Dec 19, 2021 Late Night Chat with Jeff Wolverton, Focus: why is injustice unpunished?, live on Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But twice a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for spontaneous chat, more readings, songs, quotes, you never know what treasures will be uncovered!

Topic: Why does evil seem to go unpunished?

Dear Folks of Baba,

Here is an email written by Dinku Daruvala, one of the chat attendees, that brings up one of the most fundamental questions that we are faced with in our lives with Baba:

"The night before your last chat, as I lay in bed, I started talking Baba, asking Him my perennial question about WHY it’s the innocent who always have to suffer for the misdeeds of others, specially of those in power. My focus was on the virus, brought about, in my way of thinking, to teach the world to shape up, wake up, stop abusing the planet, live with love for one another, treat and resp all life and the planet itself, and it’s the governments that are causing all the chaos with their machinations and manipulations of people and situations. So why are they not punished, why do they get away with things while the rest of us have to suffer for their wrong doings, their sins? And I heard Baba’s words in my mind, “There is no right or wrong, no Sins and Sinners. “. So then why? Is it the collective sanskaras of the world? How do we overcome it? How does the world wake up and change for the better, to live as He would have us live? Because, no matter what befalls us, we don’t seem to learn our lessons and continue in the same manner, collecting more sankaras along the way. Is there no hope?

"Sorry for the ramblings, but would appreciate your inputs on this if possible, as this thought always troubles me and I can’t find the answers. If there is no right and no wrong, no such thing as sin and sinner, then what is there?"

Why does apparent evil seem to go unpunished in this world? If our answer is merely intellectual or even only intuitive, it will probably not satisfy our heart. Spiritual history tells us that this question has to be answered experientially, from the depths of us, and that is usually through great suffering and tears.

Some questions to ask ourselves:

What keeps Baba from flooding the whole world with His love? With His infinite power, could He not easily change our situation?

Why isn’t the world learning from its sufferings and the impact of its negative behavior?

Why can’t we enjoy a pleasant and comfortable life and at the same time wake up from this dream of Creation and experience our divine nature, the universal love within, to merge with Baba? Bhau Kalchuri used to say, “Sometimes it takes a nightmare to wake us up from a pleasant dream.”

What is the positive effect of the outer disturbance in the world, its apparent evils and injustices? For many, it drags them down to experience the worst qualities in themselves. Does it not, for some, force them to go deeper within themselves in order to find the higher ground of the Soul?

The period of human history we are in is called the Kali Yuga, the winter of the world. What would happen if we eliminated winter from the cycle of seasons? What would it do to the balance of nature?

The perspective of time: On a personal level, someone may go through a very painful divorce which they suffer with for years, and yet many years later they often say it was the best thing that ever happened to them: they came to realize that they took their spouse for granted and let their work consume them so much that they lost the closeness with their own children. Through this painful experience, they woke up to their own self-centeredness.

Are injustice, betrayal and suffering tools that Baba uses to wake us up? Could injustice be really a higher form of justice that we can’t see?

Just as a person who is an addict may have to bottom out, hit rock bottom, before they call out for help and connect with their higher power, could it be the same for the collective?

What are some of the positive outcomes of the pandemic? Do you think that humanity has suffered enough to avoid creating future suffering? Do you see signs of awakening around you in spite of what the news might convey?

Why should things get better or improve according to our way of thinking?

Are we being asked to develop that quality which can accept "what is", to accept the unacceptable, to accept everything as Baba’s love, even when it appears outright cruel and unjust? Is there a loving wisdom behind all that happens which we fail to see?

What does it mean to accept God’s love?

How innocent are the innocent?

The Serenity Prayer comes to mind.

In His love, Jeff

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