Jan. 13, 2004

Can Spirituality Make Home a Sweet Home?

Life in all areas can become a source of JOY, an infinite fountain of Sweetness, free from external problems and full of higher Peace and spiritual ease. Whatever the work spot – a corner shop selling soda and newspapers, a high level politician taking nationally important decisions, a child in the 5^th standard facing a load of homework, a hotel manager who meets emergencies all the time – whatever the age of the person, whichever is the country or culture, it is our belief that Spirit when invoked has a solution to the problem on hand. When the Spirit is called in, it not only solves the problems, it expands the opportunity that recently came our way. If one is to enter the operation theatre in one hour, his invoking the Spirit makes the doctor say, "This is a fit case to try our new prescription. A surgical operation may not be necessary." Any situation good, bad, or indifferent, has a better alternative. The incoming Spirit gets that for us. If that is so, how do we call the Spirit in us? What do we call the Spirit? Every man has a soul, irrespective of the faith to which he belongs. The Soul is the Spirit. One calls it Atma, the other Being, the third God and the fourth the Inner Divine. By whatever name it is called, it is the same. Religion knows it.

To call the Spirit into our work, we need to concentrate. It is of two different types. Before we start the day, we can take some time to go inside and commune with it and pray that it may more fully express itself in our work. During the work, instead of letting the mind wander, one can concentrate on the QUALITY of the work in order to execute the work better. At work we are constantly confronted with a selfish advantage versus a selfless perfection in work. It rears its head as prestige and a desire to maintain that prestige. It can be replaced with doing the work slightly better than yesterday. To do the work better is Spiritual.

That attitude calls the Spirit into the work and the eternally quarrelling colleague suddenly smiles and offers sweet co-operation. Such an attitude in the exam secures 57 marks as against the usual 31. Life is full of such situations and devotees of spirit have innumerable experiences. Below several attitudes and approaches are listed that will render an ordinary home a home of sweetness. It may be what everyone knows very well. Knowing is different from practising.

v Home is a sweet home. To insist on being sweet is its inherent nature.

v Sweetness is the knowledge of Joy.

v Domestic joy is the joy of selflessness.

v To be selfless is an expansive movement.

v At home, to be selfless is our birthright.

v There is an urge to be selfless instinctively while at home.

v That knowledge changes JOY into one of sweetness.

v Sweet temperament makes domestic life sweeter still.

v Man longs to come home; women yearn to please all.

v The sweetness of domestic life gains in strength when it disregards a discordant note.

v Differences of good emotions deepen into sweet emotions.

v Home is the psychological centre of emotional security.

v Home gives the person a personality.

v Home takes the positive aspects of the society and gives them to the individual as a preservative of character.

v Home condones what the society punishes.

v Home brings to one the wealth of the hereditary values and fosters them in the current social values.

v Foibles are fashioned into forte at home.

v Only home offers all values to an Individual.

v No home – no values.

v Personal angularities are polished into permissible behaviour by perfect love.

v Masculine individuality matures into social mastery in an atmosphere of material security.

v Home is the miniature of the mature society outside.

v Home is the foundation; home is the fortress of harmony.

v There is nothing in the outer society which home does not offer in one form or another.

v No values are greater than home values.

v No Home – no Life.

v Home completes the incomplete biological Individual.

v Home is sandwiched between the previous and future generations.

v Generations, it is said, cause a gap; Generations generate gentlemanly behaviour by the wisdom of the past and the vigour of the future.

v Home is sweet home; it becomes a source of ever increasing sweetness by inner harmony expressing as outer goodwill.

v At home, a woman becomes a wife, a wife becomes a mother. They are evolutionary exercises.

v Home alone can raise life to the level of literature.

v Eternal ROMANCE is in potential at home for those who love adventure and value non-possessiveness.

v Love is there in abundance at home to one to whom giving is receiving or is greater than possessing.