**Common Origin.** By the power of God, the spirits of men were born into the spiritual world; thus all became the children of God. In turn, all have been born from the same spiritual estate into the earth estate, from the one earthly ancestor, Adam. All men are therefore of identical origin. Absolute uniformity prevails among the children of men, so far as their origin is concerned.
**Common Purposes.** The spirits are placed on earth for a common purpose. From the beginning, man has risen to his high estate through the acquisition of power over the natural forces surrounding him. "Man is that he may have joy," is the fundamental purpose of man's activity, whether on or out of the earth. In the Great Council all the spirits which have reached or will reach the earth, were present; and all declared themselves in favor of the Plan. In conformity with this agreement, man is on earth. All desire a closer acquaintance with gross matter, as a means of future power and consequent joy; and all desire that the earth-experience may be accompanied with as much joy as is possible. Consequently, all who are or have been, or will be assembled on earth, have a common purpose. Absolute uniformity prevails among men so far as their fundamental purpose is concerned.
**Common Destiny.** Likewise, the destiny of all the spirits sent to earth, is the same. Man has ever moved towards eternal life. All new information, every addition of knowledge, has moved him onward, toward perfection and a vision of greater happiness. True, since all men have free agencies, individual wills express themselves in different ways, and no two spirits are therefore at precisely the same point on the upward road. Some are far ahead, some lag behind, each and all according to individual effort. However, throughout the vast eternities, all who are conscientiously moving upward, though it be ever so slowly, will in time reach a point which is absolute perfection to our mortal conceptions. Then, all will seem as if precisely alike. Whether or not we reach a given point at the same time, all men have a common destiny. As far as the destiny of man is concerned, all are alike.
**Inter-dependence.** Of even greater importance in daily work is the fact that every intelligent being affects every other intelligent being. Every person affects every other person. Through the operation of the Holy Spirit all things are held together. Good or evil may be transmitted from personality to personality; it is impossible to hide from God, and it is equally impossible for us to hide ourselves completely from our fellowmen. No individual action may restrain or retard another individual; but all our actions, thoughts and words must be so guarded that all are advanced. This is as true for the earth-life as it may be for the spiritual life.
Men affect each other; every man is, in a measure, his brother's keeper. There can be no thought of a man going on in life irrespective of the needs or conditions of his fellowmen. The main concern of man must be to find such orderly acts of life as will enable other men to live out their individual wills without interference. All must be benefited, all must be helped. This is the basis of the great system of co-operation. Meanwhile, the inter-dependence of the spirits dwelling on earth, brings men more closely together, and strengthens the friendships from the former spirit estate.
**Brothers.** The human race is a race of brothers, of the same origin, with the same purposes and with the same destiny, so elaborately inter-dependent that none may move without affecting the others. Any rational theology must recognize this condition, and, as far as it may be able, must make provision for the proper recognition of the brotherhood of man.
CHAPTER 25.
THE EQUALITY OF MAN.
Though the brotherhood of man is supreme, it does not follow that all men are equal in all particulars. This needs careful examination.
**The Pre-existent Effort.** Men of common origin, and of common destiny, labor on earth under a mutually accepted Plan. Yet, it is not conceivable, that all the spirits who reach the earth have attained the same degree of progress. The pre-existent progress depended upon self-effort; those who exerted their wills most, made the greatest progress; moreover, those who had led the most righteous lives, and had been most careful of their gifts, had acquired greatest strength—consequently, at the time of the Great Council, though the spirits were, in general, of one class, they differed greatly in the details of their attainments, in the righteousness of their lives, in the stability of their purpose, and in their consistent devotion to the great truth of their lives. In one particular they were all alike: by their faithful efforts, they had earned the right to take another step onward and to share in the earth experience.