The Spirits' Book

Allan Kardec

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Natural Freedom

825. Are there any positions in the world where an individual enjoys absolute freedom?
“No, because all of you need one another, from the most powerful to the impoverished.”


826. What would be the condition in which a person could enjoy absolute freedom?
“As a hermit in a desert. As soon as two people find each other, they have reciprocal rights and duties to respect, and are no longer absolutely free.”


827. Does the duty to respect the rights of others deprive individuals of their right to be themselves?
“Not at all, because human beings hold that right by nature.”


828. How can we reconcile the liberal opinions of some individuals with the oppression they sometimes exercise in their own homes over their subordinates?
“They are familiar with the law of nature, but it is counterbalanced by their pride and selfishness. They know what should be done when they truly embrace these liberal principles, but they do not do it.”


a) Will the principles that they have professed during this life be taken into account in the next?
“The more intelligence that people have to understand a principle, the more inexcusable their neglect to put it into practice. I may truly tell you that those who are sincere but simple are further advanced on the Divine road than those who try to appear to be what they are not.”

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