“Those who follow the crowd are soon lost in it,” we have heard it said. Yet we instinctively continue to follow such lead, lured by increasing television and other popular unscrupulous fads that glorify sex, violence, profanity, immorality and stupidity.
Never having been a sports fan, I seldom ever turn on the TV set except for occasional news casts which are getting harder to watch–especially during election times. It is probably already evident that I am out of touch with today’s perceived “reality.”
From early childhood we have heard of survival of the fittest and were constantly encouraged to develop physical and mental fitness. Unfortunately we failed to place equal emphasis on these two, and the third element of our triune nature, spiritual fitness, has become woefully obscure creating serious imbalance in today’s fast paced society–that runs the full gamut “from the uttermost to the gutter-most.”
Man possesses two kinds of susceptibilities we are apprised in the Baha’i Holy Writings, natural emotions (our lower nature) and spiritual susceptibilities (our higher one). Unfortunately the modern world, submerged in a sea of materialism, is well equipped to stimulate natural emotions. Television, literature, art, our respective institutions, legal system and even our economic system are all spreading the pollution of materialism and immorality. Therefore in this exciting new age one must work more earnestly than at any other age at acquiring spiritual susceptibilities that would guide us along the road less traveled. Tests and difficulties make us more aware of the situations that stimulate natural emotions. If when we have a test we turn to our lower nature in response the test may destroy us. If we turn instead to our higher nature that test will be a source of spiritual strength.
It is a natural tendency for us to think that our problems are in the people we come in contact with rather than within ourselves. I often think of the teacher who spoke out about the “problem” of integrated classrooms at a seminar sponsored during the early days of desegregation. The speaker, brought in from Florida for the occasion by the Roanoke City School System, politely responded that the bigger problem was her envisioning it as a “problem” rather than a challenge or as an opportunity to learn more about different cultures.
Ironically the “problem” not only still exists it has become magnified over the years with the integration of many additional cultures. How sad the commentary and sadder still the results–our current confused and potentially explosive environments in personal relationships, within our homes, work places, our communities, the nation and throughout the world.
How do we undo centuries of manipulation and indoctrination as opposed to education? “Observe equity in your judgment,” we are admonished in the Baha’i Scriptures. “Tread ye the path of justice for this, verily is the straight path” and the road less traveled.
