SECRETS OF LIFE
10-29-23
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"THE GLIMPSE
Seated on his black throne in hell, the devil glared angrily down at the
three trembling demons before him.
'A year ago,' said the devil, suppressing his rage, 'I sent you up to
earth to destroy a particularly dangerous enemy. Well, he's still healthy
and active. Thousands have heard him expose my tricks, and I don't like
being unmasked.' The devil tapped his throne with his forefinger. 'You'd
better have a good explanation for your failure.'
The first demon quivered. 'Please, your Satanic Majesty, we tried
everything to lure him over to our side. We used the popular bribes of
wealth and power and fame. He just ignored us and went back to reading his
Truth-books.'
The devil scowled. 'Amateurs, all three of you.'
The second demon raised his hands, palms upward, in a pleading gesture.
'For six solid months we concentrated on trying to make him hard and bitter
over the cruel treatment he had received as a child. But he refused to fall
into hatred and self-pity.'
The devil's manner was contemptuous. 'You spent all that time - and he's
still up there showing people how to escape our clutches.'
The third demon was politely defensive.
'Please don't blame us. We even offered him a series of exciting mental
movies in which he was the world's greatest lover or athlete or whatever he
wished to be. To show his gratitude he tossed out both the movies and us.'
Shaking his head, the devil spoke with quiet fierceness. 'I sent idiots to
do the work of demons.'
The devil's mood suddenly changed. He leaned back on his throne in silent
resignation. The three demons peered up anxiously.
Breathing heavily, the devil finally spoke.
'Don't you know the real reason you failed?
Don't you know why you will always fail with that enemy? I've been sitting
here listening to you, hoping to avoid a certain conclusion which I must
now face. The real reason you failed to defeat him is because ... because
... _you can't make him forget his glimpse of Truth."_
Mystery Stories for Winning Happiness
SOLVED The Mystery of Life, Chap. 2, p. 26 (Original version)
Chap. 2, p. 20 (Current version)
