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The Illusion of Tomorrow

The Theosophical Movement, Vol. 20, No. 9, July 17, 1950

The boy so long delights in his play, the youth so long pursues his beloved, the old so long brood over melancholy thoughts, that no man meditates on the supreme being—Adi Shankaracharya, Bhaja Govindam, verse 7.

It is natural for all men, at some time in the course of their existence, to aspire to better things, to long for lives of merit and usefulness. It matters not what the nature of the ideal may be—whether of art, music, literature or poetry, or whether it be a life of devotion such as that described by Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita—“Some day,” we say, “we shall take the higher road. Some day, we shall attain.” The inspiration of an ideal held has the power to dispel all present gloom, to kindle the imagination, and to keep one going through the darkest of circumstances. It has the power to fire the enthusiasm and to sustain one’s hope over an indefinite period of time. But ideals, as such, are but possibilities—especially on this plane of physical existence. They are seeds for future growth and realization, which require to be planted, nurtured and sustained. Focalized through Mind, energized through Will, and transformed through Devotion into present realities, they become potent endowments for the common human good.

All long for better things, but few take the steps that lead to their attainment. Some say there is no time to spare, that the press of events is too demanding. Some say their Karma is such that they are in no position to engage in nobler work. Others intend to do so, and are only waiting until their “ship comes in,” when travel on the Path will be unimpeded by irksome financial burdens. Still others are of the opinion that because of Kali-Yuga nobler ideals and aspirations must await the rise of a better age. Thus it is that the boy waits until youth, the youth waits until old age, and the old complain that it is too late—victims all, of the illusion of tomorrow.

One of the greatest delusions of our age is the idea that the higher life requires special conditions, or that it will be easier in the future than it is at the present time. The very conditions in which one finds himself are those most suited to his spiritual growth—if he but views them aright. Outer circumstances are intimately related to the inner nature of the experiencer, and contain in themselves such tests and trials as will exercise the virtues he needs to develop.

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Story

Cross Currents

The Law of Human Perfectibility

By Cittih

We human beings like our pleasures and comforts to be sure. One very common fact which proves this is that every moment we like to unconsciously breathe, and if this action of breathing was not pleasurable then we would not breathe. Another fact of life is that: “The Next moment will be breath or Death”—we never know. However, that being said, we all forget this fact and live life as if tomorrow will come, and maybe death will take its own time to come, so why think or worry about it now.

It is not being pessimistic but directly facing the reality of life. Whatever is born has to die. That is the Law of life. The top point of the wheel comes down and likewise the bottom-most point reaches the top cyclically.

That’s how life is. We have constant ups and downs in life; nothing is predictable from our perspective. Pleasures follow pain and vice versa. There are cycles in nature, and similarly cycles are an intricate part of our life from birth to death and beyond. There has never been any human child in the history of mankind which upon taking birth has been found immediately laughing or smiling. The moment a human child comes into this world he or she first cries. Yet we are so attached to our existences or life, our experiences, our identity, our family, spouse, children, property, achievements … in short, “The story of our life.”

We associate ourselves with our personality and our body. Something in us knows that we are the same person—the same “I”—who was a child, then a teenager, and then an adult till we reach the deathbed. Yet we get so lost in “our story,” me, mine, and my world—my wife, my children. The foundation of our existence is based on this identity. With a few minutes of cogitation we may realise that when our body itself doesn’t belong to us, then how can wife, children, friends, relatives, and property? Then some logical thought process in us might lead us to the idea that: “If there is only one life then we should make the best use of it.” This leads people to live life to the fullest extent, maximize their pleasurable experiences, have maximum fun possible, self-aggrandize—all this they associate with their achievements in life. The more children you have, the more property, bank balance you have, the higher your designation is at work, the bigger the car you have, etc… you get the idea. It’s the measuring yardstick of how successful you are.

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Divine Wisdom: Theosophy is…

The Religion of Solidarity

Every religious, philosophical or spiritual tradition of any consequence has pointed to the sublime idea that all life is One. Everything at every level is interconnected. There is a Radical Unity in which no part is left out. The Buddha teaches that the fundamental illusion that plagues mankind is separateness. Jesus pleads with mankind to love one another. Lao Tzu remarks that the Sage has no separate self of his or her own but rather makes the Self of All one’s own. Theosophy hails as its most important idea the reality of Human Solidarity. At some essential level all men and women are brothers and sisters. We are, despite all evidence to the contrary, actually one family with no exceptions. The Secret Doctrine states the ‘fundamental identity of all souls with the Universal Oversoul”. Because of this core idea all credible Great Teachers from all eras and traditions insist on compassion, love and respect for one’s fellow man. But not only that, they insist upon this same reverence for all that lives and breathes. Humanity is not separate or above Nature but rather an integral part of it.

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