WE HAVE TO BEGIN WITH OURSELVES

 
If we claim ourselves to be the lovers of Meher Baba, and want to do some work of propagating His message of Love and Truth, then we should not really delude ourselves into thinking we can lead any easy life we want. Our words will then bear no effect. Our work should begin with ourselves. We must prepare ourselves to do that work.

So-called "work" can be done by anybody in the world if he has the means, if he has the friends, if he has the money. But that work does not become effective at all. Meher Baba's work is not an advertising work. It is not a commercial advertising work.

It is the real work of something Real to be given to human beings; and that "Real" cannot come out of you unless you have it. And if you don't have it today, you can have it tomorrow. And the way to have it depends on three things alone, i.e., your love for Him, your conduct and your character. So, as they say, charity must begin at home. Baba's work should begin with yourself.

All talk of differences has really no value whatsoever. They are all surface and temperamental differences and we should not waste our time with them. It doesn't take anybody anywhere.

Any Baba person who has come out to do Baba's work with a sincere heart, life and character should say, "Maybe I was something else yesterday, today I make a determination to lead the life Baba wants me to lead," and then come out into the world and make an effort to do His work. Create a foundation for yourself to build the super-structure of your work. Without the foundation, the little super-structure you may be successful in building will topple down, will fly, will be demolished in no time. It is no good building castles in the air. When we fight amongst ourselves, when we talk cruelly of others, we are simply wasting our time.

Why is Baba recognized as the Avatar? There was a time when Baba did not give any messages at all. He gave only Love. His life was evidence enough for people, and they recognized Him. It was much later that He started giving messages, and dictated His writings. And even if He had not done that, do you mean to say that He would not have been accepted by all those who accept Him today as the Avatar? He would have been accepted because of His life, because of His Love, because of His Compassion.

We must go to the fundamentals, and stop disputing each others' views, and throwing cold water on the enthusiasm of work that somebody else wants to do. Wherever Baba's work exists, wherever it is done, we have to cooperate 100%. We may have our temperamental differences; everybody has his own opinion and everybody has his own interpretations. But we should create a harmony amongst ourselves in spite of our differences.

But I tell you again that if you look upon the Mandali as having some experience having spent the precious years of their lives with Beloved Meher Baba, consider the conclusion I have come to: one has really to take up himself first, see to his life, see to his love, prepare himself for the work he wants to do. We can't afford to do Baba's work beginning at the other end; we have to begin with ourselves first.