…a merchant may lose his trade and depression ensues. A
workman is dismissed and starvation stares him in the face. A farmer has a bad
harvest, anxiety fills his mind. A man builds a house which is burnt to the
ground and he is straightway homeless, ruined, and in despair. All these
examples are to show you that the trials which beset our every step, all our
sorrow, pain, shame and grief, are born in the world of matter; whereas the
spiritual Kingdom never causes sadness. A man living with his thoughts in this
Kingdom knows perpetual joy. The ills all flesh is heir to do not pass him by,
but they only touch the surface of his life, the depths are calm and serene.
Today, humanity is bowed down with trouble, sorrow and
grief, no one escapes; the world is wet with tears; but, thank God, the remedy
is at our doors. Let us turn our hearts away from the world of matter and live
in the spiritual world! It alone can give us freedom! If we are hemmed in by
difficulties we have only to call upon God, and by His great Mercy we shall be
helped.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, 22 November 1911, Paris; ‘Paris Talks’)
