Change Yourself First...Swamy Vivekananda...

We have seen that it is the subjective world that rules the objective.  Change the subject, and the object is bound to change; purify yourself, and the world is bound to be purified.  This one thing requires to be taught now more than ever before.  This one thing requires to be taught now more than ever before.  We are becoming more and more busy about our neighbours, and less and less about ourselves.  The world will change if we change; if we are pure, the world will become pure.  The question is why I should see evil in others.  I cannot see evil unless I be evil.  I cannot be miserable unless I am weak.  Things that used to make me miserable when I was a child, do not do so now.  The subject changed, so the object was bound to change; so says the Vedanta.

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Thus the man that has practiced control over himself cannot be acted upon by anything outside; there is no more slavery for him.  His mind has become free.  Such a man alone is fit to live well in the world.  We generally find men holding two opinions regarding the world.  Some are pessimists and say, "How horrible this world is, how wicked!"  Some others are optimists and say, "How beautiful this world is, how wonderful!"  To those who have not controlled their own minds, the world is either full of evil or at best a mixture of good and evil.  This very world will become to us an optimistic world when we become masters of our own minds.  Nothing will then work upon us a good or evil; we shall find everything to be in its proper place, to be harmonious.

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The more we grow in love and virtue and holiness, the more we see love and virtue and holiness outside.  All condemnation of others really condemns ourselves.  Adjust the microcosm (which is in your power to do) and the macrocosm will adjust itself for you.  It is like the hydrostatic paradox, one drop of water can balance the universe.  We cannot see outside what we are not inside.  The universe is to us what the huge engine is to the miniature engine; and indication of any error in the tiny engine leads us to imagine trouble in the huge one.

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Every step that has been really gained in the world has been gained by love; criticising can never do any good, it has been tried for thousands of years.  Condemnation accomplishes nothing.

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