Printed in the Summer 2020 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Hebert, Barbara, "A Philosophy of Hope" Quest 108:3, pg 10-11
By Barbara Hebert
National President
The global crisis with Covid 19 has shown us all that we are not in control, regardless of our age, race, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. In other words, Covid 19 provided us with the opportunity to realize that all of us are essentially the same: human beings. For those who are spiritually inclined, this essential unity comes as no surprise. We recognize that beyond our sameness as human beings, we are united as aspects of the Divine (regardless of the name one might choose to use), and all of us are moving toward conscious awareness of this unity. We move toward this awareness through transformation of our consciousness, which occurs when we face difficulties and tribulations.
One of the most difficult things we face as human beings is uncertainty. On the whole, we like to know what is going to happen next. This “knowledge” allows us to feel as if we have some sort of control in our lives and our world. However, if we look more deeply and more openly, we realize that this knowledge is illusory. We don’t and can’t control what happens. What we can control is our response to what happens. And it is this response that is indicative of our transformation.
The pandemic has shown us very clearly that we live in a world of uncertainty. For many, this uncertainty has caused tremendous anxiety and fear. From Theosophical teachings, we learn that our thoughts are things. They are energy. When we get caught up in anxiety and fear, we are sending these thoughts, this energy, out into the world. This is a response that we can and must control if we are to walk the spiritual path. In At the Feet of the Master, the small book by J. Krishnamurti, we read:
The calm mind means also courage, so that you may face without fear the trials and difficulties of the Path; it means also steadiness, so that you may make light of the troubles which come into every one’s life, and avoid the incessant worry over little things in which many people spend most of their time . . . Use your thought-power every day for good purposes; be a force in the direction of evolution. Think each day of some one whom you know to be in sorrow, or suffering, or in need of help, and pour out loving thought upon him.
These simple but direct words help us remain centered during times of difficulty.
Of course, there is far more that helps us to remain centered. The Theosophical philosophy as a whole provides us with a guide. It doesn’t give us details about what will happen next: no prophecies or prognostications. It does tell us that our universe is not random or chaotic; rather, there is a plan. It tells us that the spiritual pilgrimage that each of us has undertaken leads, through times of difficulty, darkness, and obstacles, to Light and Unity. This truth provides the guideposts of trust and stability for negotiating times of uncertainty and feelings of anxiety and fear.
Our philosophy is one of hope. We know that in time, we will conquer the difficulties of life and eventually attain the fullness of being human in all aspects. For me, this philosophy engenders trust. I trust that whatever happens, we will get through the difficulties, because they are part of walking this path, providing us with opportunities for spiritual growth and inner transformation.
The questions arise: How will we respond when we face these times, which seem dark and uncertain? Will we use this time (and others we are likely to face in the future) to grow and learn, or will we hide from these opportunities for internal transformation?
One might rightfully ask how internal transformation takes place during times of difficulty. Transformation occurs through our response to the difficulties. As Joy Mills writes in her book From Inner to Outer Transformation, “We are not separate from the path, from the process . . . we are examining ourselves, our motives, our inmost nature, the very roots of our being. Examining every aspect of ourselves. Nothing must go unexamined.” Through this self-examination and self-observation, we can begin to transform internally.
The spiritual pilgrimage is about internal transformation and movement on the path. Our thoughts, feelings, and actions can facilitate this transformation or delay it. As we observe ourselves and our response to difficulties, we become aware of those that are helpful to ourselves and others and of those that hinder because they are selfish. This observation can be difficult, but it is essential if we intend to walk the spiritual path.
Marie Poutz, an amazing woman and Theosophist who lived at Krotona, discussed the question of right action. Ms. Poutz, as she was known, said the difference was not between right action and wrong action, but between love and not-love.
She described love as actions that awaken the immortal spirit within others. Isn’t that what we want for humanity—to find the beauty of their true selves and to understand the unity of all life? She described not-love as any action that helps obscure the interior light of another. So if we look at any action we may take, not as right or wrong, but rather as, “Is this action love or not-love?” we are acting every moment in recognition of the divinity in all.
Joy writes:
There are many lonely people in the world, there are so many who have suffered loss of one kind or another, and above all, there are those who are hungry for understanding, for truth, for the wisdom which the theosophical worldview has to offer. We may not have all the answers, and indeed no one of us can have all the answers, but we can speak from the heart, and if we cannot speak, we can reach out with a smile. That action will always be right which flows from love, from the heart.
Therefore it is important that we ask ourselves: During times of difficulty, times of uncertainty, times of seeming darkness, are we responding with love or not-love? Are our actions flowing from love, from the heart?
We can only know the answers to these questions if we are willing to intently examine ourselves. As Joy says, we must examine “our motives, our inmost nature, the very roots of our being. Examining every aspect of ourselves. Nothing must go unexamined.” Through this intentional and conscious self-examination, we will understand our responses and either double our efforts or make a concerted effort to change them.
These questions are pertinent, not just during times of crisis, but every day. When we live in this way, we are following the path of the true Theosophist, the path of the bodhisattva, the way of compassion, the path of serving humanity.
The ways in which we respond matter, especially during times of uncertainty and seeming darkness.
Every day, the evening comes and the sun seems to disappear. We spend a period of time in darkness, yet we know the sun has not disappeared. It is simply shining on a different part of the world and will return in a few short hours.
Just as the sun sets in the evening, we know that we will experience periods of darkness. Yet, as the sun rises in the morning, we know that these difficult times will end, and our lives will be filled with light once again. We can focus on the darkness of the night, or we can focus on the ever-present light that will shine upon us in a few short hours.
Let us spend our time in bringing light to others who see only darkness and reassuring the world that the light is ever-present. We only have to wait a few hours for its shining brilliance to surround us.