The backsliding of some, a sinking into lower levels of hell, became, in reality, the shortest route home for them. Good conduct and polished manners, per se, are not enough. Unless the desire for sin is extirpated by some form of aversion therapy, “ground out of their souls” by associated suffering, the majority will secretly long for the way of selfishness and self-gratification, and will find a way to return to it.

Editor's prefatory comments:

In the dialogues of “Prometheus,” we found statements by Kairissi asserting that she wanted to be more than a “good little girl” following the directives of custom and societal norms; to exhibit more than polished manners and courteous convention. She wanted to become a truly good person, from the inside out, led by pure intentions.

How does one achieve this status of the truly good person? As we study the lessons learned by Franchezzo, we begin to perceive that those of “upper management” who designed the Dark Realms possessed a deep understanding of human nature and natural law.

In the previous article, we briefly discussed the error of reincarnation. What good would it do to take one’s immature person, lusting for the ways of private gain and self-gratification, and send it into one more mortal life – or 100,000? The end result, without an upward shift in consciousness, would be the same as the beginning; and that upward shift, when it occurs, issues as a function of a timeless moment of clarity, not more lives.

a good rule-keeper is not necessarily a good person

Editor’s note: It should be noted that “aversion therapy”, of and by itself, is not enough to produce the truly good person. This is just more experience which cannot, of itself, take us to where we need to go. Suffering, without something else, might create the cautious or fearful individual, someone circumspect in his or her ways, but this is not the same as the authentically righteous person. One who is merely cautious and fearful might revert to lawless ways, might throw off moral discipline, if one becomes convinced that prosperity has arrived, that "it's different this time," with no requirement to honor wisdom principles. What’s really needed is an accessing of the “inner life of the soul.” This changes everything, and not in the superficial way that experience alone might initiate. See more discussion on the “true self” page.

one of the most important elements of wisdom concerning natural law and human development

I often reference Art Mokarow and what he said 50+ years ago to us ministerial students. He told us that, in the main, people do not change their lives unless the pain of what they’re presently doing becomes greater than the remedy.

And this is what Franchezzo is beginning to understand about how the education of the Dark Realms works. Every individual in the shadow-lands, to one degree or another, has sought for the “poisoned candy” of evil. See much discussion on the nature of evil.

Poisoned candy can taste good. There might be no immediate harmful effect.

Editor's note: At least, none that feeble eyes might discern. Injury is always immediate, however, on the level of the mind and spirit. There might only be a "penny's worth" of injury, but that penny will need to be repaid.

It takes a lot of maturity to see that, what might be considered, small incivilities take to themselves a cumulative effect, promoting a disrespect for human rights, an enshrining of might-makes-right, eventually leading to dystopia, blood in the streets, totalitarian rule. This has been the history of our world. But it begins with gratifying base passions, the discordant siren-call whispering, "I don't have enough" because "I am not enough."

the long but sure way home

With all this in mind, Franchezzo learned that the seeming backsliding by some, a return to vice and immorality, was in fact an educative lesson in the real nature of evil, its hidden problems, its secret delusions – and how it leads to suffering and everything we hate.

'ground out of the soul'

When we experience the resultant suffering from ungodly ways, “the lust for sin,” as Franchezzo discovered, “is ground out of the soul.” In other words, we now have a chance to become a truly good person, from the inside out.

This kind of insight into reality, into how the universe really works, is a mark of the truly advanced and spiritually-evolved individual. In possession of this kind of sagacity, we’re no longer tempted by illusory and ephemeral apparent benefits.

Our eternal future looks like this: We are to become mature sons and daughters of God; this means that we shall be “autonomous” centers of goodness in our own right -- with the literal meaning, “a law unto oneself.”

In that day of enlightenment, of truly seeing the wisdom of God's ways, we won’t need supervision anymore, we'll no longer require external accountability, we'll not be turned aside by carnival-barker petitions to ersatz pleasure, we'll sense the emptiness of things gaudy and meretricious - we'll lose our taste for the poisoned candy.

Editor's last word:

Notice how one's freedom to direct one's own life is always preserved, even if decisions result in short-term disaster.