Personality is the very color of existence. There is nothing higher than it. However, no culture, no society and no civilization will agree to accept this simple truth.
The professor was forced.
“I’m not capable of fighting,” he protested. - I can argue. I'm a logician. If you need someone capable of fighting the enemy in a dispute, I am at your service. But fighting is not for me. Fighting is barbaric.
However, no one began to listen to him, and, in the end, he was escorted to the parade ground. The parade began, and the commander exclaimed: “To the left!” Everyone turned to the left, and only the professor remained standing as he stood. The commander was slightly worried: “What’s the matter? Is he deaf? And he exclaimed even louder: “Now turn left again!” Everyone turned left again. The professor did not change his position, as if he had not heard anything.
"Forward! Back!" — the commander gave orders, and everyone obeyed them. The professor remained where he was.
This was a famous professor. Even the commander knew him. He could not be treated like an ordinary soldier, since he had a certain weight in society. In the end, when the parade ended and everyone returned to their original position, the commander approached the professor and asked:
— Is there something wrong with your ears? Can't you hear?
“I hear,” he answered.
- But why then did you remain in place and not obey the commands? — the commander was indignant.
- What's the point? - answered the professor. - After all, all the same, as a result of all these movements forward, backward, left, right, everyone returned to their original position and achieved nothing.
“It’s not a matter of achievement, but of training,” the commander explained.
“But I don’t need any training,” the professor objected. - What stupidity! To come to the same place as a result of stupid tricks, in which I do not see the slightest sense. Could you explain to me why I have to turn left and right?
“It’s strange,” the commander was surprised, “not a single soldier asks such questions.”
“I’m not a soldier, but a professor,” he objected. “I was forced to be here.” But you cannot force me to do things that are contrary to my reason.
Then the commander appealed to higher authorities:
- What should I do with him? It can negatively affect others. Everyone makes fun of me and says: “Well done, professor!” I can't handle him. He asks questions... Everything needs to be explained to him: “Until I understand this, until my intellect approves of this, I am not going to do this!”
“I know this man,” said the commander-in-chief. - This is a great logician. All his life he did nothing but practice asking questions to all life phenomena. Don't worry. I'll take it upon myself.
He called the professor into his office and said:
“I’m very sorry, but there’s nothing you can do about it.” You have been drafted into the army. The country needs soldiers. But I will give you a job that will not create problems for you or others. Follow me to the army canteen.
Having brought the professor there, he showed him a large bucket of green peas.
“Do this,” he turned to the professor. - Sit here and sort through these peas: put large peas on one side, small ones on the other. And in an hour I will come to see how your work is progressing.
An hour later he returned. The professor remained in the same place. Peas too.
- What's the matter? You didn't even think about starting work! — the commander-in-chief was indignant.
“I tell you for the first and last time: until you explain to me,” said the professor, “why I have to go through this, you are insulting my intelligence.” Am I an idiot, picking peas? Moreover, some other problems arise. While I was sitting here, I thought that if there is some need for this, there are some issues that remain to be resolved. There are big peas, there are small ones, but there are many more peas of other sizes. What about them? You haven't given me any criteria.
The mystical school, the spiritual path, is not the path of a soldier. Orders are prohibited here. Here they appeal only to consciousness. The decision is always yours.
Only pseudo-masters will give you orders because they cannot satisfy your consciousness. True masters are always able to do this and then leave you to decide for yourself. This is your life, and the final decision should be yours and no one else's. You must place responsibility on your own shoulders. So you won’t get orders from a real master.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru