By: Neville Hodgkinson
Source: The Daily Guardian
Dated: August 2nd, 2025
Some years ago I learned that the central technique used by conmen to fool us into parting with our money is to identify, and then play on, our desires. They might dangle some dream in front of us, such as a vision of a beautiful house or car, or of securing lasting love or a big financial gain, or of winning the respect and social status we might feel we deserve. They may also play on our ego, giving us the feeling that we can outsmart them, until suddenly we find we have been fleeced.
These deceptions do not just happen with obvious fraudsters. It is part of the stock-in-trade of many politicians, companies, advertisers, and even religious leaders to string us along with promises of benefits that never arrive.
The quality of discernment – the ability to discriminate true from false - helps to protect us against being fooled in this way. It is natural for us to have some desires, but the more we seek to fulfil them through spiritual rather than worldly means, the less we are likely to be misled, either by others or by our own selves.
If I have a longing to be with another person and that is not reciprocated, that person can easily make a puppet of me, stringing me along in ways that serve their interests but that may ultimately leave me feeling isolated and forlorn.
In contrast to that, if I learn how to build a loving relationship with the Divine, it can only increase my power to negotiate life with happiness.
The art of connecting with the spiritual dimension is widely neglected in today’s world, but it is really quite simple. It entails the discipline of turning my attention inside rather than endlessly focusing on things happening outside of me. Of course, I need to look after myself physically and earn a living, but I do not need to be endlessly gossiping or even worrying about others.
When I look inwards, I make an extraordinary discovery. There is an ‘I’, a presence, within that is separate from the brain and body. It has intrinsic strength, in the form of a fullness of spirit that asks for nothing. When I feel that strength, and allow myself to sit with it for a while, it is as though I connect with a Supreme Source of love, peace, and wisdom that charges the battery of my well-being even further.
If I develop the habit of plugging in regularly like this, I find myself able to play my part on the stage of life with a pure and positive energy. It is like a light that illuminates everything around me, so that I am neither fooled by false promises, nor made bitter by unmet desires.
This strength enables me to engage with others with greater confidence and trust.
Many years ago, I saw one of the founding sisters of the Brahma Kumaris, Dadi Janki, addressing a gathering of business people at London’s Institute of Directors. At that time I had only a very primitive understanding of spiritual empowerment, and I could understand little of what she was saying. But the thought came to mind, “There is no greater service to humanity than to be like this person is.”
Selfishness and confusion reign in today’s world, but we can all make a contribution to lightening the darkness by paying attention to our thoughts and feelings.
Neville Hodgkinson is a UK-based author
and journalist, and a long-time student of Rajyoga.
