The three ways a person can act in his day-to-day life are from instinct, inspiration and intuition. We function from instinct when we act as we feel. Inspiration is when we act with control over our basic instinct, with a definite direction towards some higher goal. In intuition, we feel as the Lord feels, and then express in action.
The one who acts on instinct doesn’t act; he reacts. With reactions we produce rebels, as inner reaction expresses in the form of outer rebellion in our life. When a person reacts, he is driven by impulse and hence there is no wisdom behind his actions. I feel like eating, therefore I eat; I feel like shouting, therefore I shout, I feel like doing a thing, therefore I do it. This is instinct. When engaging in reaction, outer peace and harmony are disturbed and mentally, we become unavailable to any other situation that comes our way.
Those who act from inspiration act in ‘response’. When we respond, feeling takes the back seat and thinking bears the torchlight, guiding us ahead. By feeling is meant sentimentalism, not finer sentiments which make life sublime. Feelings do have a place, but they have to be properly governed by our thinking. When thinking governs our feelings, they become an asset; when feelings govern our thinking, they become a mere liability. If our feelings become a liability, eventually we ourselves become a liability, both for others and ourselves. When we govern our feelings, we are more available for inspiration. When feelings govern us, instinct will show. This is the difference between animal and man. However, man has the capacity to stop himself from jumping into action, based on what he feels. This capacity to govern feelings enables man to evolve; lack of the freedom to govern feelings, doesn’t.
Intuition is perfect tuning with the Will of The Lord. Intuition is not when we feel something out of our own whims and fancies, but when we feel His feeling. Those who are anchored in the Lord alone are often blessed with very high intuition. Those who are only result-oriented get easily depressed. The result alone should not be the goal; faith and devotion also have to increase with our work. This world belongs to God. He alone is the director, producer, writer and dissolver of this mysterious universe. When one’s goal is to make the Almighty pleased and happy through one’s actions, then all powers of the world rush to one’s aid and great results follow.
The world, name and fame, money, power etc. do not become anyone’s strength for a long time. The history of the world proves this point. Many great Saints, with only a begging bowl in their hands, and not even a house to live in or the next meal to depend on, have made the world worth living in and made life worth smiling at. These masters of eternity alone have moved the world, not with guns and goons, but with devotion and compassion. Remove these Saints from our history, and what remains? What would have held the nation together? We may have material advancement, but these illusory advancements can never lead to lasting peace without the power of selflessness and love, which is personified in a life which is anchored in divine faith.
