By Avatar Meher Baba

The ways of impressionable many are as a rule emblematic of the attitude and behaviour of the influential few. In our age, these key figures in public life are, with rare exceptions, glamorous exponents of materialism. Worldly man, in his limited vision, fancies something to be right; he then proceeds to make it right for other people of similar tendencies, and to declare it sacrosanct for those whose concept of right differs from his. Such a life of arbitrary negation and uncritical imitation is not the life of the spirit; blind surrender to convention does not necessarily result in wise action; much less does it lead to perfection.

The life of the spirit has its basis in a true understanding of values and is governed by it. In the life of perfect action there must be harmonious adjustment between the material and spiritual aspects of life. This cannot be effected by granting equal importance to them. The spirit must and ever will have an inviolable priority over matter. This sovereignty is expressed not by avoiding or rejecting matter, but by making full use of it as an appropriate vehicle for the expression of the Spirit. There is no basic conflict between current of mundane life and the life of the Spirit.

Spiritually evolved do not disdain objects of beauty or works of art; they do not disparage the noble achievements of science or scorn the constructive attainments of politics. Things of beauty become degraded when perverted into objects of craving, jealousy orexclusive possessiveness. Creations of art degenerate into mediums for the inflation of ego and breeding of human frailties; triumphs of science are desecrated by man into instruments for mutual destruction; domestic and international chaos is aggravated and perpetuated for selfish ends.Rightly employed and invested with spiritual understanding, however, things of beauty can become a source of purity, inspiration and joy; works of art have the power to ennoble and raise consciousness of man; attainments of science reveal their capacity to redeem mankind from unnecessary handicaps and suffering. Political action, transmuted by the alchemy of the spirit into statesmanship, can be instrumental in promoting true brotherhood of humanity.

The life of the spirit is not expressed through ignoring worldly spheres of existence. It comes to full flowering when applied to the task of transmuting the material world into a channel for the divine purpose, which is to bring love, peace, happiness, beauty and spiritual perfection within the reach of all.

The life of the spirit finds its truest expression in all-inclusiveness, free from attachment, in appreciation untrammelled by entanglement. This cosmic poise comes to ultimate fruition in spiritually perfect souls. They have the divine capacity to manifest supreme excellence in any phase of life that they deem necessary for spiritual quickening of other souls. If there is a lack of happiness or beauty or goodness in lives of those who come within the Master’s orbit, these very deficiencies are transmuted by Him into opportunities to shower upon them His divine love and to redeem them from spiritual poverty.

Today is the 132nd birth anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba

END OF ARTICLE