Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book I — Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life·Chapter XVI. Of Bearing With The Faults Of Others
XVI. Bearing with the faults of others
On the daily discipline of patience with others' faults — because they bear with ours. Magna est inter homines diversitas, dum unus alium portat — great is the diversity among men, while one bears with another. The mutual long-suffering that makes common life possible.
Source context
- Theme
- patient endurance of others' defects as a condition of interior spiritual progress
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Stoic ethics (Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius)Stoic practice distinguishes what lies within one's power from what does not, grounding tolerance of others' faults in the discipline of one's own ruling faculty rather than in external correction.
- Sufi adab (Ibn Arabi, Al-Ghazali)Sufi courtesy-ethics (adab) treat patient forbearance with the spiritually immature as a mark of the realized soul's awareness that each person is at a God-appointed stage of unfolding.
- Buddhist metta / kshanti-paramitaThe paramita of kshanti (patient endurance) parallels Kempis's injunction that tolerance of others' failings is itself a vehicle of one's own purification and non-attachment.
Chapter XVI. Of Bearing With The Faults Of Others
OF BEARING WITH THE FAULTS OF OTHERS
Those things which a man cannot amend in himself or in others, he ought patiently to bear, until God shall otherwise ordain. Bethink thee that perhaps it is better for thy trial and patience, without which our merits are but little worth. Nevertheless thou oughtest, when thou findeth such impediments, to beseech God that He would vouchsafe to sustain thee, that thou be able to bear them with a good will.
2If one who is once or twice admonished refuse to hearken, strive not with him, but commit all to God, that His will may be done and His honour be shown in His servants, for He knoweth well how to convert the evil unto good. Endeavour to be patient in bearing with other men's faults and infirmities whatsoever they be, for thou thyself also hast many things which have need to be borne with by others. If thou canst not make thine own self what thou desireth, how shalt thou be able to fashion another to thine own liking. We are ready to see others made perfect, and yet we do not amend our own shortcomings.
3We will that others be straitly corrected, but we will not be corrected ourselves. The freedom of others displeaseth us, but we are dissatisfied that our own wishes shall be denied us. We desire rules to be made restraining others, but by no means will we suffer ourselves to be restrained. Thus therefore doth it plainly appear how seldom we weigh our neighbour in the same balance with ourselves. If all men were perfect, what then should we have to suffer from others for God?
4But now hath God thus ordained, that we may learn to bear one another's burdens, because none is without defect, none without a burden, none sufficient of himself, none wise enough of himself; but it behoveth us to bear with one another, to comfort one another, to help, instruct, admonish one another. How much strength each man hath is best proved by occasions of adversity: for such occasions do not make a man frail, but show of what temper he is.