UNVEILING A NEW 'ME' IN THE NEW YEAR
CA Prafful Singi
Happy and prosperous New Year to one and all !!
A wise person once said, "The coming of the Satyuga (heaven) is as certain as death".
This conviction is praise-worthy; in our world where most children understand sorrow more than their parents’ love, there are individuals whose eyes only ‘see’ the past days of perfection. Although many people accept that Heaven, Eden, Kritayuga, Bahisht, Swarg, Garden of Allah, Paradise, Eldorado, etc. are not figments of imagination, present situations often shake this belief. Keeping optimistic views about the perfect future for our children and ourselves seems ludicrous when we see the immense fear, despair, sorrow, corruption, terrorism and evil breeding in our world. Truth and righteousness are never easy paths to follow but since history repeats itself, good will always vanquish evil. How can I, as an individual, make a positive and permanent contribution while celebrating the New Year 2016? It’s time for retrospection…..
Every religious faith speaks about a perfect world where residents know only peace and happiness. Every individual wants these qualities in their lives, whether or not they choose the right path to attain them. Since they are innate qualities and memories only exist when real incidents precede them, it could be said that there was a time in history when life was glorious, human beings were complete in every way and nature was in total harmony. Is it possible to re-create such a world? Where the human mind can create an evil such as the atomic bomb, can it be educated to establish a peaceful world?
The end of the year brings on feelings of introspection, self-auditing, recollection of the good and not-so-good experiences, a visit to a place of worship to pray for peace in the coming New Year etc. Everyone celebrates the New Year, albeit at different times in the year, the main reason being to start afresh with hope, love and peace. But today we see a dire need for something more - a New World. Millions of people are working selflessly towards this goal of a peaceful world and it definitely requires united co-operation, but before I change the world I need to begin with the self. For a long time, we have attributed the world’s misfortunes to external sources (God’s will, fate, other people and religions etc.); even if this may be true, what am I doing to counteract the negativity?
Reviving the human spirit is a noble task and more effective when each person re-ignites his or her own hidden energy. The human soul has the capacity to reach heights of perfection in values and inner powers. Layers of self-doubt, impure and alien characteristics cannot hide the true self for long. Association with the body has led to adoption of vices and so transformation begins when the consciousness returns to the original, eternal state of being an infinitesimal point of divine energy, soul, (the source of our thinking, emotions and personality).
This process of change requires the presence of the Supreme Being, the Almighty Power-House. When I connect to the Eternal Parent, whilst being ‘soul-conscious’, I gain power to remove all negativity since subjugation of evil requires pure, spiritual energy. Just as new beginnings demand a sacrifice of the old and decayed, similarly, world renewal requires the sacrifice of vices and weaknesses from each human soul.
Just as a single candle can kindle a thousand lights, one pure thought inspires the same in others. When we realise that our efforts are the little bricks being laid for the foundation of a New World, we would never break our Resolutions. Let us begin the New Year with a donation of one drawback or internal weakness. The Supreme Being, the Ocean of Love, wants peace and righteousness to rule the world just like us, so why don’t we tune into His way of thinking and help create that Paradise?
Kind Regards,