Hari
Om
Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by
which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality
and become more congruent within our personality.
The next little prasaadam pushtaka we shall puruse is
'Many Problems One Solution', from Guru-ji, Swami Tejoymayananda.
Were
you able to self-observe over the past week? Was there any situation where you
felt, in retrospect, you may have contributed to it being a 'problem', even if
that were at purely the mental level? It's an interesting exercise and an
important one for the spiritual student. Keep at it. Now let us progress with
Guru-ji's teaching.
VARIETY
OF PROBLEMS.
There
are problems at every level; physical, financial, emotional, social… All people
from young to old, from all walks of life and profession, have problems. As a
general rule, it can be said the bulk of problems are of a personal nature.
Indeed, if you were to sit with a group of people with no particular agenda,
you are likely to find that the topics of conversation will all be brought to a
personal level and almost always what will rise to the top of the list is the
problems each of them is experiencing personally, rather than the positives or,
greater still, the problems of society and nation. It is the human thing, based
on the animal nature, to worry about the individual self and those close to it.
It
is also interesting to note that a great many of the problems which get
discussed are related to dealing with people. Plain fact is we must deal with
others on an ongoing basis. It is also a fact that not everyone is going to be
on our 'wavelength'. At a physical level, we try to seek a remedy for our
ailments by swallowing pills and potions and hope for a cure-all, when all that
is needed is a bit of discipline on our diet and exercise.
Financially,
people in trouble try to solve the problem by borrowing money; which also goes
from them because the real problem is their own lack of ability to manage it.
What is required is the ability to work hard, to live within the current means
of what is earned and, if we are really good, to save a little each week. The
world has been arranged so that all our needs are fulfilled with minimum
expense; all the essentials such as food, water, air are present by the flow of
Divine Nature and are the only things, in truth, that we need. Unessential
things such as gold, diamonds, and other such things, come at a premium price
which has been set by artificial needs, which are actually greed. When, in our
imaginary discussion group, people say that they do not have enough money for
this or that, it is almost always in relation to the non-essentials of life.
Our
basic needs are few and, as a rule, are inexpensive (though even food can
come at a premium, such is the artificial nature of our lives now). Inner life is enriched by values and virtues
like Love, compassion and right-thinking. These things do not require money.
When we give more importance to material things, this is when 'problems' start
to appear. Jealousies and competition start to arise. Obsessions begin to
manifest and we are driven to earn more so that can spend more and we lose
ourselves in the 'valuables' - misplacing our 'values'. That is when problems
become dominant.
In
the field of education, there is a lot of frustration; there is a tendency to
view schooling as a means towards getting a job. After all the years of study
and getting the certificates and diplomas and degrees, when a person cannot
obtain work, there can be a tendency to blame the education or the system -
forgetting that the education is about more than a providing a key to
employment. It ought to have taught us how to apply ourselves, whatever the
situation. We see endless problems in the fabric of our society, starting
within the family even; parents who do not know how to love their children but
expect, instead, that they will be automatically obedient; poor habits of a
mother or father which impoverish the family; a constant looking outwards and
pining about what is not had, rather than remaining calm and collected and
appreciative of what is. The difference between the two is the attitude; the
way of thinking.
