I Can Accept what I Understand

By Karmayogi

An important issue came up between friends. One was an industrialist and junior. The other was an elderly retired teacher. The teacher had taken a radical decision in his life. The industrialist, being bound to him by loyalty, wanted to go with him.

He never knew the facts. The teacher could not bring himself to reveal all the facts, as any argument after the event would sound like self-justification. Faith blossoms unspoken. Faith does not discover its form in words. ‘‘Well, how can I accept without knowing what happened?'' is the question. The answer is, ‘‘It is not faith that believes KNOWN facts. To believe what you do not know is faith.'' When a convincing explanation is given, what does the listener accept? He accepts his own conviction or understanding. That is not faith. To accept another man without trying to know the details of the situation is Faith.

To believe in what is behind the curtain is faith. To say, 'I can accept what I understand' is to believe yourself, not the other person. All great achievements in history or literature happened because of faith, especially when the achievements were new to the society. Duryodhana asked for the army of Krishnabecause there were many men in it who could fight. Arjuna asked for one man, believing the Force behind Krishna, which he did not see.

Take a look at an industrial estate where out of a hundred new units, 65 are functioning, and the rest are closed. There will be a great many reasons behind each story. But, as a rule that has no exception, the silver lining of Faith will run behind the 65 units while it will be conspicuously missing in the other 35 units.

Faith is something with which one is born. One may say ‘I do not have it.' Mother says perseverance creates faith. They say faith moves mountains. One can embark on an experiment. One who was earning 6000 rupees a few years ago brought himself to believe that he could earn a lakh of rupees a month. He worked hard, took every possible risk, understood every value of the Spirit, followed them to the best of his ability.

He could see commensurate results for his insistent endeavours, but the goal seemed to be far away. He hit his target in October this year. The goal was overwhelmingly fulfilled. He did reach the coveted goal for one month in double measure. To maintain it in all months from the few months of his present achievement is there hereafter. Values of the Spirit achieve the unachievable.