The expression, "minding one's own business," has had various meanings. One is that the affairs of another should not be pried into, nor should there be an attempt to dominate or dictate to another if, by so doing, one abrogates prerogatives and rights. Apparently Christ Jesus detected this tendency to pry when Peter became inquisitive about the destiny of John. The Master rebuked it by saying (John 21:22), "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" Then he admonished significantly, "Follow thou me."
It is a rule in Christian Science that individual rights be respected and that one observe and acknowledge the rights of everyone. Consistently, it teaches that each should recognize his own rights. This Science tolerates no interference with one's individual approach to spiritual perfection and the demonstration of it. It is clear that any attempt to invade the sacred precincts of another's privacy, mentally or otherwise, is a failure to mind one's own business of knowing that God's government is operating for everyone. In "Miscellaneous Writings," Mrs. Eddy says (p. 283), "Any exception to the old wholesome rule, 'Mind your own business,' is rare."
Students of Christian Science mind their own business as they work out their own salvation; that is, as they demonstrate spiritual truths, spiritual being, increasingly, each day in their experiences. To one Christian Scientist, minding his own business was seen to have a higher and holier implication than is usually the case. The Scientist saw that one is paying attention to his own business when he elevates his thinking to the spiritual realm. Minding one's own business, in that sense, enhances progress, ensures spirituality, and substantiates one's true existence as the child of God.
