The shepherd within

The shepherd within

The shepherd within
Dear Reader,   

The stranglehold of spiritual slumber on human beings is tight and deep. This I realise when I look at life and people in general. The human mind has a long-standing habit to procrastinate, daydream, fantasise, fix blame, indulge in self-pity, and think wishfully that someday, some angel will make all its problems vanish with the swish of a magic wand.

Most of us fail at the legendary marshmallow test when applied to life. We give in to instant gratification of our sensory desires and often pay for it with our long-term happiness. We allow our fears to run the show and hardly ever pay heed to the voice of our inner Self. It’s astonishing to observe how easily we forget that the law of cause and effect is eternal, and does not spare anyone. For nothing else can explain the brazenness with which we often hurt others, whether its nature or fellow human beings.

Therefore, whenever we come across someone who upholds a moral value by sacrificing something dear and adheres to a lofty spiritual principle, we get awestruck. We try to discredit their efforts or run them down so that we do not have to look within ourselves and find reasons for our failures and disappointments. 

However, history has a way of immortalising those guided only by their inner moral compass, who feel that, in the end, they have to face themselves and cannot condone any of their moral trespasses or oversights. Such people shine with an inner glow that comes with listening to the divine flutist within their hearts. They are the ones with integrity. How beautiful it is to rise above the mundane and pass the tests determined for us by the Divine with flying colours! To put the spiritual before the material, values before self-interests, and the spirit before the flesh. For there is no greater joy than being approved by your own conscience and given the merit card. 

The lead story this month is on the precious virtue of integrity. Read it, enjoy it, and let it inspire you enough to make you cultivate it assiduously. Have a happy November.

 - Editor