Question: Is the world aspiring more today than in the past?

Sri Chinmoy: The world is undoubtedly aspiring more than it did, say, at the end of the nineteenth century. But if we say that the world is aspiring more now than it did four thousand or five thousand years ago, then we are making a mistake. The world is progressing on the material plane. Mechanically and scientifically the world has progressed like anything. But spiritually there is a wave-like movement; it goes up and then it goes down.

America is the world for us. There is no other world. When we think of the Western world, immediately we think of America, just as when we say Asia, immediately we think of India. India is not Asia, but Asia takes the credit for India’s spirituality. Similarly, America is not the Western world, but when we say America, immediately we think of the whole modern world. Aspiration in the last fifteen or twenty or fifty years has undoubtedly increased in comparison to what existed two hundred or three hundred years ago, especially in America. Without the least possible hesitation, I can say that America’s inner cry has abundantly increased. But again, the scientific mind, the doubtful mind, has also increased. Positive forces and negative forces have both increased.

Fifteen years ago America had a kind of aspiration. Then, some spiritual Masters came from India and the aspiration increased. True, some undivine Masters gave you people counterfeit coins, false coins. But you didn’t know that they were false coins. You thought that they were real coins, so you ran after them. Then, a day came when you said, “No, these are false coins.” Your eagerness to grab the coins was your aspiration. Unfortunately, they were false coins. But the eagerness you had to get the coins, your aspiration or love of Truth or love of God, was already kindled. Then, some good Masters came and the problem was solved.