4733. [4735.] About those who have earthly goodness, but no sense of what is good and fair

A society of friendship

There are very many today in the Christian world who have earthly goodness and serve in special positions, who reason much about goodness and fairness, and believe themselves most wise on that account, but still have no sense of what is just and fair, still less of spiritual goodness and truth, but grasp at any opinion at all. Whether it had come from those in authority, or from parents, or from themselves, they defend it, having obtained confirmations from all sides, so as to be able to defend the pro and the contra, and confirm themselves in it, but whether it is just and fair, they do not know from any other source, for they do not have an extended mental insight, only a limited one.

In the other life those people also believe themselves wise beyond others, but are able to be equally in evil as in good societies, and thus equally defend evil and false causes as just and fair ones. I spoke with them, and they believed that they know what is just and fair better than others, and that no one has a more extensive aura of insight into justice and fairness. They have not any other soil in which spiritual goodness and truth can take root than in their own confirmatory arguments, which are also false.

When they come to a given society, especially those who are convinced that they are wise, or know truths, better than others, then they take away their power of reflection, so that they are unable to reflect whether something is so; thus also they take away the enjoyment of reflection, thus of what is just and fair among them. Consequently, they also, like the societies of friendship, divert the enjoyment of another to themselves.