The Search for Peace in Times of Chaos—Volume The rougher and harder it is, the greater the spirit’s merit in fulfilling it It depends on the spirit’s will to shorten it by working harder for its moral improvement, in much the same way a laborer’s diligence shortens the time to complete a job The Gospel proposed the notion that adhering to Christ’s teachings was a way to get rid of suffering, if not immediately, in a later life Relying solely on the morality proposed by God, we fulfill our missions in the world, stop accumulating guilt by doing wrong to others, and start repairing our past sins Kardec believed that following the teachings of Christ is much easier and leads us to more comfort than refusing them; all suffering comes from denying in doing what God wants us to That’s why Christ’s yoke is light During the intermissions of its lives, the spirit state has no definite duration In it, the spirit is happy or sad according to the good or bad use of its previous life The spirit studies the causes that quickened or delayed its progress and takes proper decisions, which it will try to put into practice in its next incarnation It also chooses the most adequate tests for its improvement Sometimes, however, the spirit makes a mistake and falls, not fulfilling as a human, the decisions it had made as a spirit In its successive incarnations, the spirit, little by little, loses its impurities and improves itself through work until the end of its corporeal lives Then the spirit belongs to the pure spirit or angel order and fully enjoys God’s complete life and endless, unshakable happiness In a sense, everyone will achieve salvation; it will just take some people a lot longer.26 Judgment and Salvation “The Spirits gladly describe their impressions after leaving the earth, their new situation, the origin of their happiness and suffering i n t heir n ew world Some are happy, others are unhappy; suffering t errible t orments according to the way in which they lived and the good or bad use they made of their lives.” Such knowledge enables us the explanation of our future state and to foresee the happy or sad destiny that waits for us there ~ 213 ~