We live in the age of the Internet. Wherever we go on the planet, we need to have the Internet. But, along with a connection to the Internet, we also need to rediscover our ‘Inner-net’ connection. Spirituality teaches us how to manage both our internal and external worlds.
Day by day, science and technology are rapidly growing in an uncontrollable manner. Nobody knows where this growth is leading. When we look around, we see developers, producers, distributors, and consumers all seem to be caught in a frenzy to acquire the latest, greatest and largest things. The current state of humanity is like that of a child let loose in a candy store.
Today, while lying in our bed we can order anything to eat, drink, watch or listen to, and it will be delivered right to our home. We don’t need to go to a store anymore to buy new or used things. There are websites for anything and everything. The internet is revolutionizing the world, which is good. Now, we can buy anything with a single click of our finger – except one thing – Love.
We all have air-conditioned houses, cars and offices. But, many people cannot fall asleep in their air-conditioned rooms and must depend on sleeping pills. Some even commit suicide in their air-conditioned mansions. What does this mean? We cannot find peace of mind through external comforts alone. For this, we need to air-condition the mind. Spirituality helps to achieve this.
We live in the age of the Internet. Wherever we go on the planet, we need to have the Internet. But, along with a connection to the Internet, we also need to rediscover our ‘Inner-net’ connection. Spirituality teaches us how to manage both our internal and external worlds.
What is happening to society? Caught up in the speed of life, mankind has forgotten basic human values; we belittle their significance. We attempt to justify all the violence and unrighteousness we commit, from the individual level to the international level. We then thrust our rationalization of these actions on the rest of society.
There have been problems in the world from the beginning of time. For ages, society has suffered from war, conflict, discrimination based on caste, creed, and social position, as well as disharmony in the family. But, our ancestors had a different outlook on life. They had an inherent awareness of three factors – humans, nature, and the invisible power that harmoniously unites them.
Their vision of life did not only take into account the physical existence of individuals and nature. They believed in a power that forms the foundation of nature and every living being; an invisible power that connects all beings with nature. They recognized this power as the most important part of life. They also believed that all of nature and each and every living being in the universe are like beads of variable forms and sizes, strung on a single thread of creation. This is why they gave so much importance to sharing, caring, consideration and empathy. Today, we have labeled this mentality as ‘primitive,’ rejecting their way of living.
Looking at modern life, we see a society of plenty steeped in misery. Excessive greed has blinded mankind, and the incidence of inhumane actions is on the rise, as a result. Mental agitation and stress have caused new and hitherto unknown kinds of diseases.
Humanity is at a crossroads. At present, mankind lives solely depending on science and technology. However, in light of our current situation, we should at least try to incorporate spiritual thinking, as well.
There are two types of education: education for a living and education for life. When we study in college, striving to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, this is education for a living. On the other hand, education for life requires an understanding of the essential principles of spirituality. The real goal of education is not to create people who can understand only the language of machines. The main purpose of education should be to impart a culture of the heart – a culture based on enduring values. Living in spirituality is like the one who knows how to swim, for him, frolicking in the ocean waves is a delightful experience, but one who is unable to swim will quickly drown. We could develop an attitude to accept anything that comes to us happily.
Spirituality is also a science — it is a valid branch of knowledge that cannot be ignored. The scientific community is researching the physical world in an attempt to discover the secrets of the universe. In reality, spiritual scriptures recount the experiences of those who performed intense inner inquiry in order to unfold the same secrets. When we try to view spirituality through mathematics, physics and logic alone, we may fail to grasp its subtleties. We need to approach it with the faith of a child, and with the wonder that shines in a child’s mind and eyes. Renowned scientists of the past viewed the universe and its subtleties with awe and wonderment. Their research had the inquisitiveness and faith of an innocent child. In fact, many past and present eminent scientists acknowledged spirituality towards the end of their lives. But, by then it was too late. Amma prays that the scientific community leading the world today does not make this same mistake.
When white sand and sugar are mixed together, it is very difficult to separate the two, even for an intelligent human being. However, the seemingly insignificant ant — representing humility — will come and easily manage to eat only the sugar. Life is a perfect combination of logic and mystery — perhaps more mysterious than logical. In all areas of life, the head and heart should go together.