There is a time for everything and time itself is very valuable. Our time now seems to be taken up with ever more complicated issues. We are constantly bombarded with information, especially via technology, and it is so difficult to grasp the essence of anything. Yet, this is what we need to be able to do.
There is a time for expansion of this kind, in fact there is a time for expansion in all areas of life, but we seem to have lost the ability to arrive at and deal with the essence. A rose in expansion in a garden is a beautiful thing to behold, but when the essence is extracted, it is powerful enough to completely change an atmosphere. This is what we also need to be able to do.
If we do not learn to go into the essence of matters then we waste our energy, our time and relinquish our power – the power to deal with situations and people in the best way possible. The more time we spend in expansion, the less the outcome is likely to be satisfactory. The investment of that energy does not yield the optimum gain.
If someone is behaving badly, we can either go into the expansion, and analyse, complain, criticise their behaviour, and in so doing get nowhere. Or we can look behind the behaviour and see the motivation, or the essence of what is going on, and deal directly with that. We can respond with deep understanding and let the other details pass us by.
When we speak and communicate, people no longer have the time, nor are they willing, to listen. We need to be able to convey our message in essence and powerfully. The more we are able to extract the essence of things, the purer the experience of spirituality can be felt.
It is important not to lose sight of the times we are passing through. It is a time for calm, concentration and silence within. We have everything we need within us to make the right decisions and to access the essence of all spirituality, the Divine.
The essence of all spiritual endeavour lies in three questions: ‘Who am I?’ ‘What time is it?’ What do I have to do?’ In meditation and a connection with God, the answers become as clear as crystal – and from this essence we can move into expansion and achieve wonders.
Dr Kala Iyengar is Director of Peace Village Learning and Retreat Center of the Brahma Kumaris, USA, and Founding Director of Point of Life Foundation.