Editorial
Faith in the Power of Goodness
We have everything we want now. We can travel from one end of the earth to another in hours. We have doctors who can replace hearts if necessary. We have technology which does everything for us while we can sit at home. Our mobile phone is another miracle. All these things were unthinkable for centuries and centuries till the 18th century or later. Yet we are unhappy. We constantly fight, create wars, kill one another, speak about war refugees, and so on. God asks Himself: “What will bring satisfaction to these human creatures? These creatures seem to be dissatisfied with everything.”
Some tribes were asked about their conquerors, “What do you think about your conquerors?” The tribal leader said: ” We see their faces and think: They are always tense and crazy. They are not at all happy.” And thus we have unending wars. The ancient division of life into two broad divisions, Good and Evil, Deva and Asura, is perhaps the eternal truth.
Evil is tamas. Tamas has become aggravated now. Tamasic people are now trying to rule the world with their tamasic ideas and ideals. Their basic structure, philosophy and thinking pattern is rob, burn, kill, destroy and enjoy. Further, those who obstruct them in their deeds are considered bad people. It was good if the so-called educated people understood this fact of dichotomous universe. It was so good if semi-educated people realised that tamasic people are what they are because of evil. But countless semi-educated people, popularly called wrong-wingers, are busy blocking streets and roads, destroying property and harming life, to support Evil. You can awaken a sleeping Kumbhakarna, but not a person feigning sleep. These semi-educated wrong-wingers will intentionally hate Good and promote Evil.
However, evil is never powerful. Evil is inherently weak. It may appear to howl, shout, burn and kill, it may pride on physical strength, but it is inherently hollow. Ultimately it is inner strength that counts, not the fading external agitation. Good or Deva is always victorious. Otherwise life, universe, Ishvara etc would be meaningless. There is a caveat. Good should not imagine to change things just by sitting quiet or by dreaming of change. Good should be active too. First of all, Good should have faith in Goodness. To be fence-sitters, doubting their Good way and thinking that it was better if they followed Evil path, is hypocrisy. They should know that the way of Good alone wins in the end. Secondly, for Good to keep quiet is to arm Evil. Thirdly, Good should positively act, using its methods: prayer, mantra, meditation, spreading positive vibrations, good words. Fourth, Good should hold on and to the quality of intense faith in the Divine, which brings inner strength. Intense prayer, spreading correct knowledge, awakening wrong wingers, and so on are the active duties of Good. Let’s remember Swami Vivekananda’s eternal words:
Three things are necessary to make every man great, every nation great:
- Conviction of the powers of goodness.
- Absence of jealousy and suspicion.
- Helping all who are trying to be and do good.
There is the Divine Plan. Ishvara is the impartial Witness of all. He protects Good and destroys Evil.
May Sri Ramakrishna guide us all towards the supreme Light. This is the eternal prayer of all of us.
Swami Sunirmalananda