Question: Co-operation of all nations is an ancient dream. Assuming we are building on the past, how can we assess the outlook now?

Sri Chinmoy: The ancient dream of co-operation is not a human dream which has very little to do with reality. The ancient dream, to be precise, is not a dream at all but a faultless and divine vision — an unhorizoned vision — which is slowly, steadily and unerringly shaping the individual and collective destiny in humanity’s march towards the supreme goal of universal oneness and transcendental newness. The world is evolving and progressing and reaching a higher standard of life. It is not moving in a horizontal way, but in a spiral. Therefore, at times this progress is not immediately noticeable. At times it confuses and baffles our human mind. But on the strength of our inner oneness with the world situation and world evolution, we see unmistakably the world’s slow and steady progress.

True, man-made destructive forces are to be found here, there and everywhere. Here they may be in small measure; somewhere else, in a large measure. But the creator of the wrong forces, the destructive forces, need not remain always a creator of wrong forces. He can easily become a creator of good forces. In spite of creating and possessing wrong forces, if one remains silent to catch a glimpse either consciously or unconsciously of the divine, illumining and fulfilling light, at that time one is taking the first step. The second step is to create positive realities in order to accelerate humanity’s progress towards perfection.

A negative force is not by nature negative. Only it is a force that we use in a negative way. A knife can be used either as a destructive force or as a force of co-operation and oneness-expansion. With a knife one can stab others; with the same knife one can cut fruits and share them with others.

The ancient dream, nay, the ancient vision, will always remain a new and progressive vision, for creation itself is an ever-transcending reality. We shall have to open our heart’s door and our mind’s windows in order to see from the body-room the light that illumines and fulfils the world around us. Then only we shall discover continual progress in humanity’s march along Eternity’s road to Infinity’s Satisfaction-Goal.