17. To be free

```

Why do I want to be free?

If I want to be free

Because the rest of the world is bad,

Then God will ask me

To create another world of my own

Since His creation has failed me.

But if I want to be free

So that I can be of greater service

To my sisters and brothers,

To God's entire creation,

Then God in me selects the hour,

And at that choice hour

The aspiring human in me achieves

Freedom from life's ignorance-night.

If I want to be free

To love the world,

To be part and parcel of the world,

Then God is all eagerness

To grant me freedom.

But if I want to be free

Because the world is full of ignorance,

The world is nothing but a devouring tiger,

Then God feels that I am not the right person

For Him to grant freedom to.

He will grant me freedom

Only when He sees that this freedom

Is for dedicated service,

For the transformation of the human race. ```

From:Sri Chinmoy,Union and Oneness, Agni Press, 1976
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/uo