By: BK Geeta
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/2076/the-daily-guardian%09/15
Dated: February 22nd, 2025

Often when there is talk of world peace and unity, it is said that humanity is one big family sharing a common abode, planet Earth. Similarities in culture, values, feelings, and aspirations are cited to highlight the commonalities among all people. Similarly, the rich diversity in culture, traditions, and even the physical appearance of people from different countries is celebrated during international events such as the Olympic Games and youth festivals. However, the bonhomie witnessed during such events has not stopped conflicts based on differences of religion, nationality, and ideology around the world.

Feel-good slogans and talk do not bring people closer together. Even institutionalized measures to remove barriers among nations and foster integration do not erase the feeling of ‘us’ and ‘them’, which is at the root of a lot of ill will among people from different backgrounds.

The fundamental reason for such divides is people’s lack of awareness of their true relationship with their fellow humans, which in turn is the result of ignorance of their spiritual identity.

Most of us have heard or read that we are souls. But this piece of information remains just that, and it is mostly relegated to the back of the mind. Very few people are conscious of this fact while going about their daily lives, and fewer still make the effort to think, speak, and act with this awareness all the time.

What difference does it make, one might ask. It makes all the difference. 

The soul is a tiny, sentient point of light that is the source of life in a living being. It is when a soul takes birth in a human body that it comes to be called a human being. Though it resides in a perishable body, the soul is imperishable. It cannot be destroyed and it does not die. The soul has no nationality, race, caste, or gender. It acquires these labels according to the circumstances of its birth and its later life. Peace is the eternal religion of all souls, and their eternal relationship is that of brotherhood, in a spiritual family. Purity, love, and happiness are the soul’s innate qualities.

But most of us have forgotten our spiritual identity, qualities, and mutual relationship. Instead we identify each other by the labels we have created: of gender, nationality, religion, and more. The result is feelings of mistrust, fear, rejection, and hostility towards the ‘others’ who do not have the same labels as ‘us’.

National boundaries and social divisions are the creation of these feelings, which cause people with the same labels to band together to protect what they see as common interests. Most conflicts in the world can be traced to these negative feelings. Peace talks between people who harbour hatred and suspicion for each other may produce a political compromise and cessation of hostilities, but they cannot build a happy future for those involved as long as they carry poison in their minds for each other.

Universal peace, happiness, and prosperity can be realised only when all people recognise their spiritual identity and relate to each other on that basis. When we see each other as brother souls, as children of one Father, the Supreme Soul, our feelings for others are kinder and more amenable. At the same time, knowing that each soul has a unique role helps us appreciate differences of opinion, inclination, and lifestyle. When we interact with others with this knowledge, we are able to create harmonious relationships where everyone can express their unique qualities and is accepted and respected unconditionally.

Such an enlightened way of life is not a fantasy – it is the reality in spiritual communities where people from different backgrounds engage in learning that fosters respect for all souls. They practise Rajyoga meditation, which helps them rediscover and use the positive qualities latent within them and enables them to develop strength of character and create new attitudes and responses to life.

Such transformed individuals are in turn bringing positive change in communities across the world, by helping people to overcome damaging habits of thought, feeling, and reaction, and create a better life for themselves. This silent, inconspicuous process is the only way we can build a world of lasting peace and happiness, fulfilling the deepest yearning of every soul.

BK Geeta is a Rajyoga teacher 
at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Abu Road, Rajasthan.