The Secret of Work
We think that we have helped some man and expect him to thank us, and
because he does not, unhappiness comes to us. Why should we expect anything in
return for what we do? Be grateful to the man you help, think of him as God. Is
it not a great privilege to be allowed to worship God by helping our fellow
men?
If we were really unattached, we should escape all this pain of vain
expectation, and could cheerfully do good work in the world. Never will
unhappiness or misery come through work done without attachment.
We Help Ourselves, Not The World
First, we have to
bear in mind that we are all debtors to the world and the world does not owe us
anything. It is a great privilege for all of us to be allowed to do anything
for the world. In helping the world we really help ourselves.
The second
point is that there is a God in this universe. It is not true that this
universe is drifting and stands in need of help from you and me. God is ever
present therein, He is undying and eternally active and infinitely watchful. When
the whole universe sleeps, He sleeps not; He is working incessantly; all the
changes and manifestations of the world are His.
Thirdly, we ought not
to hate anyone. This world will always continue to be a mixture of good and
evil. Our duty is to sympathise with the weak and to love even the wrongdoer. The world is a grand moral gymnasium wherein
we have all to take exercise so as to become stronger and stronger spiritually.
Fourthly, we ought
not to be fanatics of any kind, because fanaticism is opposed to love. You hear
fanatics glibly saying, "I do not hate the sinner. I hate the sin,"
but I am prepared to go any distance to see the face of that man who can really
make a distinction between the sin and the sinner. It is easy to say so. If we
can distinguish well between quality and substance, we may become perfect men.
It is not easy to do this. And further, the calmer we are and the less
disturbed our nerves, the more shall we love and the better will our work be.
You will find various classes of men in this world
First, there are the God-men, whose
self-abnegation is complete, and who do only good to others even at the
sacrifice of their own lives. These are the highest of men. If there are a hundred
of such in any country, that country need never despair. But they are unfortunately
too few.
Then there
are the good men who do good to others so long as it does not injure
themselves. And there is a third
class who, to do good to themselves, injure others.
It is said by a Sanskrit poet that there is a fourth unnameable class of people who injure others merely for
injury's sake. Just as there are at one pole of existence the highest good men,
who do good for the sake of doing good, so, at the other pole, there are others
who injure others just for the sake of the injury. They do not gain anything thereby,
but it is their nature to do evil.
He who in good action sees that there is
something evil in it, and in the midst of evil sees that there is something
good in it somewhere, has known the secret of work.
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