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CONFLUENCE OF OPPOSITES
91
It must have already occurred to most of you that our analysis of the substance of consciousness necessarily proves it to be an immortal entity; for it is indivisible or partless in its constitution, and as such absolutely imperishable and deathless. The reason which proves that an atom of matter is eternal also establishes the eternity of the soul, inasmuch as that which is not composed of parts that might fall apart is necessarily immune from destructionand death. The soul is, therefore, immortal by
same
nature.
The only other property with reference to which we shall study the nature of the soul is joy, delight or happiness which we all are unceasingly engaged in extract in one way or another from our surroundings. But unfortunately there is no such thing as happiness in the world outside ourselves. There are things and events, no doubt, in nature from which we all try to slake our insatiable thirst for eternal joy; but it is not in the nature of things and events to be the repositories of happiness. We see one man rejoice in the birth of a son, while another who expected to succeed to that man's enormous wealth laments his own bitter fate, for a direct descendant now stands between him and the much coveted riches, The child is, however, only a fact or event, and neither pleasure nor ill luck in itself. The same is the case with all other things.. The pan, for instance, which is so pleasing to the Indian palate is actually distasteful to the European.
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