UNIVERSAL MODEL
Submission to God is the best way for man to lead his life in this world. It also guarantees man’s success in the eternal period of life after death.
Man finds himself in a vast universe. This universe is like a vast society. Man is only a tiny part of this society. Therefore, man must in his life adopt that model of living that all other components of the universe have adopted in practice. It is the right and natural way for him. In this method is hidden the secret of man’s success.
What is this universal model? Observe the stars and planets spread across vast space. Each star and planet move with extreme precision in orbit. None of them enters the orbit of another. Because of this discipline, peace prevails throughout the cosmos. Man, too, should adopt this policy of non-interference while living in society and with others. There should be the awareness that his freedom ends where another person’s freedom begins within every person.
Reflect on the world of the trees. Silently, the trees have adopted a beautiful system based on serving others. To fulfil the needs of other living beings, they supply oxygen while they absorb into themselves the non-desirable carbon dioxide emitted by these beings. It is a selfless, benefit-providing system. It is also binding on man to adopt this system in his life.
Similarly, please think of the mountain springs, with their water gushing forth and rapidly flowing ahead. They repeatedly face massive boulders that appear to be barriers in their journey. However, the springs do not try to shove the boulders out of their way to move on ahead. Instead, they adopt a non-confrontational course. They swirl around the boulders and surge forward. It is, as it were, a message to man to avoid crashing against obstacles he may meet in life. The right approach is to circumvent them with tact and, in this way, be able to continue to engage in positive action.
In the same way, in the world of animals, we see that issues repeatedly arise among them, which causes them to enter into conflict. However, generally, they roar and growl or move their horns about for just a short while, and then they forget the issue and quickly return to normalcy as if nothing had happened. A man should live in a society in the same manner. In social life, certain things repeatedly happen that people find upsetting. The proper way to deal with this is to accept such situations as only temporary. One should not let them take the form of permanent bitterness.
The study of the world of Nature tells us that here, everything gives to others without demanding anything in return. For example, the sun generously gives us light but does not extract any price. The air is continuously engaged in the work of supplying oxygen, but it does not take any compensation for this. Similarly, many creatures and things are involved in serving people without any recompense. None of them presents a bill to the people who benefit from them. One learns that the world around us is a ‘giver world’. It is as if the culture of this world is a ‘giver culture’. Everything in this world continuously sends out this message—become a giver for others rather than just being a taker.
Man must adopt this same ‘giver culture’ in his personal and social life. The universe around man is a model for him to emulate in this regard. The secret of man’s success lies in adopting this model in his life. The only difference is that this model is established under the law of nature compulsorily in the rest of this world, while man must consciously establish this universal model in his life through his own free choice.
To bring one’s free will under this universal discipline is, as it were, to make oneself ‘unfree’ while still having freedom. This submission is the best way for man to live. It also guarantees man’s success in the eternal period of life after death.
