Youth's Questions & Answers in Dallas on 10th may 2009 part-2
Spirituality is a journey from ‘I to We’. The reason is this: when I just carry on my life with this feeling of I-ness, with a feeling of ‘I and mine’, there are two evil tendencies. These two reflect narrow-mindedness. They are self-interest and selfishness. So, this self-centeredness is not religious, while selfishness is irreligious. In order to be selfless, in order to be simple and humble, in order to be benefited by the opportunities of service given to us, in order to know how to care, share and enjoy the Divine, it is a must that one travels from this ordinary ‘I’ to ‘We’. Otherwise, this ‘I’ is just a limitation; ‘I’ is just a drop, but this drop thinks it is all—something like a frog in a well. But when this drop is dropped into the ocean, the drop will realise that it is a part of the ocean, and lose its name and form. Self-denial: that is what self-effacement is. So, drop your I-ness or ego/body identification, identification with the mind, and identification with the intellect, which is all only the science of arrogance. These things can be dropped, can be gotten rid of, only if we travel from ‘I to We’. Once we understand that we are one among many, we will be simple, more caring, more loving, more sharing than ever before. From that state of ‘we-ness’, we travel to He. He is the Divine. So, ‘I’ is the individual, ‘we’ is the community, and He is the Divinity. So, from the individuality to the Divinity, one has to pass through the community. Community requires purity and community requires unity. Only then we can go on to He, the Divine, the Divinity. Therefore, ‘I to We’ is absolutely necessary. There is a tendency among some people to feel, “I live for myself; after all, it is my life.” That is nonsense! It is not your life. The food you eat is not grown by you. The dress you wear is not in any way made by you. So you are no where. You are, after all, benefited by all sections of the society, by everybody, the family, the community, and the labour of many others. Then, how do you say, “I live my life”? It is a sign of madness. We have to travel from ‘I to We’. This is the famous quote of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba that I like the most, which really reflects the depth and the profundity of spirituality. Can there be an equal balance between desires and necessities? Can there be an equal balance between desires and necessities in life? This question needs a sort of re-examination. The question framed needs a little modification. ‘Necessities’ need immediate attention, while ‘desire’ is futuristic. If a desire is not fulfilled, you can still carry on your life. But if necessities are not met with, it is impossible to live. So, necessity is for the moment, while desire is for the future. Also, desire needs a plan, whereas necessity needs immediate implementation. Desire is an expectation, whereas necessity calls for ready action. Desire is something which I may not deserve; but necessity is the one without which I cannot manage. Therefore, there really is nothing like “maintaining a balance between desires and necessities”. Desire—leave it for the future. After all, if it gets fulfilled, okay; if it is not, all the better, because who knows if the fulfilment of that desire is good for you. That desire, which is fulfilled now, you may think is good because it is in your favour; but in the long run, it may turn out to be a curse, who knows? So, desire-fulfilment need not necessarily be a boon. It may turn into a curse later on, in the course of time, along with growing experience and exposure. On the other hand, necessity is necessary for our daily life, and therefore cannot be ignored. So, in fact, desires and necessities are applicable to different periods of time. One (necessities) is for now, while the other (desires) is for later. One is for this moment, while the other is left to the future. There need not be any balance about this. These necessities can continue, while those desires may be cut short selflessly with a preparedness of spirit, of acceptance, come what may. Have the feeling: “Desires fulfilled or desires unfulfilled, it is all for my own good.” HOW TO KEEP OUR THOUGHTS, WORDS, AND DEEDS IN HARMONY IN THIS CHANGING WORLD? Youth from Region 8 asks: Has Bhagavan shared anything, any tips or formulas, which will help us keep our thoughts, words and deeds in harmony with each other while living is such a changing world? There are three expressions of inner energy: thought is energy, word is energy, and action is energy. Therefore, our inner energy expresses in these three forms. But it has to be born in mind that one has to discriminate about thought, which itself is energy. One has to examine, evaluate and assess each thought, as and when it arises. If the thought is bad—that is, if something is motivated by selfishness—it will naturally be affecting things for the worse, and the words that arise from such a thought will translate as well into an action that would put a man into greater difficulty. For example, usually in society, particularly in the field of politics, what politicians think is different from what they say, and sometimes it is totally opposite to their actions. That is political and hypocritical. Well, such people seem to be successful in life, as we view them from a distance. But truly speaking, if you live with them and observe them in close quarters, you will certainly conclude that they have no sense of satisfaction and no mental peace. They are deprived of happiness and bliss, and are full of anxiety, worry, and tension. These are the features of those people who have disharmony or disunity in their thoughts, words and deeds. Whereas in contrast, those who maintain this harmony of thought, word and deed, live in peace and in a state of bliss. Therefore, one is only torturing himself by this disharmony. Remember, success in life is not due to money, position, cadre, or even ability; nor is it reflected by the amount of dignity, status, or respect one is given outwardly. All that is not success! True success means to maintain a balance in life. True success is to be peaceful, and true success is to be blissful. Therefore, if we maintain harmony, we will be peaceful and blissful in our life. In this challenging world, you may be tempted to be disharmonious in thought, word and deed, and you may try to win others in the community. You may try to work for your own success. But with this disharmony, you lose your individuality; you lose your innate dignity, your happy personality, your credibility, and even your accountability. In short, nobody will believe you. In such a situation, people may say, “Hello, hello, hello,” to your face, but these words feel hollow inside. A fellow with disharmony will never be respected, and is, in fact, undependable. People may shake his hand, but they will try to avoid him because they know, in their heart of hearts, that what he does, what he says, and what he thinks are at variance with each other. Therefore, in order to maintain our self-respect, in order to have our own self-esteem and self-confidence, it is absolutely necessary to maintain the harmony of our thoughts, words and deeds. Thus we can live in peace and enjoy a blissful life. We need to establish our individuality so as to maintain our own personality in the community. By and large, the harmony of thought, word and deed is much more important than anything else.
