In the declining and confused state of today’s economy it is quite easy to get one’s priorities out of focus. Such spiritually blurred vision, as with the natural eye, can cause dizziness and other complications, that usually continue to worsen until some major derailment, one must honestly assess and come to grips with motivation. What “hard drive” is controlling or heavily influencing the arrangement of these priorities? Once this knowledge is acquired we can apply more deliberate and effective means of prioritizing through knowledge, volition and action, “The Big Three,’ without any one of which the proves will be ineffective and the cycle will remain the same. Mere knowledge of the advantages of healthy, wholesome physical and spiritual diets and exercise would be to no avail without actual voluntary participation in action.
In assessing motivation of our misspent priorities we may find that the biggest problem derives from the smallest word-ego (self). In the Baha’i Holy Writings we interestingly find that the word self has two meanings. One: the light or true identity of God’s creation in “His Own Image” within us. The other darker animalistic heritage within each of us, is the lower nature that can develop into 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 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 – that often include friends and loved ones.
“From early childhood he (man) is trained to develop his ego and to seek to exalt himself above others. 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 material world and from the “Kingdom of names to which mankind has become enslaved.”
The aim of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah (the Baha’i Faith) is to reverse the current process.
Investigate!
