THE ROLE OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN TODAY'S WORLD SITUATION
The question of what can be done to reduce international tension and avoid the disaster of war is one that weighs upon the hearts and minds of us all. But few of us ask "What can I do?" Because it seems impossible for an individual to do anything; we are coming to regard ourselves as no more than helpless passengers on a vast liner that is about to sink.
Are we?
For the forest tobe green, the trees must be green. War can-and will-break out in a World that is prepared for it -prepared by the presence everywhere of an atmosphere of anger, lies, and hostility based upon fear. On the other hand, war could not and would not happen in a world peopled by individuals at peace with themselves.
When we let fear provoke us into argument and hostility - even if only over our "rights," vanities and prejudices-it does not occur to us that our quarrels could have anything remotely to do with the peace of the world. And yet it is the sum, the mass, of these infinitely small conflicts which, put together, help to make up a total atmosphere of tension and hostility.
It is useless and infinitely dangerous to look to governments, politicians, and conferences for help in this predicament. This is simply a rejection of responsibility and a declaration of helplessness on the part of the individual. It is precisely what we have been doing for the whole of the world's history, and yet war is still with us. The only change has been in scale, so that now our fear is a thousandfold more powerful than it has ever been before. The statesmen of today, however wise and prudent, however dogmatic and provocative, are not prime movers.; they are slaves of the atmosphere of fear and tension in the world, just as we all are.
If you go into the household of people who dislike and mis-trust one another, you can feel the tension in it, even if the occupants are, for the moment, on their best behaviour. In such a household, you will find it impossible to be at ease, because the atmosphere must have its effect upon you: at best, you will merely feel uncomfortable, and at worst, you will find yourself taking sides and joining in the conflict. Please judge the truth from this from your own experience and then consider whether the state of the world is not simply that of this household reproduced upon a vast scale, when individuals become nations and family groups of nations.If this state of affairs is to be changed, individuals must change. There is no other way.
Each man has within himself a great storehouse of creative energy, peace, and happiness. This is true of the highest and the lowest, the happiest and the most abjectly miserable. In order to feel the benefit of this storehouse, however, a man must have access to it; he must know that it is there, know how to reach it, and make daily use of his knowledge. Once this contact is established, the storehouse becomes a treasury of good from which coin can be drawn for spending in the ordinary activities of daily life.
There exists a technique for leading the conscious mind to this inner hidden treasury. It is neither difficult nor demanding, requires neither knowledge nor preparation, and can be used by anybody anywhere after a few hours of instruction. It consists of a particular form of deep meditation, and it is being taught every day to people all over the world. Its effects begin immediately and are cumulative and increasing.
A man freed from his fears and anxieties will not project them upon others, nor will he be vulnerable to tensions projected upon him by circumstances or by other people. He will cease to play his small but all-important part in the maintenance of the atmosphere of strain in which we now live. He will, in fact, be making a contribution to the peace of the world- the only one that he can. His contribution, furthermore, will be active and powerful-because a man without fear can no more help radiating peace and energy upon those about him than a fire can help radiating heat; and the energy that he projects is strong enough and constant enough to combat and nullify far larger amounts of its opposite.
The technique of deep meditation taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is already being practised by thousands of people. If it were be practised by hundreds of thousands its effects would become apparent not only in the individual but in whole populations and, consequently, in the behaviour of governments and statesman. Here, at last, is something direct and practical that the individual can do. Surely it could be tried, at the very least, by anybody with the peace of the world at heart, for time seems to be running perilously short.
Details of the courses of instruction in this system of special meditation can be obtained from:-
THE SECRETARY, SPIRITUAL REGENERATION MOVEMENT FOUNDATION OF GREAT BRITAIN, 4, ALBEMARLE STREET, LONDON, W.1.
Telephone: HYDe Park 6296
No comments:
Post a Comment