The battle I am talking about is both, internal and external. It goes on all the time, whether consciously or unconsciously. It continues even when we are asleep. It is a vicious battle, a struggle that never ceases. Sometimes it makes us weary, and we give up striving for a while. But, then, if we are mentally healthy, the urge for struggle will return. We cannot easily find peace. It is an ongoing, a never-ending, relentless battle. As long as we live, and whether we like it or not, we will be caught into the grips of this struggle. "Oh, give me a break!" we often cry. But the much-desired break won't come?
What is it then? What is this great constant battle all about? Most of you have already guessed what it is. And indeed it is encouraging that you did so! Well, this great battle is an eternal fight between truth and falsehood, between right and wrong, between justice and injustice, between the logical and the illogical, between the eternal and the ephemeral, between man's spiritual nature and his/her animal instincts ! Oh, how do we wish that there would be an end to this battle! But there won't; as long as we are alive, the battle continues. It might even continue in the invisible world of spirits. Truth strives for prevalence over falsehood, and the "right" for dominance over the "wrong". The battleground is in weary man's heart or mind; this is where it all takes place.
Modern society has tried to do away with this struggle by often equalizing truth and falsehood, considering both "a matter of opinion". But it has all been in vain... In vain society also promotes the notion that there are no absolute values and that all principles are subjective and illusory, joy-killers, set up by religious leaders in order to control the masses. And in vain the preachers of nihilism promote the idea that the obviously unnatural is natural. Without a doubt, never mind how much ground these twisted and ill-conceived ideas may gain, they will never manage to stop the great battle that started since the Creation of the Universe and will go on in eternity; because this struggle has to do with progress, with evolution, qualities that are inherent in Creation. Therefore we cannot avoid the struggle; it is there, as long as the Universe exists.
Every day, in our interactions, the struggle shows up. Whether it be religion, politics, behavior and relationships between individuals, social groups or nations, the question always arises in discussions, in books, in articles, in movies, in art: did he, she, we, they act rightly or wrongly? But before we are able to do the right thing we must have the right idea about what is "right". No one can act rightly unless one knows what is "right".
Most of humanity's struggle originates exactly here: we have the wrong idea abour what is "right" and what "wrong". We are confused. Most of us have the wrong idea even about the greatest issues of existence! Which are they? It is the nature of man and the nature of God. This, in a nutshell, is the root of our conflicts. And as long as we continue to have the wrong conception of these two great issues, we will inevitably be acting wrongly, even if we wanted the opposite.
In order for societies to overcome man's ignorance about "right" and "wrong", they have established the rule of the majority. In our so-called "Democracies" the opinion of the majority is the right thing to believe and do. But nothing could be further from the Truth, which, as a rule, abides with the enlightened few among us. The opinion of the many is very rarely the voice of Truth and logic. Nevertheless, false ideas become very popular, take roots in the minds and hearts of people and impede the progress of humanity. Some of them are even catastrophic, depending on how generalized they are.
At the top of the list of wrong beliefs or deceptions - products of ignorance and expediency - that keep the world in bondage and are a great obstruction to human evolution, is the idea of a personal God. The majority of religious people, followers of the so-called monotheistic religions, believe that God is personal, he gets angry, jealous, vindictive, favors some individuals or entire nations while rejects and punishes others, gets appeased through prayer and offerings, and so on and so forth. In other words, man has projected to God his own weaknesses and wickedness. This is the heart of the world's problem. Our wrong idea of God!
"You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free", said Jesus. I believe he was talking about the truth about God and the truth about our tripartite nature and the sovereign laws that govern it. If our knowledge of God and man is right, then only will we be able to discern "right" from "wrong" in our daily life. It is up to us, then, to choose to do right and turn our back to wrong; it is up to us to decide serving the truth instead of falsehood; it is up to us to train our body to be subservient to our spirit and not the other way around; it is up to us to live according to the original "specifications" of our Creator.
In the forest of opinions, ideas, theories, religions and philosophies, bewildered man is wondering which "truth" to follow. I firmly believe that the sincere seeker with pure heart and motives, the one who shall love truth for its own sake, not expecting any benefits and rewards thereof, will eventually perceive it within one's inner being! And, behold, opinions cease where Truth is born. The enlightened one now knows that he/she KNOWS!
The inner battle however will not cease. On the contrary, it will continue more fiercely, as one is trying to implement the truth in his/her life. And such an enlightened person will now be buffeted more aggressively by the contending agents of this world. But the battle must continue. There is no way of turning back now. Once the truth is born in one's heart, the worst thing to do is to suppress it and, pretending ignorance, to continue his/her old ways. That's why Jesus said. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required." (Luke 12:48)
So then, entering into the temple of wisdom is one thing and acting wisely is another, more difficult task. One must first and foremost clean his heart of selfish desires, fear and timidity and then must be willing to live up to the truth one has received. Such rare individuals are the "light of the world" and the "salt of the earth", and, oh, how do we desperately need more of those in our confusion stricken world! How do we need true prophets and doers of Truth, who will raise stentorian voices to show the world the path of righteousness, justice, peace, harmony, common sense, love and reconciliation! But beware of false prophets who are out for personal gain, fame, money and power. By their fruit you shall know them!
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About the Author
Maria Seferou was born in an agricultural family of Dendron, a small village of Peloponnese, Greece. She studied Civil/Structural Engineering at National Technical University of Athens and had a successful 20-year professional career both in Greece and in England. For the last 21 years she has been a writer of non-fiction books and articles on religious, philosophical, political and social issues.
