act of faith in relation to
the other side of this duality? In simpler words, how is it that while
we are compelled to an act of faith with regard to the existence of
powers which embody the spirit of love, we are not compelled to
an act of faith with regard to the existence of powers which
embody the spirit of malice?

How is it that while we have a right to regard the ideas of truth,
beauty, goodness as objectively embodied in living personalities
we have no right to regard the ideas of falseness, hideousness, evil
and malice, as objectively embodied in living personalities? To
answer this question it is necessary to define more clearly the
essential duality which we discover as the secret of the universe.

One side of this duality is the creative power of life, the other side
is the resistant power which repels life. The emotion of love is the
motive-force of the power of creation, a force which we have to
recognize as containing in itself the power of destruction; for
destruction is necessary to creation and is inspired by the creative
energy.

The other side of the eternal duality is not a destructive force, but a
resistant force. That is why it is necessary to define the opposite of
love, not as hate--but as malice, which is a resistant thing. Thus it
becomes clear why it is that we are not driven by the necessity of
the situation to any act of faith with regard to the existence of
living souls which embody evil and malice. We are not compelled
towards this act of faith because the nature of the "other side" of
the eternal duality is such that it cannot be embodied, in any
complete or objective way, in a living personality. It can and it
does appear in every personality that has ever existed. We are
compelled to assume that it exists, though in a state of
suppression, even in the souls of the immortals. If it did not exist,
in some form or other, in the souls of the immortals, the ideas of
truth, beauty, and goodness would be absolute in them, and the life
of the universe would cease.

For the nature of this eternal duality is such that the life of the
universe depends upon this unending struggle between what
creates and what resists creation. The power that creates must be
regarded as embodied in personality, for creation always implies
personality. But the power that resists creation--though present in
every living soul--cannot be embodied in personality because
personality is the highest expression of cre