The Nature of the World Crisis

The Sufi (Mystic) Message has as its main mission to consider the problems of the day and then to direct our activity to do what is necessary in order to bring about better conditions, in which is the fulfillment of our mission.

The life in the world can be divided into five different aspects: spiritual progress, moral progress, social progress, mental progress, and physical progress .

Therefore we have to consider the five aspects of life in order to understand the problem of the day clearly. During the periods of the ancient civilizations, progress has been made in one direction; and, lacking in other directions progress fell down by the lack of balance. But as humanity has evolved, so human progress has been all-around. No doubt, in recent times the world has again lost its balance by being too much engrossed in materialism and by becoming too much absorbed in commercialism, and the consequence of this has been the world unrest, which is still existing after what is called peace. ~HIK, 1922

Sri Daya Mata also talked about this same idea when asked about the nature of the world crisis. She stated, “During the downward part of the cycle (referring to world cycles, or yugas in which civilizations rise and fall) people in general become increasingly ignorant of the spiritual side of their nature, until all that is noble disappears. Then the fall of that civilization is not far behind. This same process can happen to nations in the ascending phase of the cycle as well. If man’s moral and spiritual evolution does not keep pace with the upward progress of knowledge and technology, he misuses the power he has acquired, to his own destruction. Indeed, this is the nature of the world crisis we are facing today.”

Our main mission, as a school and yoga studio, is to consider the problems of the day. And to do what is necessary to bring about better conditions.

In your own contemplations, what do you see as the problems around you?

Personally, we are concerned about the attacks on truth, on reasoning and accuracy. When any statement can be made, and repeated often, until people believe without analyzing what is said and who is saying it, then skeptical doubt destabilizes our ability to listen to each other, and to speak. Black and white thinking replaces understanding, and it is called faith.

What do you see as the problem of the day?