It is not only the human race that has evolved as time has passed, age after age, but an individual also evolves in his lifetime. In
other words, humanity evolves gradually during a world’s lifetime, while an individual, if he evolves at all, does so during his
life. It is possible that the human race may take an opposite course; instead of evolving it may go back, and so it is with
individuals too.
But a person who is really evolving will not go back. If he did go back some steps he would feel uneasy and
discontented, and he would go forward again. Perhaps he will go back a hundred times, but then a hundred times he will go
forward again, for a person who has once experienced the joy and happiness of evolution will not be content with going back;
feeling the discomfort of it he will go on.
No doubt the rhythm of every person’s evolution is different. One can read in the Vadan that one soul creeps, another soul
walks, another soul runs, and another soul flies; and yet they live on the same earth, under the same sun, and they are all called
human beings. How strange it is that at the present time a new spirit has awakened in humanity, and one does not recognize the
evolution of personality any loner!
What one does distinguish is the nationality; whatever country one enters the first thing they ask for is one’s passport. It does not matter what evolution one has, and it does not matter what one’s soul is experiencing; aslong as one has a passport which distinguishes one as the subject of this or that country, that is the important thing. And very often people make a great virtue of saying, “I am as good as you.” But imagine the insolence of it! The better one is the less one considers oneself to be. The one who is really better could not say, “I am as good as you.’ This means that the consciousness of the present-day man is inferior; he says, “I am as good as you,’ because unconsciously he feels inferior in his mind.
Whose fault is it? One might say it is the fault of nations, of races, of education, and one might give many other excuses. But it
is the times, it is the spirit of the times. It is no one’s fault; yet at the same time it is not necessary to go through a condition in a
kind of intoxication; it is better to awaken to the knowledge of that condition. It is better to become acquainted with the real
condition of humanity today. When we study human nature from a metaphysical point of view, we shall see that the origin of
human nature is the same as the origin of all other things; and the central theme of that origin is intolerance. Without reason,
man’s first feeling is that another must not exist. Later that feeling becomes modified, and man becomes more sympathetic,
more harmonious and considerate; but the first feeling he has is that another should not exist.
Where does this feeling come from? In reality there is one life and there is one being; this world of variety is made of one being;
it is the manifestation of the One. But at the same time in this world of variety, in this manifestation, the one Being loses that
consciousness of being one, and there arises the consciousness of being many; in that way one being comes to stand against
another being. Friendship, sympathy, harmony, attachment, devotion, all these come afterwards as man evolves, but they are
not his first tendencies. The first tendency is a kind of jarring influence. For instance, how happy one feels when one is sitting in
the train alone; but as soon as another person enters, one thinks that this is a great crime! One would rather he had gone to the
other compartment and left one alone. It is a natural feeling when in a restaurant one is eating at a table alone, and a stranger
comes to sit at the same table; he may be an angelic person, but as soon as he comes, one thinks, ‘Why? Have they not got
any more tables?’ And this feeling comes even to harmonious people; I am not speaking of the inharmonious ones.
Is there then anything to be surprised at if in the history of the world there have been so many wars and battles? And for what?
For nothing. Man is more fond of war than of peace. He likes peace after a war, but if he had loved peace before the war
there would never have been a war.
Hazrat Inayath Khan (1882-1927), Sufi Saint
axinia
1000 petals by axinia 
Again, the Sufi Saint touches here the depth of the human nature – this time its unpleasant aspect of intolerance as a hurdle to human evolution.
Every time I am amazed to read his words and know that it was all written before 1927 – it sound so modern!!
Finally, here is something that I can agree with this wise but bubble-dwelling saint, Axinia 🙂 Thanks for posting it!
But, I agree only to a certain extent 😐 Unfortunately, humankind has not evolved much ethically over the millenia. They still remain the barbaric, vile creatures that they were several millenia ago 😡 What they have improved is their methods of killing, maiming, looting, butchering etc. due to the advance of science. Which makes them an even greater threat to themselves, the planet and other creatures than they were millenia ago. A real pity!
Glad to hear that, Raj 🙂
I beleive generally there are some people who evolved (and I know quite a few of this kind!) but the masses are still on the way and it will take a while. The process it ery slow, but it is ongoing! And finally, the mankind is not that old, there is still a potential to grow. 🙂
I’m afraid I cannot share your optimism on this, Axinia 🙂 It will not just take a while, but an eternity! And I don’t think there are too many “evolved” ones out there, either 😐 For, the so-called “evolution” is not an individual thing, but a collective process. So, the “evolutionary level” of a group is the collective behaviour of a group as a whole and not one or two individuals within that group. And unfortunately, human behaviour mimics water in interconnected jars, in which the higher level ones always get pulled down by the lowly ones.
