The Good & the Bad & the higher Self of Man

The human heart thinketh both good and bad, for man prays for evil as fervently as he prays for good, for he is given to haste and rush devoid of sabr. We have knowledge of both the good and the bad, for we have been shown both the highways. The virtue (and the vice) is here, the Prophet (saw) pointed towards his chest thrice. Our reflection of the world outside is the reflection of the world inside. Shams of Tabriz says, “The whole universe is contained within a single human being – you. Everything that you see around, including the things that you might not be fond of and even the people you despise or abhor, is present within you in varying degrees”.

When the good sense in us prevails, we make a positive judgement. When we make such a positive judgement about people the “good self” pervades further over the bad self and it makes us see more and more good in them, their bad seems trivial. If the judgement is a negative one, the bad self in us pervades, the same way as the good one would have had the case been otherwise and it makes us see more and more bad in them, their good seems trivial.

Both these good and bad selves are afraid, they have invested too long. They don’t want all the judgements to be wrong. Thus, we realise that the “real filth is the one inside, the rest simply washes off, there is only one type of dirt that cannot be cleansed with pure waters, and that is the stain of hatred and bigotry contaminating the soul”. But then, what if our initial judgements have been wrong, will we never know?

The higher self is the guide, when it awakens in a person, it questions the judgement. It creates a dissonance inside if one’s judgement isn’t in sync with what his higher self feels. It is a state of pain and agony unless the higher self is dead – in which case it is deaf, dumb, and blind and it will never return to the path. When the higher-self questions the judgement, the lower-self repels. There is a fight between the forces of truth and good/bad. It is a state of despair and restlessness and sadness.

The timid lower self (both the good or bad) seeks reinforcements, it tries finding more evidence, more and more, reasons, more and more, to hate more or to love more or to quieten the higher self, hence ending the war with a victory, the victory of the long-held judgement. How can the higher-self remain silent unless the judgement is right, or the self is dead! It keeps on questioning the judgement, the state of despair and restlessness and sadness continues.

Peace is when either of the two wins – the lower self (of good or bad) or the higher self of truth. That is their win, your win is when the higher-self wins. You can purify your body through ablution, abstinence, fasting and all the other rituals, but “only love can purify your heart”. To make the higher-self win demands a strong faith. Shams says, “If you want to strengthen your faith, you will need to soften inside. For your faith to be rock solid, your heart needs to be as soft as a feather”.

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