The opening lines of the classic by Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, are about the time of the French Revolution in which London and Paris were contrasted:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…”
This phrase shows the choices we have in all ages, and more especially this present one.
It is crucial to learn to identify the lifestyle choices that we have between the best and worst and to develop the power to discern, which is the basis of making the right choices. Inner power comes from the practice of meditation and personal reflection, which help us to have fewer and better thoughts.
Someone who tries to see the world only through the eye of their own selfish interests, ends up seeing the world not as it is, but as the ego says it is. If we widen our perspective, we naturally see more. If we see more, we understand more and choose better. What greater gift could there be, for anyone of any age, than to have the power of discernment? We are bombarded 24 hours a day with verbal, visual, and written information. A human being who lives in a big city today learns more in one day than someone at the time of the French Revolution learned in his whole life. There is a continuous buffet of offerings for our senses. With so many varieties of products, services, courses, and forms of entertainment, it is hard to know what we want and to navigate well in a changing sea of truths and falsehoods.
The power to discern is the ability to see the difference between two or more objects or situations. It is an important compass in these troubled times. It becomes one of the most powerful weapons for success, not only in our personal lives, but also in our professional ones.
Finally, if we have the power to discern, we can choose how, where, and with whom we celebrate life.
Meditation, the art of silent contemplation, if habitually practised, helps us to see clearly with a depth of understanding that is not possible when thinking in our normal, day-to-day, way. It develops the power to discern, along with many other powers. Then we are able to unerringly choose the right thing to do.
The hero of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, Sydney Carton, chooses, for many reasons, to trade places with a friend, to die at the guillotine. He says just before the axe falls:
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
Until the last minute, we choose our way.
Ken O’Donnell is an author and the director of Brahma Kumaris’ services in South America.