FLOWERS AND THORNS
The mind of a person who builds a positive character will become a treasury of positivity. Such a positive personality will find a place in the eternal world after death in Paradise, where they will forever lead a life of comfort and joy.
Man is an eternal being. However, his life is divided into two phases: the period before death (generally a maximum of 100 years) and the period after death (which is eternal). The first phase is spent in this world, and the second phase is spent in the Hereafter.
Today’s world—the present world—is like a thick jungle. Here, there are flowers, but along with them, there are also thorns. In the world of tomorrow—that is, the Hereafter—the ‘flowers’ and the ‘thorns’ will be separated. After this, an eternal world will emerge, one part of which will contain only ‘thorns’ (Hell), and the other part will contain only ‘flowers’ (Paradise). In today’s world, everyone has the opportunity to shape their eternal fortune. The record of their life in this world will determine whether they will be placed in a world full of thorns or the eternal garden of flowers.
This division of people into two groups is a continuous process in this world. Through the record of their life (or, in other words, based on the character they are building in this world), each person is declaring, as it were, which of the two groups they are eligible to join after death—the group destined for the thorns or the group destined for the flowers. The conditions of this present world serve as the means for this personality development. Every person is undergoing this process. Some cultivate a thorny personality, while others develop a flower-like character. These two groups of people may not appear distinct in today’s world, but in the world of tomorrow, they will be separated. One group will be admitted into eternal Paradise, and the other will be consigned to eternal Hell.
In the present world, every person faces negative experiences. If someone habitually interprets an unpleasant experience as something negative, they will develop a negative personality. In contrast, if someone can transform a negative experience into a positive one, it is the best way to create a positive character.
For example, someone is rude to you, oppresses you, gets angry with you, or causes you harm. Now, you have two options to respond to this. First, you can choose to react in the same way. If he abuses you, you can abuse him back. If he troubles you, you can trouble him in return. If he harms you, you can choose to hurt him. If he shouts at you, you can shout back.
A person who reacts in this way will develop a negative personality. He has sown the seeds of thorns in his heart, so his personality will become thorny. After death, in the next world, he will be resurrected with this thorny personality and placed in the jungle full of thorns—Hell—where he will remain for all eternity in a state of regret and sorrow.
In contrast, a person who responds positively to others’ negative behaviour will develop a flower-like character. If someone abuses him, he does not retaliate but forgives. If someone oppresses him, he refuses to behave in the same way. This person has lived like a flower among thorns. He has developed a flower-like character in this world. In the next world, in the life after death, he will be allowed to live in a garden of flowers—Paradise.
