Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book III — On Inward Consolation·Chapter XXIV. Of Avoiding Of Curious Inquiry Into The Life Of Another
XXIV. Avoiding curious inquiry into another's life
The discipline of attending to one's own soul rather than to another's affairs. The curiositas that makes us experts in our neighbour's faults and beginners in our own; the inward turn that begins with abstaining from this curiosity.
Source context
- Theme
- restraint from judging or scrutinizing the inner life and conduct of others
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Stoic ethics (Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius)The Stoic discipline of attending exclusively to what lies within one's own sphere of choice (prohairesis) structurally parallels the Imitation's injunction to turn attention away from others' lives and back toward one's own soul.
- Sufi adab (Islamic spiritual courtesy)Sufi literature on adab prescribes scrupulous non-interference with the inner states of others as a condition for authentic proximity to the divine, a cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's counsel against curious inquiry.
- Jewish Mussar traditionMussar teachers such as Salanter emphasize cheshbon ha-nefesh — self-accounting — as the proper object of moral attention, rendering scrutiny of others a deflection from the soul's primary work, in structural parallel to the chapter's theme.
Chapter XXIV. Of Avoiding Of Curious Inquiry Into The Life Of Another
OF AVOIDING OF CURIOUS INQUIRY INTO THE LIFE OF ANOTHER
"My Son, be not curious, nor trouble thyself with vain cares. What is that to thee? Follow thou Me.(1) For what is it to thee whether a man be this or that, or say or do thus or thus? Thou hast no need to answer for others, but thou must give an answer for thyself. Why therefore dost thou entangle thyself? Behold, I know all men, and I behold all things which are done under the sun; and I know how it standeth with each one, what he thinketh, what he willeth, and to what end his thoughts reach. All things therefore are to be committed to Me; watch thou thyself in godly peace, and leave him who is unquiet to be unquiet as he will. Whatsoever he shall do or say, shall come unto him, for he cannot deceive Me.
2"Trouble not thyself about the shadow of a great name, nor about the friendship of many, nor about the love of men towards thee. For these things beget distraction and great sorrows of heart. My word should speak freely unto thee, and I would reveal secrets, if only thou didst diligently look for My appearing, and didst open unto Me the gates of thy heart. Be sober and watch unto prayer,(2) and humble thyself in all things."
(1) John xxi. 12. (2) 1 Peter iv. 7.