Just like the First World development standards are deliberately being brought down to the lowly standards of the Third World, instead of the other way around, humankind’s “evolutionary” standards always tends to correspond to the “evolutionary” level of the lowest “evolved” people 😦
Raj, I wonder if you heard of the Marx’s principle (unfrotunately I do not know the exact translation).
it goes soemthing like that:
“At some point the quantity accomulation leads to the qulity change” – that is a phenomenon I think familiar to everyone every from the daily life.
As I see it, the number of “evolved souls” people who work hard on themself and improve in any sense is dramatically increasing. MOre andmore people desire to grow personlly and spiritually (this trend ig getting very strong around me, for example) – then, at some point even if they are less but the quality number will overcome the masses of less evoled beings…someting like that..it is not easy to expresst but it strongly feels this way!
I don’t know if that principle can be applied here, Axinia. A better principle would be the basket of apples.
In a basket of apples, there will be one or two apples that are of a very good quality without any rot or even slight damage in them. Many apples will be ordinary ones, not of the highest quality, and they may have small flaws, but acceptable overall. There will also be a few rotten ones. Will the majority of ordinary apples improve in quality due to the presence of one or two very good ones in the basket? Certainly not. On the other hand, the rot from the bad ones usually spreads rapidly to the ordinary ones and even the good ones. Over a period of time, all the apples in the basket become rotten 😡
A few “apples” wishing to become better is not going to have any effect at all in a huge basket of more than six billion “apples” 🙂 What is more likely to happen (and is happening) is that the rot from the bad “apples” will spread all across the basket, afflicting the good “apples” as well 😐
All it takes for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing!
this is a good exmple and it also works. But I think we can apply differnt principles to diffrent situations… I hope that mine will work in this case 🙂
hi Axinia first i thought it were your words but later only i realized by seeing the name of the siant at the end. i read 2-3 times and wondered that it sounded so modern, so spontaneous and sahaj. and the human evolution touching the eternal joy of the spirit is really wonderful. the picture you have depicted is so appropriate and is too good. where did you manage to get it? it conveys that the true human evolution is by realization of one’s self. how beautifully he has explained about the raising up to the heights of evolution and falling down and again raising high. thanks for all such beautiful quotes.
sailaja, thanks my dear. In fact when I read him…it is as if I would have said it myself, but still he could do it so much better! That is why I am posting a lot of his quotes…not typical for me 🙂
Axinia,
Very insightful post. I love it. I experienced this some years back when I was in a relationship that wasn’t serving me. In a sense, I’d turned my back on my spiritual path, and I suffered because of it.
Now, daily my spirituality is the priority in my life. It doesn’t mean I no longer suffer, but any discomfort I experience is part of the evolution.
Interesting–the evolution piece. it seems, that it is a fundamental truth that everything evolves. Then, does that mean that God/The Divine/Eternity is also evolving??
Hmmmmm?
p.s. I might have to explore this concept on my blog…
but i would hav loved that the divine had made all of us on the same step of evolution. it is such a pity that some are more advanced and some are still looking backward. it’s so sad. we can explain in all kinds of manners why it has to be like that but it remain one of the biggest fall in our worldwide history.
I totally agree with you radha, it is a pity.
I think this is a very good analysis. Even I thought it was your analysis. The style looked like yours – very much.
Destination Infinity
I have often wondered whether we all evolve to know all at the brink of our deaths. If, at that time, it all becomes so very clear. I do know that many individuals who have been diagnosed with terminal illness come to realize what is most important in their lives.
Peace, Light and Love. . . C.
I came via Molly’s Destination The Journey and found this topic interesting indeed, Axinia.
I couldn’t agree more with what you said however the only point is that when it comes to the personnel, we are a complex combination of ’soul’, ‘mind’ and ‘body’ therefore the word ‘evolution’ isn’t enough to describe what happens to us; it’s rather the ‘development’ and ‘enlightment’ which is implemented when we understand ourselves better.
thanks, Hicham and welcome here!
You mean that development and enlightenment reflect it better? I don’t know… to me Evolution sounds more general and describing all the aspects of you development, even the physical one. Example: it has been noticed by many practitioners of Sahaja yoga meditation that after some time even some physical parameters change: the skin becomes softer, eyes glow, the nose can smell much finer things than a “normal” person do not..actually all senses get finer!
I think a personal evolution (spiritual, psychological, physical, etc.) is a complex thing and it is not only about the enlightenment of a spirit!
Yes I meant that, Axinia.
I got your point since firstly reading over Molly’s blog however I think that what you said is pefectly matching with the physical state but as for we are not merely physical, it’s not only evoultion.
Anwyay it’s not a terminology syllabus 🙂 so what’s important is the meaning behind which is elaborated in pefectly in the post, and I agree with it.