Spiritual awakening needed

Human history is about revolutions. Revolution in medical sciences; from conservative treatment to sophisticated laser and robotic surgeries. Nuclear and renewable energy revolutions gave us a new world. Similarly in agriculture there are revolutions such as black revolution which pertains to coal production, brown revolution relates to leather, red to meat or tomato, grey to fertilizer, green to food grains, white to milk, golden to fruits and honey, golden fiber to jute, round to potato, silver to egg, silver fiber to cotton, yellow to oil seed, blue to fish, pink to onion ….. the list is endless. There are information & communication technology revolutions, mobile and net banking, cashless payments for trade & commerce.

When Apollo 8 returned to the earth on 27.12.1968, after its victorious flight, a famous historian and philosopher of England Arnold J. Toynbee is mentioned to have received a telephone call from across the Atlantic a few hours after the event; whereby the caller asked him, If he thought that it was a revolutionary incidence in the history of mankind. Toynbee’s answer was ’no’. He further added, “This will indeed be a ‘Revolutionary Incidence’ but this will not be achieved through technology alone. If one wants to reap fruit through the power of technology the essential condition for it is a spiritual revolution. This spiritual surgery is our dire need and without it all our recently discovered material resources would be useless. Even if we land on moon without spiritual revival the dust and the ashes obtained from there will mock at our spiritual bankruptcy from which we could not get rid of in our motherland”.

Body being the physical frame and carrier of self, to experience the world with the medium of five senses, spirit transcends all this. Spiritual revolution wants people to know and understand the supreme truth, and then mould their character according to that relationship. It channels the right energy and transforms negativity into positivity. Spirituality is recognition of a feeling, belief or sense that there is something greater than myself of which I am a part. Spiritual awakening may occur on the happening of some incident, accident, calamity, worship etc. A spiritual person remains always happy and bounces back from any failure. He does not suffer hopelessness but is always hopeful. He does not grieve over loss or swagger over an achievement.

He believes that we are all one and from one origin, having common needs, requirements and shortcomings. He has a conviction that we are to work for one another, stay away from harmful activities and promote welfare of all. He is sharing and caring. He has the qualities of positive thinking, humility, justice, harmony, responsibility, simplicity, selflessness, unconditional love, compassion, reciprocity, optimism, being peaceful, holy desires and purposes, calmness etc.

Spiritual revolution means neither asceticism nor reclusion but prudence, wisdom, watchfulness and discretion. The human being composed of air, fire, earth and water has revolutionized all the four elements through research and development. If physics revolutionises mundane, metaphysics concerns spiritual revolution which is an integrated healing that produces wellness of body, mind, soul and community. It is a power that uplifts and transforms the possessor gradually. Its source is Allah; the more one walks on this path the nearer it gets. It enables a person to know the purpose of the universe.

If scientific research is yet to know this truth it does not mean it negates it. Many things have baffled scientists. See how does an average weight of about 1.5 kg of soft tissues and blood vessels, which includes grey and white matter called brain, work in a human body. Other tissues or flesh more in weight do not have the cognitive abilities and power to think.

People are said to die because of aging. Why does aging take place? Why no doctor or medicine has stopped it? Why is there a heart attack to a young person having young heart and brain haemorrhage to a young & healthy person? What leaves or what is recalled from a person at the time of death? This is all beyond the scope of physical sciences. Spiritual revolution can have answer to such questions.

The author is a former Sr. Audit Officer and Consultant in the A.G’s Office Srinagar.