How have we been fulfilling our duties? With our family, at school, at work... how have we been behaving?

Are we the type of people who care about the quality of what we have to do, always worrying about doing our best, or are we the type who does not worry too much about the results, as long as the task is done?

Even if we leave in a society that demands quality control, technical specifications, professional improvement, we observe that, in general, people usually do only what is strictly necessary and demanded.

However, it should be really different. We should always try to do everything in the best way we could, trying to achieve perfection.

We should be creatures never satisfied with the results of our work, in a sense that, even if we can recognize they are good, we must know that the possibility of getting even better is always there.

If we all thought this way, there would be no necessity of the existence of controlling agencies, discipline agencies, inspections or quality control.

There would not be faulty pieces, badly made parts, tasks poorly fulfilled.

Everybody's constant worry would be how to do their best.

Le us go back to the Ancient Greece, a long time ago, where an old sculptor was lapidating a piece of stone.

He carefully examined the stone with his gouge, taking one piece at time, studying the measurements with his vigorous hands before each hit.

When finished, the piece would be a capital, the superior part of a column. It would be raised and put on the top of a very high pillar. The column was part of the ceiling of a majestic temple.

A government employee who was passing by, watching the effort made by the sculptor, got closer and asked:

Why are you spending so long and putting so much effort to make a piece that will be fifteen meters high? No human eye will be able to see these details.

The old artist put his hammer and gouge down. He dried the sweat from his forehead, fixed his eyes in the interlocutor and answered:

But God will see it!

The phrase resumes the conscience of a person who knows that, even if being able to deceive men, he will not deceive divinity. It pictures the conscience of the duty, which is one of the most beautiful ornaments of reason.

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On the scale of feelings, duty is a very difficult task to achieve as it goes against the attractions of the interest and of the heart.

A man's duty is responsibility of his free-will.

Man has to love his duty, not to avoid unfortunate events in his life, but because it gives his soul sufficient vigour for his development.

Spiritist Moment Team, based on chapter XVII, item 7, from the book
O Evangelho segundo o Espiritismo, by Allan Kardec. Publishing
house: Feb and from the text God will see it by unknown author.
September 24.2009.