Travail of the New World Order
The world storm, which has been gathering momentum, is now having its greatest outburst; and in reaching its climax, it will work universal disaster. In the struggle for material well-being, all grievances have assumed fantastic proportions. And the diverse differences of human interest have been so accentuated that they have precipitated distinctive conflict. Humanity has failed to solve its individual and social problems, and the evidence for this failure is but too plain. The incapacity of men to deal with their problems constructively and creatively reveals tragic deficiency in the right understanding of the basic nature of man and the true purpose of life. The world is witnessing an acute conflict between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. On the one hand there are selfish persons who seek their happiness blindly through lust for power, unbridled greed and unrelieved hatred. Ignorant of the real purpose of life, they have sunk down to the lowest level of culture. And they bury their higher selves in the wreckage of crumbling forms which linger on from the dead past. Bound by material interests and limited conceptions, they are forgetful of their divine destiny. They have lost their way, and their hearts are torn by the ravages of hate and rancor.
On the other hand there are persons who unveil their inherent higher self through the endurance of pain and deprivation, and through the noble acts of bravery and self-sacrifice. The present war is teaching man to be brave, to be able to suffer, to understand and to sacrifice.
The disease of selfishness in mankind will need a cure, which is not only universal in its application, but is drastic in its nature. It is so deep-rooted that that it can be uprooted only if it is knocked from all sides. Real peace and happiness will dawn spontaneously when there is the purging of selfishness. The peace and happiness which come from self-giving love are permanent. Even the worst sinners can become great saints if they have the courage and sincerity to invite a drastic and complete change of heart.
The present chaos and destruction will engulf the whole world. But this will be followed by a very long period in which there shall be no war. The passing sufferings and miseries of our times would be worth enduring for the sake of the long period of happiness which is to follow.
What will the present chaos lead to? How will it all end? It can only end in one way. Mankind will be sick of it all. Men will be sick of wanting and sick of fighting out of hatred. Greed and hatred will reach such intensity that everyone will become weary of them. They way out of the deadlock will be found through selflessness. The only alternative which will bring solution will be to stop hating and to love, to stop wanting and to give, to stop domination and to serve.
Great suffering shall awaken great understanding. Supreme suffering fulfills its purpose and yields its true significance when it awakens exhausted humanity, and stirs within it a genuine longing for real understanding. Unprecedented suffering leads to unprecedented spiritual outcome. It contributes to the construction of life on the unshakeable foundation of the Truth.
It is now high time that universal suffering should hasten humanity to the turning point in its spiritual history. It is now high time that the very agonies of our times should become a medium for the bringing of a real understanding of human relationship. It is now high time for humanity to face squarely the true causes of the catastrophe which has overtaken it. It is now high time to seek a new experience of reality. To know that life is real and eternal is to inherit unfading bliss. It is time that men had this realization by being unified with their own selves.
Through unification with the higher self, man perceives the infinite self in all selves; and he becomes free by outgrowing and discarding the limitations of the ego-life. The individual soul has to realise its identity with the supreme universal soul with full consciousness. Men shall have reorientation of life in the light of this ancient truth, and they will readjust their attitude towards their neighbors in everyday life. To perceive the spiritual value of oneness is to promote real unity and cooperation. Brotherhood then becomes a spontaneous outcome of true perception.
The new life which is based upon spiritual understanding is an affirmation of the Truth. It is not something which belongs to utopia, but is completely practical. Now that humanity is thrown into the fire of bloody conflicts, it is, through immense anguish, experiencing the utter instability and futility of the life which is based upon purely material conceptions. The hour is near when men, in their eager longing for real happiness, will seek the true source of happiness.
The time is also ripe when men will ardently seek to contact the embodiment of the Truth in the form of a God-man, through whom they can be inspired and lifted into spiritual understanding. They will accept the guidance which comes from divine authority. Only the outpouring of divine love can bring about spiritual awakening.
In this critical time of universal suffering, men are becoming ready to turn towards their higher self, and to fulfill the will of God. Divine love will perform the supreme miracle of bringing God into the hearts of men, and of getting them established in lasting and sure happiness. It will satisfy the greatest need and longing of mankind. Divine love will make men selfless and helpful in their mutual relations, and it will bring about the final solution of all problems. The new brotherhood on earth shall be a fulfilled fact, and nations will be united in the fraternity of love and truth.
My existence is for this love and this truth; and to suffering humanity I say:
Have hope. I have come to help you in surrendering yourselves to the cause of God, and in accepting his grace of love and truth. I have come to help you in winning the one victory of all victories — to win yourself.
[November 1944]
—Source: Messages of Meher Baba, East and West (ed. Adi K. Irani), pp. 22-25. Also in Discourses, vol. 3, pp. 18-21.