Reading Text
1185. The new generation shall march, to accomplish all humanitarian ideas consistent with the degree of progress to which they have arrived. Going forward in the direction of the same target and accomplishing its purpose, Spiritism will meet it on the same grounds. Progressive men will find in the Spiritist ideas a powerful lever and, on the other hand, Spiritism will find in the new men, Spirits entirely willing to welcome it. Given this state of affairs, what can those that oppose it do?
1186. Spiritism does not create social renewal. Mankind’s maturity will make this renovation turn into a necessity. Due to its moralizing power, to its progressive tendencies, to the extent of its views, to the issues it covers, Spiritism is, no doubt, more fit than any other doctrine to support the movement of regeneration. This is why it is contemporary to this movement. It appeared when it could be useful, since the time has arrived for it too. Had it arrived earlier, it would have found insurmountable obstacles. It would have collapsed, because, happy with what they had, men would not miss what it offers them today. Today, born with the ideas that ferment, it finds the land prepared to receive it.
1187. Great, of course, is still the number of latecomers; however, what can they do against the wave that rises but throw some stones? That waive is the new generation, whereas they disappear with the generation that disappears too at a rapid pace.
1188. The new generation - For men to be happy on Earth, it is only necessary that Good Spirits, embodied and disembodied, populate the Earth devoting themselves to only doing good. The time has arrived, and a large emigration can already be seen: those who practice the evil for evil, not yet touched by the feeling of goodness, and no longer worthy of being in this transformed planet, will be excluded, because, otherwise, they would cause new disturbance and confusion and would be an obstacle to progress. They will suffer the hardening of their hearts, some of them on the lower worlds, and others among still backward people of this Earth, similar to the worlds of that kind. They will take the knowledge they have acquired to these worlds with the mission of making these people improve. Better Spirits will replace them, and justice, peace and brotherhood will reign among them.
1189. The Earth, in the words of the Spirits, will not have to change through a cataclysm that suddenly annihilates a generation. The current generation will gradually disappear and the new one will succeed it in the same way, without any change in the natural order of things. Everything, therefore, will be carried externally, as often happens, with the only difference being that some of the Spirits, who incarnated on Earth, will not come back here. In each child that is born, instead of a backward Spirit and inclined to evil, which would have incarnated in it before, will come, a better Spirit, more improved and inclined to do good.
1190. Much less, because it is a new bodily generation, than a new generation of Spirits. No doubt in this regard Jesus understood things when He declared: "I tell you, in fact, that this generation will not pass away until these facts have occurred". So those who expect to see the transformation operate through supernatural and wonderful effects will be disappointed.
1191. The present age is of transition and the elements of the two generations are merged. Placed halfway, we see the departure of one, and the arrival of the other, each one already showing their peculiar characters. These two generations, which follow each other, have different and opposing ideas and views. Due to the nature of the moral character, and especially of the intuitive and innate dispositions, it becomes easy to make out to which of the two belongs each individual.
1192. Since the purpose of this new generation is to found a new era of moral progress, it will be distinguished by its precocious intelligence and reason, together with the innate sense of good and spiritual beliefs, which is a sure sign of a certain level of a previous advance. It will not be formed exclusively by eminently superior Spirits, but by those who, having already progressed, are predisposed to assimilate all progressive ideas and fit to support the regeneration movement.
1193. What distinguishes the backward Spirits in the first place is the rebellion against God, by refusing to recognize any higher power to human power. The instinctive inclination towards degrading passions, towards the anti-brotherly feelings of selfishness, pride, envy, jealousy, and finally, the attachment to all that is material: sensuality, ambition and greed. The Earth must be purged by the removal of those who persist in not correcting themselves.
1194. When the Earth becomes free of them, men will walk without obstacles towards a better future that is reserved to them, still in this world, by awarding their efforts and their patience, while they await a more complete purification that will open the access to higher worlds.
1195. We must not imagine that through this emigration of Spirits all backward Spirits will be expelled from Earth and guided to lower worlds. Many, on the contrary, will come back, because they are still backward as a consequence of having given in to circumstances and examples. In these, the shell is worse than the core. Once excluded from the influence of matter and losses of the corporeal world, they will see things in an entirely different way than what they saw in life, as so many cases we know of.
1196. Whether they are of a new generation of better Spirits, or of ancient Spirits, who have improved, the result is the same. If they bring with them a better way of being, there is always a renewal. Thus, according to their natural provisions, the embodied Spirits can be classified in two categories: on the one hand, the backward Spirits, departing; on the other, the progressives, arriving.
