Do we have the capacity to help others?¹⁸

Do we have the capacity to help others? Yes, we do. Do we have the capacity to help others in words? Yes, we do. Do we have the capacity to help others in deeds? Yes, we do. Then how is it that we do not help others? We do not help others for various reasons. I wish to cite a few deplorable and painful reasons.

The most deplorable reason is a very simple one. We do not want to see happiness in others; we want only our own happiness. By nature, we human beings are cruel to one another. By nature, we do not want to see others happy. When we see that others are happy, we feel that our own little world is totally shattered and destroyed. The animal in us gets happiness from destruction. The human in us gets happiness from division and a sense of separativity. But the divine in us gets satisfaction only from oneness. The divine in us knows nothing else save and except oneness.

So the main reason that we do not help others is because we do not want to see others happy. This is the root cause. This root cause branches into several subsidiary causes. One of the subsidiary causes is that we want the rest of the world to see how important we are. When others come to us for help, we feel that we are indispensable. But when we come to learn that the same people have gone to others for help, we feel that we were right in not helping them. We feel that since the other party did not feel that we were indispensable, since the party went to others, we did the right thing in not helping. In this way we justify our unwillingness to help.

There is human friendship and divine friendship. Human friendship says, “Give me; I need.” Divine friendship says, “Take me, for I am all yours.” When we exercise our human friendship, we tell the world, “Give us; we need.” When we exercise our divine friendship, we tell the world, “Take us, for we are all yours.” The human in us has not only failed us time and again, but it will always fail us. The divine in us has always succeeded and will always succeed. This divine success is nothing short of world harmony and universal harmony, world peace and universal peace, world satisfaction and universal satisfaction.

Divine friendship is founded upon oneness. The source of divine friendship, divine love and divine concern is oneness. For this reason, divine friendship is lasting. On the other hand, human friendship on earth is nothing but a rope of sand. We shall not be an inch from truth if we say that most human beings are fair-weather friends. When we are desperate and facing inclement weather, our so-called friends desert us in a twinkling. We come out in the street and see an individual and ask him, “Are you my friend?” He says, “Of course, I am your friend, but on one condition: that you never ask me for a favour.” Then we see another individual and ask him, “Are you my friend?” He says, “Of course I am, but on one condition: that I shall be at least one inch superior to you. You have to be under me. If you are ready to be at my beck and call, if you are ready to be at my feet, then I will accept you as my friend.”

We see a third individual and say, “Are you my friend?” He answers, “Of course I am, but on one condition: whenever I am in need, you have to come to my rescue. But if ever you are in need, you must not count on me, for I have many, many things to do on earth other than helping you. So, if you want to be my friend, then let your acceptance of me be unconditional.”

So, when we are looking for a friend, we are like a helpless beggar. At that time, God our supreme Source is playing the role of the eternal beggar in and through us. He wants to play the role of a veritable beggar and we are extremely grateful to Him that He has chosen us for this; in and through us He will fulfil His begging task. Then God goes to some other individuals and asks them to assist others. He wants to play another role in and through them: the role of the eternal giver, the divine friend. But to His wide surprise He gets no response. But since God is compassionate to the needy, He continues trying to find some individuals who will allow Him to play this role in and through them. He is looking for some individuals in and through whom He can fulfil the aspiration-life and the desire-life of those in whom He is playing the role of a beggar. Finally, He finds some souls that are receptive. They are more than willing to abide by His express request, and they come to the rescue of those who are desperately in need of help.

When the seeker needs help, he can only do one thing. He has to dive deep within and bring to the fore his adamantine will. This adamantine will he will place at the Feet of the Absolute Supreme. Then the Absolute Supreme grants His all-fulfilling Compassion-light to the adamantine will of the seeker. When the seeker’s will and the Supreme Grace become one and are ready to work together, man’s aspiration-world and God’s Satisfaction-World make God the Beggar and God the Giver totally fulfilled both in the aspiration-world of earth and the satisfaction-world of Heaven.