Dealing With Insanity Near the Latter Days - Part One
A
Christian wrote in seeking the perspective of a Muslim concerning the troubled times in
which we all live. More specifically, the individual was wondering about how to deal with
the considerable intolerance and hatred which seems to surround us today -- even within
various religious traditions. In addition, this individual was interested in whether peace
on Earth was realizable given the extent of hostilities which exist in the world today.
George
Bernard Shaw once said of Islam and Muslims something along the following lines. Whenever
I read the Qur'an and look at the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), my
heart is filled with joy and love, so I want to rush and become Muslim. However, whenever
I look to Muslims and see how they live their lives, I want to run away from the religion
altogether.
Many Muslims
are fond of saying that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Whenever I
hear this I am tempted to say, and sometimes do say, that Islam is also the fastest dying
religion in the world because more and more Muslims are losing touch with the real spirit
and essence of this tradition.
There is a
huge difference between Islamic history and Muslim history. Most people, however, both
Muslim and non-Muslim, confuse the two and assume that the latter is synonymous with the
former, and this is not the case.
For
instance, one does not have to do a great deal of research to demonstrate that vested
western political, economic, cultural and religious interests have played a huge role in
shaping what is going on in most Muslim countries - including the present 'crisis' in Iraq
. Nevertheless, notwithstanding these truths, Muslims need to take a good, long hard look
at themselves in the mirror to understand what role they, themselves, have played in
bringing the Muslim world to its present unenviable position - economically, legally,
politically, scientifically, environmentally, morally and spiritually.
I have
started out in this way, because I want you to understand that the problems which you are
facing within the Christian tradition are not unique to you. Most people, irrespective of
their spiritual tradition, who are serious about spirituality - both in terms of its
possibilities as well as in terms of its responsibilities - are deeply concerned about the
increasing size of the gap between what a spiritual tradition offers and what all too many
people are doing, or not doing, with respect to what is being offered through our
spiritual traditions.
None of what
went on in either of the first two Gulf Wars, for example, can be reconciled with what
Jesus or Moses or Muhammad (peace be upon them all) taught. As the old rock group, The
Buffalo Springfields, once wrote in a song called: 'For What It's Worth', "nobody's
right, if everybody's wrong".
The people
on both sides of this conflict try to justify what they are doing with talk of principles
involving rights, freedom, democracy, truth, justice, fairness, and so on. In reality, no
such principles are involved.
It is all
about money, resources, control, selfishness, hatred, ignorance, pride, prejudice,
illusion, bias, false presuppositions, hostility, darkness, power, authoritarianism, fear,
greed, and stupidity. Sadaam Hussein - to whatever extent the media demonization of him is
warranted - is not the only possible madman and thug involved in these proceedings.
The
situation vis-a-vis the Gulf, and it appears that this scenario may be played out again in
the near future, gives expression, in miniature, of what is going on throughout the world.
The Gulf situation reflects the ugliness of the human condition - a condition which is
everywhere apparent on the world stage.
Some of this
ugliness we hear about and know about now. Some of this ugliness, we only come to know
about later. And, some of it - a great deal of it, actually - we may never come to know
about - at least, not in this world.
What does
all of this have to do with your original inquiry? We live in insane times, and our
problem is that we would like everybody to live in accordance with the principles of
spirituality rather than the rule of ego and the desires of the carnal soul which
seemingly are so much easier to abide by -- although in reality this is a totally false
appearance.
The
challenge facing us, and people like us (that is, those who are fed-up with all of the
carnage and hostilities), is how do we proceed in the midst of such insanity? How do we
proceed when confronted by the duplicity of what people profess - whether Christian,
Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Native American, or whatever - and what they actually do?
Part of the
answer comes in realizing, as one of the characters in the comic strip "Pogo"
announced more than thirty years ago, "We have met the enemy, and they is us. We must
understand, that there, but for the Grace of God, go we, and even with the Grace of God,
we ourselves sometimes become caught up in the same insanity which so revolts us.
Jesus,
Moses, Muhammad, the Buddha, Krishna, and so on (peace be upon them all) were all hated in
their times by different portions of the population. Other people in their times feared
what these individuals were calling people to - in other words, to God, and away from the
world, human desires and vested interests.
Their times
were insane as well, and, presumably, this is why these individuals were sent by God - to
help people deal with the insanity. And, even if the insanity only could be curbed for a
time, and not completely defeated, then these individuals, by the Grace of God, came to
teach people how to live in spite of, and in the midst of, such insanity.
I do not
believe that it is possible to achieve heaven or paradise on Earth. Indeed, if the
aforementioned individuals, who are the greatest among human beings to ever walk the face
of God's good Earth, could not, with God's help, establish heaven or paradise on Earth,
then I think only the greatest of arrogance could suppose that far lesser human beings
could achieve what such spiritually gifted individuals did not, and, in fact, were not
permitted to, achieve, by Divinity.
Whatever
peace, joy, happiness, ecstasy, stability, harmony and love is going to be realized must,
God willing, come from within. It will not come from without, except in very ephemeral,
limited ways.
The
spiritual heroes and heroines were happy and loving and compassionate despite the
insanity. Indeed, they ministered, each in their own way, to the insanity - knowing, I
believe, that even if one could not eradicate the disease (the false-self), nonetheless,
they could, God willing, help some individuals to learn how to fight-off and cope-with,
this human malady and even, if one were extraordinarily blessed, how to realize the true
Self - of which each of these individuals were unique, magnificent, beautiful, wonderful,
inspiring expressions.
In short,
they taught that the source of the insanity is within each of us. They also taught that
the solution to that insanity lies within as well, but at a deeper, more essential level.
What
inspires me, drives me, directs me, orients me, guides me, informs me, colors me, sustains
me, and shapes me is my relationship with my mystical/spiritual teacher. Such teachers
carry on the work of the great spiritual personalities who have preceded them.
In fact,
such teachers are but different manifestations of one and the same spiritual reality. The
truth which flowed through Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, and so on (peace be upon them all),
also flows through such individuals - although not everyone who claims to be such a
teacher actually is (a problem to be discussed at another time, perhaps).
Everything
that I know about Islam, I know through the two spiritual teachers who have been kind
enough to take me on as a reclamation project many years ago. Unfortunately, there are
many Muslims who would claim that what is being taught by these individuals - and others
like them - is un-Islamic.
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