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2017 Special Issue
October 29, 2017
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On His 2016 trip to Malaysia, Swami was asked to provide the essential steps for self-transformation:
As I have always told you, take these three steps: I to we to He. This is transformation. If you want to progress from man to God, the right method is to proceed from man to society and from society to God. It is not possible either by penance, by going to holy places, by reading scriptures, nor by chanting the name, to cross over the ocean of samsara (the endless cycle of birth and death) without serving people. It is not possible. Therefore, from individual to society to God – this is the right, royal way.
From the ground floor to the first floor to the second floor. That is how you progress from ‘I to we’ and the ‘we to He’. On the one side, you must have love for God and, on the other side, you should have service for humanity. These two together will take you like the two wings takes the bird: it can fly to any height.
That is what I always prefer. One drop cannot reach the ocean, so all of you must come together to serve society. Each must become a river; a river will flow into the ocean and become the ocean. So how can a drop become the ocean? It has to become a river so that it can flow into the ocean. All of you work together in unity and purity and you will reach Divinity. That is the easiest and the fastest path in spirituality. Is it not the easiest path?
If you had to go to the Himalayas, stand there on one leg, not eat, not sleep, bear all the cold and the storms, do you think you would attain Divinity? All that is not required, just do Seva. Love people and serve people – that is the fastest. It is like the express train, not the passenger train; it will take you the fastest. Now you have the bullet train, which is even faster! This is like that.
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2017 Youth Service Highlights
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Over the course of 2017, His Divine Will was carried out by His instruments all across the world. From Australia to Argentina, Mexico to Malaysia, embodiments of love gathered together to do what little they could to better the world around them. In turn, they showed just how large and lasting an impact they could actually have. Let’s have a look at some of the beautiful activities fellow brothers and sisters engaged in.
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Below is just a sample of the work done by the youth volunteers so far this year. In future Special Issues, many of the other wonderful service projects will be highlighted. Hats off to all of the youth for their hard work serving their communities!
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As 2017 draws to a close, let’s look back on the year with gratitude and humility. Gratitude for having been given the chance to transform the world and ourselves, and humility for recognizing that, though we have come a long way, we have a long road ahead of us. Indeed, the path ahead of us may very well test us to our limits, individually and collectively. But if we stop and look within, we may just get a chance to hear our souls’ urge – to transform ourselves, our collective selves from I to We to He, that this experience on Earth is exactly what we signed up for. Brothers and sisters, the light is visible at the end of the tunnel; the golden age is in sight. Let’s join our hands and hearts and march forward together - to the more beautiful world our souls know is possible.
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Addressing the Needs of the Homeless
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Homelessness is one of the first and easiest societal diseases to diagnose. Yet, it continues to plague our otherwise advanced society. Youth from around the world took upon the mission of taking care of those who have been completely left behind, in any way they could.
In the USA, an initiative, a directive of Swami Himself, began gaining traction. Swami had commanded the youth of California to "find a permanent solution to homelessness," focusing especially on addressing child homelessness. No small endeavour, and one in the pursuit of which many other organizations would have fallen short.
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Addressing the Needs of Children
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Swami has made it clear that the future of society depends on the well-being of children. Accordingly, initiatives have sprung up around the world addressing the needs of our most prized possessions, including providing free health and dental check-ups, access to the Internet and up-to-date learning materials, and education in Human Values.
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Addressing the Needs of the Displaced
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In Greece, one of the most pressing issues at hand is how to address displaced refugees fleeing war-torn areas of the Middle East. In many surrounding areas, the prevailing notion has been to limit or even prevent these refugees in seeking asylum in their more stable countries. Simply put, fear has many times over taken precedence over love. However, a group of individuals has gotten together over the past few years to put into action their ideals of "Love All, Serve All" and embrace their fellow human beings.
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