Sabarmati Ashram
February 1st, 1940.
We must abandon our efforts to prove ourselves right at the cost of others. There must be an effort to understand others viewpoint with evenhandedness. Never consider others as stupid, ignorant and never develop contempt for them in the minds. Although it is difficult to keep a smiling face when somebody opposes our ideals or the ideals of people whom we admire and yet at the very same thing makes spiritual life superior to the ordinary life. Spiritual person does not rebel at the inconsistency between "what it is and what it should be". He accepts the life as it is. It does not mean that he surrenders to the circumstances. He never feels helpless and surrender to the circumstances. He evaluates and lets the situation mature appropriately. At the same time he accepts the people who do not handle the situation on hand well. He is not like the people who favor one kind of lifestyle against the other, so he does not have disappointment or shame. In other words he is not intolerant to circumstances or the people. He considers others as honest and selfless as he.
Our religion does not believe in God that favors one person against the other or extracts the revenge. We believe in God's love for universe. This religion expects us to have patience and act with humility and spiritual feelings towards the people who oppose us. We have developed this nature of opposing anyone who does not agree with our opinion and tend to believe them as stupid or something like that and tend to develop contrariwise feelings. It is very helpful to understand persons background, nature, education and past history to evaluate and decide the reasons behind persons opinion and actions. We can understand the person by knowing his nature and vision. Not only that, we can estimate his understanding of the situation. There is always some goodness in a cruel person and we can experience that spark of goodness by such understanding.
Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Sandesh
Edition 3; pages 250 - 251.
February 1st, 1940.
We must abandon our efforts to prove ourselves right at the cost of others. There must be an effort to understand others viewpoint with evenhandedness. Never consider others as stupid, ignorant and never develop contempt for them in the minds. Although it is difficult to keep a smiling face when somebody opposes our ideals or the ideals of people whom we admire and yet at the very same thing makes spiritual life superior to the ordinary life. Spiritual person does not rebel at the inconsistency between "what it is and what it should be". He accepts the life as it is. It does not mean that he surrenders to the circumstances. He never feels helpless and surrender to the circumstances. He evaluates and lets the situation mature appropriately. At the same time he accepts the people who do not handle the situation on hand well. He is not like the people who favor one kind of lifestyle against the other, so he does not have disappointment or shame. In other words he is not intolerant to circumstances or the people. He considers others as honest and selfless as he.
Our religion does not believe in God that favors one person against the other or extracts the revenge. We believe in God's love for universe. This religion expects us to have patience and act with humility and spiritual feelings towards the people who oppose us. We have developed this nature of opposing anyone who does not agree with our opinion and tend to believe them as stupid or something like that and tend to develop contrariwise feelings. It is very helpful to understand persons background, nature, education and past history to evaluate and decide the reasons behind persons opinion and actions. We can understand the person by knowing his nature and vision. Not only that, we can estimate his understanding of the situation. There is always some goodness in a cruel person and we can experience that spark of goodness by such understanding.
Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Sandesh
Edition 3; pages 250 - 251.
