The Spiritual Response is not always or generally a reaction to a situation. On the other hand, it is an action. A person who makes a spiritual response does not follow the "tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye” policy. His attitude to an angry man is not built on anger or hatred but, instead, he dwells in his original, spiritual nature of peace and love. Such a response, therefore, has a great potential of solving problems calmly, dispassionately, amicably, impartially and in a humane manner with the possibility of divine help. There is now a frequent mention, in the press and from the various platforms, of the need for adopting values. But it is not realised that values, without spirituality, lack a very essential ingredient and are without much strength and divinity. Remember! Only those moral values, which are derived from the awareness of the spiritual nature of all beings and which have a spiritual content, lead to the final solution of all problems.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in the world today who believe that the body is material whereas the self is non-physical, i.e., spiritual. But rarely does any religious person live this belief. We most often see that almost everyone discriminates between one person and another on the basis of gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, language, age, etc., in practical life. Obviously, these factors—gender, race, age, etc.,—are based on body consciousness or awareness of the material. These are not based on the firm awareness of the truth that all beings are souls. Thus, there is a wide gap between their belief and practice. So, in the context of 'Spiritual Response', it should be understood that this refers to our practical response to a situation based on the awareness that all of us are souls and brothers. Today, this question of identity, or what is called an “Identity-crisis”, is at the root of many kinds of crises, including the “Moral crisis” or the “Crisis of values”.
The whole concept of 'soul-consciousness in practice' may seem to be ordinary. But if we examine its depth, outreach, and repercussions, we will find that it is a revolutionary concept and a remarkable practice that will bring about a paradigm shift in one's attitudes and outlook and has a very high potential of ending all kinds of discrimination and hatred and of infusing brotherly love and spirit of mutual cooperation. The Spiritual Response, based on it, will bring a great qualitative difference in our thinking and this will result in ending our problems and ushering in a new, value based society.
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and the UK. He can be contacted at nikunjji@gmail.com / www.brahmakumaris.com
