Question: Please tell me what is wrong with the world: It seems to act like a madman and it seems to be running towards its own destruction; what is wrong with the world?
Sri Chinmoy: To start with, I wish to tell you that there is nothing wrong with the world but everything is wrong with you and me and the rest of the human beings. Poor world has not committed anything wrong; it is we who are misusing the world. Now let us focus our attention on the poor world. God has created this world; we are utilising the world. We can use it in our own way. We can either destroy it or we can manifest the Divine, the Infinite Peace here on earth. This world is the field of manifestation where we can manifest our inner divine qualities. At the same time, instead of manifesting the divine qualities deep within us, if we want to destroy the world, which is what we are actually doing, it is up to us. Let us take the world as an instrument. If we play the wrong note, then who is responsible? The player, not the instrument. If we use the world in a divine way, then we shall see that there is no problem with the world. It is we who have the capacity and we can utilise the world in a divine way to fulfil the Divine here on earth.
Sri Chinmoy, Earth’s Cry Meets Heaven’s Smile, part 3, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1978