Think of Reforming Yourself (1/2)

I am not saying all this to you so that you may lose all hope for the future. I myself am not disappointed nor do I want others to feel that way. The idea that I wish to convey to you is that the people of India by their own folly and ignorance are bent upon losing a golden opportunity which only once in centuries God Almighty grants to people at the time of historic change-over in a country’s administration.

It was high time that they demonstrated their best qualities and the most excellent abilities in order to qualify themselves in the eyes of God for the guardianship of His land. Today, however, the people of India are zealously completing with each other in acts of oppression, ferocity and cruelty so as to win the greatest disapprobation of God. Such manners do not qualify a nation for achieving freedom, progress and glory.

On the other hand, these acts entail the danger that Divine Judgement may again condemn us to slavery and degradation. Hence all sensible people who possess awareness of the situation should endeavour to rectify matters.

How Can You Rectify Matters?

At this stage a question will arise in your minds as to how can we rectify matters? I am prepared to answer this question. In this darkness there is only one glimmer of hope for us. Degradation has not yet enveloped our entire population. There are at least five per cent of people who are immune from the evil infection that is raging today. We can capitalize on these people to launch a movement for reform.

First Step-Organization of the Righteous Elements

The first step in the movement for reformation is to identify, select and organize the righteous elements in our society. As ill-luck would have it the evil forces in our society are well-organized and operated under a systematic planning, but the forces of good are in a disorganized state. Good people are certainly there, but they are in disarray. There is no mutual cooperation and coordination among them.

They have no programme and do not act in concert. Due to these reasons they have been reduced to an ineffective crowd. Every now and then a God-fearing man raises his voice against the prevailing evils, but when no support is forthcoming from any quarter his single voice too is stilled in disappointment.

Sometimes a man openly proclaims what is right and just, but the organized forces of evil throttle his voice and the righteous do no more than praise his boldness in private. Sometimes a man cannot hold himself when he witnesses the acts of inhumanity and makes a protest, but the ferocious elements rush upon him and suppress him and the fate of this man serves as a deterrent to those who still feel the pricks of conscience within their soul. This state of affairs must end. If we do not want that our country should suffer the wrath of God and a number of the righteous and the evil among us should fall victim to the torments that the wrath of God will bring upon us, we should earnestly endeavour to collect and organize the righteous elements who have escaped the prevailing epidemic of moral turpitude. This organized force should check the rising tide of this mischief which is driving us towards a catastrophic end.

There is no cause for concern even though this righteous element is hopelessly outnumbered. If this creative minority unites itself and the members of this creative minority unites itself and the members of little group base their individual and collective conduct on the principles of truth, fairplay, righteousness, sincerity, honesty and firmness of purpose and if they adopt a well-considered programme for the most satisfactory solution of life’s problems and for administering the affairs of the world in an equitable manner, there is not a shadow of doubt that the organized forces of evil despite their numerical strength and fatal weapons will be annihilated by this small but organized body of the God-fearing people. Human nature abhors wickedness.

Human nature is liable to be misled; it is liable to be deformed, yet the inborn virtue of goodness instilled into it by the Lord can never be eliminated. The number of those who are preoccupied with evil, and become its standard bearers is really small. Similarly there are very few people who are fully devoted to virtue and are actively engaged in establishing the noble causes.

In humanity possesses mixed tendency of virtue and wickedness. They are not particularly inclined towards evil, nor are they excessively drawn towards virtue. It is the standard-bearers of good or evil who influence and guide the sentiments of the majority of common people and their inclinations wholly depend on whether the viewpoint of the righteous is transmitted to them first or whether the forces of evil steal a march over the forces of good and succeed in drawing them to their side.

If the standard-bearers of good do not enter the field at all and make no efforts to guide the people on the path of virtue, the void thus created will be filled by spearheads of the evil forces and they will draw the people to the path of evil. But if the standard-bearers of righteousness enter the field of action and perform the task of reforming the society in right earnest, the leaders of evil forces cannot maintain their hold on the masses for much longer.

These two forces will confront each other in the sphere of morality, and in this combat evil can never dominate virtue. Falsehood may expend its full force against truth, dishonesty may use all its stratagems against honesty; corruption may content with piety with all the power it can muster, yet the final round will always be won by truth, piety and honesty.  The world is not so insensible that having tasted the sweetness of righteousness and endured the bitterness of evil it should yet adjudge bitter evil better than sweet piety.

Discrimination between The Making and The Unmaking

Second Step—A Clear Concept of Good and Evil

In order to accomplish the task of reforming a society, a clear concept of good and evil is next in importance to the organization of the righteous people. We should have a clear conception of what is evil and what is good, so that we may endeavour to eliminate evil and enforce piety with all the power at our command. I do not propose to discuss the matter in detail on this occasion. However, I would like to present before you a brief sketch of these two factors.

(Continued)