1197. A common comparison will help us to better understand what is happening in this circumstance. Let us imagine a regiment formed mostly of turbulent and unruly men, which will cause constant disorders, which the criminal law will sometimes find it difficult to suppress. These men are stronger because they outnumber the others. They will support, cheer, and encourage one another by example. The few good ones have no influence. Their advice is disregarded, they suffer in the company of the others, who humiliate and mistreat them. Isn’t this a picture of today’s society?
1198. Let us suppose these men are taken out one by one, ten to ten, one hundred to one hundred, from the regiment and gradually replaced by equal numbers of good soldiers, even by some who, although they were previously expelled, they have now changed and corrected themselves. After a while, there will be the same regiment, but transformed. The good order will have succeeded the disorder.
1199. The large collective departures, however, do not have the sole aim of enabling the outputs. They also have to change, as quickly as possible, the spirit of the mass, ridding it of bad influences to give way to new ideas.
1200. A stay in the Spirit world will be enough to open their eyes and this is the reason why they can see there what they could not see on Earth. The unbeliever, the fanatical, the absolutist may, therefore, return with new ideas of faith, tolerance and freedom. Upon their return, they will find things have changed and will experience the influence of the new environment where they were born. They will not go against the new ideas, but instead will help them develop.
1201. The regeneration of Humanity, therefore, does not absolutely require a full renovation of the Spirits: just a change in their moral character. This change operates in all who are predisposed to it, if they are excluded from the bad influence of the world. Thus, not always those who return are other Spirits; they are often the same Spirits, but thinking and feeling differently.
1202. When isolated and individual, this improvement goes unnoticed and no ostensive influence is seen in the world. The effect is different when improvement occurs simultaneously over large masses, because then, according to its proportion in a generation, it can deeply change the ideas of a people or of an ethnic group.
1203. You can see this whenever there are great shocks that decimate populations, such as calamities that only destroy bodies, but do not reach the Spirit. They enable the back and forth motion between the material and the spiritual worlds and, therefore, the progressive movement of the embodied and disembodied Spirits.
1204. Presently, one of these general movements is taking place with the purpose of carrying out a remodeling of Humanity. The great number of causes of destruction is a characteristic sign of the times, as they will outbreak the new germs. It is the leaves that fall in autumn, followed by the leaves full of life. Mankind has its seasons too just as the individuals go through their different ages.
1205. For the materialist, the destructive calamities lack compensation without usable results because, in their opinion, the mentioned calamities destroy the beings forever. However, for the one who knows that death only destroys the wrap, such calamities do not have the same consequences and do not cause them the least fear. He understands their purpose and is aware that men do not lose more by dying together than by dying alone, because one way or another, this is what they will always get.
1206. The unbelievers will laugh at these things and qualify them as chimeric; but, whatever they say, they will not run away from the common law. Like the others, they will fall too, and then what will happen to them? They say, "Nothing!" They will live, however, in spite of themselves and one day they will be forced to open their eyes.
Answers to the proposed questions
A. What will be the distinguishing marks of the new generation?
Since their mission is to establish the era of moral progress, the new generation will be distinguished by generally precocious intelligence and reason, together with the innate sense of good and spiritual beliefs, which is a sure sign of some degree of a previous advance. The new generation will march, thus contributing to the accomplishment of all humanitarian ideas supported by the level of progress they have reached. (Genesis, Chapter XVIII, items 23 and 24).
B. Is Spiritism fit to support the movement of regeneration?
Yes. It must, however, be understood that it is not Spiritsm that creates a social renewal. It is Humanity’s maturity that will make this social renovation. It will become a necessity. Due to its moralizing power, progressive tendencies, extension of its views, and considering most of the issues it covers, Spiritsm is undoubtedly fitter than any other doctrine to support a regenerative movement. That is why it is contemporary to that movement. (Genesis, Chapter XVIII, items 25 to 27.)
C. Will the regeneration of Humanity require the full renovation of the Spirits?
No. The regeneration of Humanity will not require a full renovation of the Spirits, but a change in their moral character. This modification will operate in all who have a predisposition for it, if they are excluded from the bad influence of the world. Therefore, this means that not all, who reincarnate on this planet again, will be other Spirits. They will often be the same Spirits, but thinking and feeling differently, because of the modification operated in their moral character. (Genesis, Chapter XVIII, items 28 to 35).
