Do we need a revolution to change the world? It is suggested that the most effective way to change the world is to begin by changing ourselves. If these ideas gained greater acceptance, the world would unmistakably change for the better.
The Power of Love and the Love of Power.
When we love power, we seek to control other people, we seek to assert our supremacy. This love of power inevitably creates tension, conflict and disputes. The power of love does not seek to assert its supremacy; it seeks to create a feeling of oneness. When there is real love, we see our ‘enemy’ as merely an extended aspect of our own reality.
Oneness not division
Do we find reasons to always divide and separate ourself from other people? If someone makes a mistake we can take two different approaches:
- The first is to judge and condemn them; we can have a feeling of moral superiority that we didn’t do that.
- The other option is to feel that this is a mistake we could easily have made ourselves. With this approach, we have a feeling of oneness with others; we cannot get any joy from someone else’s misfortune so we wish to maintain a forgiving attitude.
Peace
To hope for peace is a beginning. To talk about peace is good. But, if people value peace more than anything else, what will we lose and what will we gain? We will losing our teeming conflict, misery and suffering. We will gain tremendous satisfaction and happiness. The nature of peace is to spread; when we have inner peace we will help spread peace to other people. But, if within we have only dissatisfaction and inner turmoil, this is what we will extend to the rest of the world.
“The greatest misfortune that can come to a human being is to lose his inner peace. No outer force can rob him of it. It is his own thoughts, his own actions, that rob him of it.”
Sri Chinmoy (1)
Individual Change
When we wait for politicians to provide solutions to the problems of the world, we wait in vain. An improvement in the world situation will only occur when individual’s seek to make a difference in their own lives. If people value peace in their own lives, this will inevitably influence the wider world. If we ourselves harbour feelings of jealousy, supremacy and hate, how can we expect the world to be flooded with peace?
Gratitude and Ingratitude
Gratitude has the power to immediately change our lives. To offer gratitude is appreciate the world with humility. Gratitude brings to the fore our good qualities. Ingratitude brings to the fore our negative and critical mind. When we have ingratitude we will will always find fault with the world and live in our critical mind.
(1) Inner Peace at Sri Chinmoy.org
Photo by Prabhakar, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
I really enjoy this blog. Not many speak of themes like oneness and gratitude without floating off into some cloud and losing the reader. Thank you for the good material.
Cheers,
Albert | UrbanMonk.Net
Modern personal development, entwined with ancient spirituality.
Beautiful post! The ultimate motive for self-improvement, self-development, or whatever else you want to call it, should be to improve the world. And this blog is in alignment with that motive! Keep it up, because it makes the world a better place.