As we all know, the world is a place of great beauty and order; it is also a place of great ugliness and chaos. To expect planet earth to be otherwise is a recipe for tremendous suffering and all manner of fanaticism—as manifested in the ghastly totalitarian utopias and fascist regimes of the 20th century. Though not to be taken as an historical narrative, the book of Genesis reveals this truth in breathtaking simplicity: Adam and Eve are living in Eden, in a paradise of sorts. It was filled with both order and beauty, and God was at the center of it all. But somehow, a metaphorical serpent found its way into the scene. The result was chaos and more than a little suffering. What was true in the book of Genesis is true now: there are no perfect people, no perfect systems, and no perfect institutions. There never will be.
Please don’t misconstrue what I am saying. We should never, ever turn a blind eye toward injustice, human cruelty, or the suffering of others. If the words of Jesus are to be trusted, and they are certainly trustworthy, we are karmically judged by how we treat the least of our brothers and sisters, that is, how we treat the poor and powerless in whatever guise they might manifest.
Having said this, we must make room for a degree of chaos or imperfection for three reasons. Firstly, we are always less reactive and healthier to the degree that we accept life on life’s terms. Jesus told us, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” Secondly, we must learn to find the potential good within the chaos. If we have only perfect order all the time, nothing new and evolutionary can happen. Because God uses chaos to bring about a higher, more evolved order, a degree of chaos is the necessary precondition for transformation. God writes straight with crooked lines! Lastly, in the words of the 12-Step traditions, we must look to “a power greater than ourselves to restore us to sanity.” We must seek God’s wisdom, strength, and love to navigate through life’s chaotic storms. The immortal Babaji tells us, “Everything on earth is of mixed character, like a mingling of sand and sugar. Be like the wise ant which seizes only the sugar, and leaves the sand untouched.”
Divine Mother,
Help me to accept life on life’s terms,
Your terms,
And to look for the order
Within the chaos.
