There are two lenses through which we perceive and understand this world, – the lens of ignorance and the lens of knowledge. The lens of ignorance depends heavily upon our sensory inputs and uses analysis of surface events to arrive at a working philosophy of life. This philosophy then becomes a base for us to act with all its attendant consequences that often end up confirming our belief or the philosophy. Thus, for example, someone believes that the world is bad and hence there is no God. Hence to live for the satisfaction of desires and ambition is the only valid goal or to somehow survive. So his actions are driven by this dark idea. Since he lives ignorantly not knowing the true purpose and mainly for the satisfaction of the desire-self it only brings suffering in various forms further justifying his belief. He looks at God as a spoilsport who disturbs his life and robs of his share of pleasure that he ‘rightly deserves. After all, life has no other meaning for him but an ignorant enjoyment. He fails to see that there is a larger and greater plan towards which the pain and suffering is a wake-up call. The process then continues and Nature becomes more and more seemingly ruthless in trying to wake up through lives. This sometimes goes on until one touches the rock bottom and then bounces back wasting a lot of time in the process and now through a long and slippery road.
On the other hand, there is someone who takes the stance that perhaps his understanding is not enough, he is only looking at the appearances and drawing hasty presumptuous conclusions. So he turns towards the heights to know, to gather Wisdom. The pain and suffering he experiences personally or in others become for him a catalyst to change him from an ignorant person in love with his darkness to a seeker who wants to truly understand and step out of this zone of suffering and pain. Once this happens then he has to either become a lone explorer as the Buddha or open to help from the Divine Grace through a realised Master or an Avatar or even a scripture like the Gita. He starts with this faith that though the world looks dark yet perhaps there is a way to bring light, perhaps a road that leads us out of this state. He dedicates his life to this discovery rather than in the pursuit of his bodily needs or vital desires and ambitions. And since he puts his faith in this discovery, he soon finds himself moving upwards towards a far-off light whose warmth and glow brings peace and joy in his troubled days. Since his approach and attitude change, life and nature present him or lead him towards the discovery of a new and beautiful world. Thus his faith too is justified.
When we add to this faith an ardent will, an aspiration for the great discovery then it becomes spiritual concentration. Similarly, when our thoughts keep turning towards the great discovery then it turns into a meditation. Meditation and concentration are states (rather than a technique or method) in which the mind is increasingly and progressively turned towards Light and Truth and Harmony and Beauty and Love and Peace, in one word God who embodies these and much more and is only more than willing to give it to us.
So why then did He create darkness? Because evolution starts from utter Inconscience. Slowly it struggles towards Light. Thus alone can all the divine possibilities buried in the soul as a seed state come to full fruition. This struggle against the darkness prepares us to receive the Light lest we be blinded by Its power and impact. Darkness, evil, suffering is not final. It is neither the origin or the end. They are stages in our great ascent, incidents whose significance is concealed now but becomes increasingly clear as Wisdom begins to dawn. We as souls have come from a supernal Light into this world of darkness to colonize and transmute Matter’s Night. That is why despite everything we keep nurturing within us the dream of a perfect world. From the Light we come, even in our darkness we are nourished indirectly by the Light and to the Light we go.
