Beth Day Romulo: Do You Think World...

Beth Day Romulo: Do you think world leaders with all the pressures on them are able to continue to grow spiritually?

Sri Chinmoy: A world leader may not pray consciously, but sometimes what he is doing may be absolutely spiritual. Three or four years ago, President Gorbachev said he did not believe in God. But who did what God wanted—liberating so many countries in the Eastern bloc and reuniting Germany? It is not necessary for him to use the term 'God.' As long as he believes in something inspiring and aspiring, that very thing is God for him. God means light, and Gorbachev is filled with light. Guided by his inner light, he has changed the face and fate of the 20th-century world. So it is absurd to say that he is not a spiritual person. Previously he said that he does believe in God, but now he often speaks of God. At the United Nations, he told the previous Secretary-General, "Don't worry, God is on your side." He has visited the Pope twice. So how can he not believe in God?

Some politicians are definitely being guided by their Inner Pilot, but they are facing opposition. They want to do something great for mankind, but there are many obstacles. So they have to act like divine heroes. Once they overcome one obstacle, they have to face the next obstacle. But if they consciously pray and meditate and illumination takes place, then they can avoid many of these obstacles.

We use the term 'sunlit path.' Ahead of us and around us is darkness. If this darkness can be illumined, then the road ahead will be full of illumination and we will be able to run fast, faster, fastest. But if we don't pray and meditate, then there will always be obstacles and problems ahead of us and at every moment we will have to be very, very brave.

Ignorance is all the time standing against us. We can try to destroy ignorance or we can try to illumine it. If we see a thief, we can strike him and kill him. But then, the next day another thief will come and rob our house. Again, if we see a thief, we can try to inject inner wisdom into him and make him feel that stealing is bad. If we can make him feel that God wants him to do something good and great for mankind, then this thief will become our friend and help us in the tug-of-war against ignorance.

If I can change one thief on the strength of my prayer, meditation and good advice, then he will go and tell his friends, "Look how happy I am now. When I used to steal things, I never had joy or peace because I was always afraid that I would be caught red-handed. But now that I have given up that profession and am trying to become a saint, I am filled with peace." His friends will see that his face is shining and that he is no longer beset by worry and anxiety. Then they also will give up stealing. So in this way we will try to bring to our side the undivine forces.