Moving Forward

We are in a New Age. The past century challenged the old views and ways of life and tried to destroy or replaced them with a more comprehensive outlook. Each and every field of life is witnessing this change. But even as this is happening the debris of past imperfect forms lingers. It is important to be cautious of two things.

First, in our hurry and eagerness to create anew, we should not end up creating something imperfect just for the sake of ‘newness’. There is an attempt in certain quarters, for instance, to pitch tents upon grounds thus cleared and sell their products as the new one. The second danger is that the old thing may be passed off as new with some minor adjustments or merely a change of label!

For newness is often misinterpreted as something fashionable. It suddenly dazzles and caters to man’s need for a miracle — impossible because the conditions for a ‘miracle’ are not fulfilled. Yet a true and lasting miracle can take root when the change is deep enough.

The conditions for a ‘miracle’ are simply a change in our state of consciousness! If we regard the universe as a projection of the One Infinite Consciousness, then each finite is only the embodiment of this Infinite energy. When we deepen, widen and heighten ourselves till the boundaries and limits of our individual consciousness begin to overflow into the Infinite then we create the truly New in us — a new being who sees, understands, lives and acts from a new and vaster poise. This raises the human in us to a higher pitch and scale, as it were, rather than multiplying methods and techniques under the name of newness.

How can we make this shift? Therein lies the real challenge of the new age. Not to merely repeat the old formulas under new names, not even to merely tinker and polish the surfaces of life, but to discover a new possibility and way of being that has never been so far!

Time presses towards this change, our souls are called to this great adventure, the winds blow in its favour, the ground and soil of human nature is ready. The change is not outside but within us and it is happening. Only we must look and work in the right direction, pressing and persevering till the moment comes when the limited circle of consciousness in which we had locked ourselves opens and we begin to breathe infinity and work out the dreams of eternity in and around us. This is the new possibility — the possibility of creating a New World that awaits us at this hour.

— Dr. Alok Pandey