Virtue of Acquiescence, Chalice of Sincerity...

It was a relaxed Sunday morning and cat boys suggested that we deepen ourselves on the theme of purity of motive, contentment, acquiescence, ... Stunned as I was (where does this vocabulary come from) I did not want to lose the moment, and so I hastily flipped through the first book that was laying about and opened to these pages....

Concerning the sincerity of motive and purity of deeds, the Tongue of Grandeur addressed the princes in these words:
'Suppose there is a very rich person whose wealth is enormous and beyond measure. And suppose that gradually and in the course of time he bestows so much of his wealth upon a poor person...that he himself is reduced to absolute poverty while the poor man has turned into a very rich man...Suppose in his poor and distressed state he reaches a situation in which he incurs some small debt. Being unable to pay it, he is brought to a public square in town where he is humiliated and punished. He is further informed that his release will not be considered until he pays his debt. At this point suppose he sees his friend (who once was poor and as a result of his generosity has become rich). Should the thought flash through his mind that he wishes that in return for all his generosity to him, this friend would now come forward and relieve him of this calamity, immediately all his deeds would become void, he would become deprived of the virtue of contentment and acquiescence, and would be shut away from the virtues of the human spirit.
The same thing is true of the second man who has become rich (through the generosity of the captive). Should he think in his heart that he is obliged to pay this man's debts, free him from his ordeal, and enable him to live the rest of his life in comfort, because he had earlier shown immeasurable love and kindness towards him, then such a motive leading him to repay his friend's generosity (instead of giving for the sake of humanity) would cause him to be deprived of the chalice of sincerity and would drive him into the world of ignominy.
The only way acceptable to God would have been for the first man to have based his acts of generosity on humanitarian principles wholly for the sake of God. In the same way, the second rich man should have acted for the sake of God and as a duty to the world of humanity regardless of the events of the past or the future. Thus it is revealed: "We nourish your souls for the sake of God; we seek from you neither recompense nor thanks" '...

The cat boys seem pleased although I noticed some hesitation from Ollie. He likes to barter purrs for treats and this may not change. I found the reading challenging and felt the need to examine my own behavior and ponder upon the consequences of this sort of behavior. Would it change the world for the better? So I plan to reflect upon this together with Ollie again. Augustus seems alright with it. Well, this is it for today.

Cat boys send all pure and sincere wishes and a few cat kisses for a perfect Monday...