Work is only work if you prefer to be somewhere else. Work tends to be a negative perception of a task which we reluctantly approach. Work is only labour when we forget to see our life as it truly is – an opportunity to be creative, enrich others and be enriched ourselves. When we are able to see work in this way, we find something called enthusiasm inside. When we are enthusiastic we work well and we are valued. We are used as a role model. When we work well it is much easier to say no when we need to, for we know our own value, and we are not dependent on others’ approval to feel good about ourselves. When we put love and enthusiasm into what we do, it rebounds in the form of opportunities and blessings, two of the most important ingredients of a truly wealthy life.
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Attention to Expression
Our words can either spiritually sustain souls or damage their
self-esteem. Whether we are talking about someone’s faults or
weaknesses, passing comments on a situation that does not concern us,
or giving private information we create an atmosphere that could
suffocate any soul in the vicinity and reduce chances of improvement or
productivity. Remember that it’s very difficult to trust someone who
speaks without thinking of the consequences. We can save a lot of time
and energy by paying attention to how we interact and express ourselves
in relationships.
Understanding The Birth Rebirth Cycle
The realization of the self as a soul, an eternal (always existing) energy, naturally leads to the following questions:
* Where is the soul before it comes into a physical body?
* Where does the soul go after it leaves it?
* What is the purpose of the world drama?
These are questions that deeply concern human beings, yet until now there isn’t 100% conclusive proof of life after death.
The images of “fires of hell” and a heavenly world beyond the clouds are talked about in the world’s religions. Yet to the rational and logical minded, the states of living forever tortured in holes of fire (hell) or on the other hand relaxing in complete happiness in a fairy-tale kingdom (heaven), seem far away from the reality of the present.
Most accept that there is some order to the world creation, but viewing our drama through spectacles of body-consciousness it is impossible to see it, as the soul is imprisoned by bodily needs and sensual desires. In body-consciousness the soul is unable to see anything clearly. Only when we are at the point of death does one think about life after death. At funerals, everyone faces the new absence of a loved person, the departure of the personality and the temporary nature of the physical body. Everyone wishes that the person who has died will go to heaven and not to hell.
Soul Sustenance
The Power to Co-operateÂ
The more I practice meditation, and develop and live with the consciousness that I am a non-physical soul, a being of light, the quicker the ego associated with all the physical factors (explained yesterday) melts away. Coloring myself with the Supreme or God’s company, I see others as the children of the Supreme Soul. I know myself as part of the family of human souls who have the same original qualities as me. In soul-consciousness, there is no way I can feel superior to others, though I’ll value their specialties. We are brothers – equal yet different.
In this consciousness, a natural humility or egolessness develops, a genuine respect for each other. There is a strength and happiness in the awareness of being a child of God, but I’ll see others also as the same. There is neither the ego of feeling superior, nor the inverted ego of an inferiority complex. I am not negating myself, I am recognizing the value of the self, but I’m also appreciating the value and qualities of all others around me. In that spirit of mutual respect, it becomes easy to work together.
The future of the world and the transformation of the planet actually depend on this transformation in each one of us, from ego and self-glorification to humility, respect and co-operation. Meditation, by lifting me beyond the factors that divide us, makes me deeply aware that we are one family, sharing one home, this beautiful planet, for which we have a common responsibility. In the awareness of where we are, and to whom we belong, there also comes the recognition of what we as a family must do together – create a world which is filled with the virtues of the Supreme Soul, by first imbibing those virtues inside us.
Message for the day
To fill the ones who are hopeless with hope is the greatest service.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
