Everyone, even an atheist, has an operational god. There is always something organizing our thinking, emotions, and behavior. This truth is more than a quaint philosophical issue; the god we worship always determines our destiny both as individuals and as nations. As I see it, the problem is this: western civilization is becoming increasingly secular and atheistic, and the dire consequences of this shift are impacting every aspect of our lives. Valentin Tomberg says it best: “In the present day we are experiencing the rise of overpowering evil, a kind of flood. The awakening of evil is an inundation: it is directly at work in everyday consciousness. In such a flood, it is a case of sink or swim. This is the trial that human consciousness is undergoing.”
In Milton’s Paradise Lost, the figure of Satan, which represents the dark side of human nature, denies the fact that he was created by a power beyond himself and refuses to acknowledge any such outside authority. He boasts of “courage never to submit or yield.” Turning to ourselves, let us ask, do we choose to see God as the primal ground of all that is rational, moral, true, and good? Or, do we fashion ourselves into gods, deciding arbitrarily what determines a good life? History has shown that when we live as gods unto ourselves the darker side of our nature dominates and creates enormous suffering. Hitler’s Germany and Stalin‘s Soviet Union are prime examples of civilizations failing to bow to the Eternal Dharma, to God.
Yet, I am hopeful for a number of reasons. As Yogananda predicted, rich streams of yogic wisdom are seeping into every aspect of modern culture. Increasingly, young people are looking to the world’s mystical traditions for truth, beauty, and goodness. There is a rise in contemplative spiritually, especially within Christian traditions. The religious impulse is part and parcel of humanity’s soul; it cannot be repressed. In the end, love always wins. I am grateful that the Assisi Institute is doing its small part to make heaven’s light a living reality in the lives of many people.
Divine Mother,
Divine Eternal Dharma,
You remind me,
In the end,
Love will always win.
