In today’s frequently confused state of economy and society, one’s priorities may easily get out of focus. Such spiritually blurred vision, as with the natural eye, can likewise cause dizziness and other associated complications that usually continue to worsen until some major derailment occurs. In order to rearrange one’s priorities before such derailment, however, one must honestly reassess and come to grips with motivation, the hard-drive controlling, if not heavily influencing arrangement of such priorities. Once this fact is determined, more deliberate and effective means of prioritizing can be applied through knowledge, volition and action–the big 3, without any one of which the process will be ineffective and the cycle of results remain the same.
Mere knowledge and advantages of healthy, wholesome physical, spiritual and/or any other diet and exercise would be to no avail if not accompanied with action! We’ve all heard it said, “The only thing dumber than doing same things and expecting different results is doing same things and expecting better results!” In reassessing motivation of misspent priorities we may find the biggest problems often derive from the smallest word–ego (self).
In the Baha’i Holy Writings we interestingly find that the word self has two meanings–1) 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 can develop into a monster of selfishness, brutality, lust and greed.” It is this lower self that we must diligently and persistently struggle against, once obtaining knowledge of the two. In fact, it has been suggested that the true Armageddon may simply 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,” we are reminded in the Baha’i Holy Writings. “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! Yet too often this possessiveness spills over to include particular individuals. How frequently do we find in tragic incidents, murder and/or suicide based on the erroneous assumption that a certain individual belongs to, rather than with someone in particular and/or for different periods of time, for different reasons–not always designated by man.
“From early childhood man is trained to develop his ego and to seek to exalt himself above others,” the Baha’i Writings state. “His ultimate aim is to achieve self-importance, success and power. The soul of man however, needs to be adorned with the virtues of humility and self-effacement that it may become detached from the things of this material world and from the “Kingdom of names.” to which mankind has become enslaved, Herein lies the pivotal core of misplaced priorities!
The divinely ordained and orchestrated Revelation of Baha’u’llah (the Baha’i Faith) provides ongoing blueprints (today’s spiritual GPS (Glocal Positioning System) to reverse the destructive trends by removing “the pith of self” that we might become instruments through which God’s pure Love may flow to others! (Investigate!)
