on the development of Enlightenment thought in the 18th century.The main work is, This Man Says Pierre's Harshness to His Wife Is Unreasonable, Pierre's Refusal to Tolerate a Repentant Wife, and He Deviates from the First Rules of Freemasonry.

It was at this time that his mother-in-law, Prince Vasily's wife, sent for him, begging him to see her at the very least for a few minutes, as she wanted to discuss a very important matter.Pierre saw that it was a conspiracy against him, that they wanted him to marry his wife, and that, in his situation, it would not even make him feel bad.He is the same anyway.Pierre did not think that there was anything significant in life, he was affected by the unbearable anguish which ruled him before him, he valued neither his own freedom nor the stupidity with which he obstinately punished his wife.

"No one is wrong, and no one is guilty, so she is not guilty," he thought.If Pierre did not immediately agree to the union with his wife, it was only because he was in a state of depression, and he could do nothing about it.If his wife had come to him, he would not drive her away now.Would it not matter whether he lived with his wife or not, compared with the matter which attracted Pierre's attention? Pierre made no reply either to his wife or to his mother-in-law, and departed late one night to visit Joseph Alexievich in Moscow.Below is Pierre's diary. "Moscow, November seventeenth.

I just got back from my benefactor and I'm rushing to write down what I feel everything of.Joseph Alekseevich lived in poverty, suffering from tormenting cystitis for more than two years.No one ever heard him moan or complain.From early in the morning until late at night, except for some time spent on light meals, the rest of the time is devoted to scientific research.He received me kindly, invited me to sit on the same bed as he was lying on, and I made gestures to him with the gestures of a knight of the East and a knight of Jerusalem. What to see and learn from the chapter and the Scottish chapter.I told him everything I could, telling him the rationale I had put forward in our Petersburg chapter, telling him about the cold reception I had suffered, about my disowning my brothers and sisters.Joseph Alexievich pondered for a long time in silence, and explained to me his opinion of all this, which instantly illuminated my past and the path of my future.He surprised me by asking me if I remembered the three great purposes of Freemasonry: (1) To keep and know secrets;

(2) To purify and transform oneself in order to understand the first purpose; (3) to devote oneself to this purification, and thereby to transform all mankind.Which of these three purposes is the primary purpose?Naturally, self-purification and transformation is the primary purpose.It's just that we can often achieve this without relying on various environments.But at the same time, this end demands our utmost effort, and if we abandon it by being led astray by pride, we have to struggle for mystical philosophies which we are unworthy of understanding because of impure hearts. This metaphysics, otherwise, if we ourselves are bad examples of despicable and lascivious behavior, then we will struggle to reform all mankind.The teachings of Illuminati are not pure teachings. It is precisely because they are obsessed with social activities that they appear full of arrogance.Joseph Alexievich condemned my speech and all my activities for this reason.In my soul I agree with him.When we were talking about my family, he said to me: As I told you, the chief duty of a true Freemason is self-improvement.But it has often occurred to me that we can reach this goal more quickly if we get rid of all the difficulties in our life; on the contrary, sir, he said to me, it is only in the turmoil of the world that we can reach three goals: (1) Self-knowledge , because human beings can know themselves only by comparison; (2) self-improvement, which can only be achieved by means of struggle; (3) the acquisition of the main virtue-love of death.

Only the ups and downs of life can prove to us its emptiness, can help us to deepen our love for the gift of death or birth.These words are very pertinent, for Joseph Alexievich was in great physical pain, and nevertheless he never felt the pain of life, he loved death, and although he was a man of pure and noble heart, he felt He was not fully prepared for death.Later this benefactor fully explained to me the significance of the great square of the universe and pointed out that the two numbers three and seven are the basis of the world.He advised me not to shy away from the brothers and sisters in Petersburg, to take only a secondary position in the branch, and to try my best to lure the brothers and sisters to get rid of their pride and lead them to the right path of self-knowledge and self-improvement.In addition, he exhorted me to behave myself, and for this purpose gave me a notebook, in which I will record all my actions in the future. "

"Petersburg, November 23rd. I am living with my wife again.My mother-in-law came to me with tears in her eyes and told me that Helen was here, that she begged me to listen to her, that she was innocent, that I made her unhappy by abandoning her, and that she said many other things to me .I knew that if I only allowed myself to see her, then I could no longer refuse her request.I'm not sure, I don't know who to turn to for help, who to ask for advice.If my benefactor were here, he would tell me.I went back to my room, read through Joseph Alexievich's letters several times, remembered my conversation with him, from which I concluded that I should not refuse anyone who requests, I should ask everyone Extend a helping hand, not to mention that this person has such a close relationship with me, I should swallow my breath and live in pain.But if I forgive her for the sake of virtue, that is justified, and my union with her will have a spiritual purpose.That's how I made up my mind, that's how I wrote to Joseph Alexievich.I said to my wife, I want her to forget everything in the past, if I have done anything wrong to her, please forgive me, I have nothing to forgive her.I was glad to tell her these words, and to keep her from knowing how much it hurt me to see her again.I settled upstairs in the big house, feeling the bliss of being reborn. "