The Westernised Mind
By Karmayogi
In Western life when a
Man is confronted with a life or death situation, he tries his best to overcome
it by his own ingenuity. When he fails, he gives up. He rarely, if ever, turns
to God for relief through a prayer. It is that Mind and its individuality that
has achieved what we know as the splendours of human accomplishment. Most Indians
settled in the West do not want their children to grow up there. If possible,
they send them to India for education, so that they might miss
the evils of Western society during their formative years. We Indians are
rightly enamoured of the Western life, seeing its vast accomplishment.
There was an army chief who constantly talked to his family about his high
school teacher in Madras whose influence on his life was
incalculable. But he would not meet that teacher during his visits to Madras. Once when he was in Madras his wife insisted on
the phone that he should visit his teacher. The Army officer had his teacher
brought to the airport so that he might meet him. Loyalty is there, but its
expressions vary.
There was a Central Minister of State who was devoted to his college professor.
When he visited Tamil Nadu, he went to the house of his erstwhile professor to
see him. His devotion had the full favour of our tradition. This professor
retired, but wished for reemployment. The Minister-student was dedicated to the
professor and willing to secure a job for him. In the whole of India at that time there
were two centres – one at Trichy and another in North India – that could employ
him. But the professor was unwilling to move away from his family. All the efforts
of the Minister were in vain. This professor was a devotee of the Mother, but
when issues arose, his faith would shift to other things. A devotee suggested
to him to do some service by collecting ten subscriptions for one of
Mother's journals. The professor frowned and declined, saying,
‘‘It is wrong for you to ask me to collect
subscriptions.''
The devotee renewed his appeal for service when the posts were filled up in the
two centres. The professor reluctantly accepted to try. No subscription ever
came out of his efforts, but one day a letter came to the devotee from the
professor, saying, ‘‘A new centre has been created in my town and I
am awarded the post. This job comes to me not in recognition of my services or
by the devotion of my student in the Ministry. It is purely Mother's
Grace.'' Man is an adept in turning away from Grace. If we look
upon the past events of our lives, we will see NOW how many times we have
actively declined Grace. After the Force has descended, I am fond of repeating,
it is God who is after MAN.