"BAD" IS RELATIVE

 
For long periods Meher Baba did not permit anyone longing to meet Him to come to Meherazad where He lived. We always pleaded with Baba to allow His lovers this permission but the result would always be the same. They would be called only when Baba wanted them to come and I could never understand this.

One day however, Baba permitted a certain man to visit Him. This person expressed excessive devotion to Baba and pretty much enacted a show in Baba's presence. In my heart I could see through the entire act since I knew that the man was an absolute scoundrel, but I did not mention anything to Baba.

The man came on several occasions after that and each time he effusively put on an act of love and devotion which to the onlookers smacked of play-acting. Finally when I could not take it any more and the visitor had left, I told Baba that the man was a thorough scoundrel and that he was merely putting on an act of love and devotion.

Baba simply said, "Yes, I know he does. You are looking at only his shadow, but I see his substance. He may be a scoundrel but he has the potential to be a real lover of God.

"You see him as bad, but you don't know how far he had to come to be only this bad."