In the confusion of today’s “advanced” technology and society” it is quite easy to get one’s priorities out of focus. Such blurred spiritual vision, as with the natural eye, can cause dizziness and other complications that tend to worsen until some major derailment occurs.
In order to rearrange one’s priorities before such derailment, one must honestly assess and come to grips with motivation, the hard drive controlling or heavily influencing arrangement of these priorities. Once this fact is determined more deliberate and effective means of prioritizing can be applied through knowledge and volition prior to action–the big 3, without any one of which the process will be ineffective and the cycle of results will remain virtually the same. Mere knowledge of the advantages of healthy, wholesome physical and spiritual diets and exercise would be to no avail without taking voluntary action.
We’ve all heard it said, “The only thing dumber than doing the same thing and expecting different results is doing the same things and expecting better results.” In assessing motivation for our misspent priorities we may find that the biggest problem may derive from the smallest word, EGO (self). Confucius says: “Man wrapped up in self makes small package.”
In the Baha’i Holy Writings, however we interestingly find that the word self has two meanings: one the light or true identity of God’s creation (man) “in His Own Image” within each of us. The other, the darker, animalistic heritage, also within us, the lower nature that we must diligently and persistently struggle against once obtaining knowledge of the two. In fact it has even been suggested that the true Armageddon may well be this perpetual war between these two identities within each of us!
“Human society at present exerts a pernicious influence upon the soul of man,” the Baha’i Writings continue. “Instead of encouraging him to live a life of service and sacrifice, it teaches him to pride himself on his accomplishments and personal possessions (all obtained through the mercy and grace of God). Too often this possessiveness spills over to include particular individuals. How frequently do we find in daily news, accounts of tragic incidents as murder, suicide or other tragic occurrences, based on the erroneous assumption that a certain individual (or individuals) belong to instead with them–perhaps for different periods of time for different reasons.
“From early childhood man is trained to develop his ego and to seek to exalt himself above others,” the Baha’i Writings continue. His ultimate aim is to achieve self-importance, success and power. The soul of man needs to be adorned with virtues of humility and self-effacement so that it may become detached from the things of this transitory material world and from the ‘Kingdom of names’ to which mankind has become enslaved”—the pivotal core of misplaced priorities.
The divinely ordained and orchestrated new Revelation of Baha’u’llah (the Baha’i Faith) provides ongoing blueprints (today’s spiritual GPS) to reverse these destructive trends by removing “the pith of self” that we might become instruments through which God’s Love may flow to others.”
Equally important, upon achieving any degree of such perfection however, we are admonished to: “Let no earthly entanglements, no worldly affections, no ephemeral pursuits tarnish the purity or embitter the sweetness of His Grace that flows through!”
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