Question: Here at the United Nations many decision-makers take positions on controversial issues. What is the most effective way to make sure the position they take is the correct one?

Sri Chinmoy: When a controversial subject is being discussed, all those who are participating should be seekers. Unfortunately, it may not be that all are aspiring. All may not be trying to have constant and conscious self-giving to a higher ideal, to an uplifting cause, to the Source. Still, one thing we can try to do is to exercise the sympathy of fellowship. We can look around us and see quite a few human beings. If we can claim them to be our friends, and not strangers or adversaries, then the strength of our oneness itself is a divine achievement. When we achieve something divine, already we are on the road to a divine accomplishment. Oneness will never be able to hurt anybody. If I am really one with somebody, then I cannot hurt that person. Every part of our body is one with every other part. Our hands are so powerful, but do we strike our eyes with our hands? No! We know that our eyes and our hands are trying to reach the same destined goal. The eyes will see something and immediately the legs will go and help the eyes. The eyes are the ones that first see the goal and make the decision to go to the goal. Then the eyes give the message to the legs and the rest of the members, and they all go to the goal together.

So, when many individuals get together to come to a decision, if right from the beginning they feel that they are one, then once the truth is seen by any member, spontaneously the others will also see it and try to achieve it. If oneness is already felt and established on the inner plane, then on the outer plane all will try to aim at the same goal. When an individual offers his suggestion, if the individual is sincere, simple and truth-loving, and if others have any feeling of sympathy, concern and oneness with him, then automatically all will go to the same source, which will be satisfaction, constant satisfaction. No matter who sees something before the rest of the members of the family, it will make no difference. Seeing itself is the decision. And while others are participating in or becoming one with or seeing eye to eye with the decision, they are also expediting it. So, if each member can feel that the others are not going to deceive him, if each member will accept every other member as a real friend, it does not matter that only one has got the message. From one it will spread to two, and eventually all will be travelling to the same destined goal.

If we start on the basis of division, then there can be no proper guidance or divine assurance, and no decision can be taken. But if there is oneness, the oneness itself can go to the source, which is divine satisfaction; and from the source we will get the message as to which decision to take.

In the inner world we have to know what we are and what we are supposed to do. Then the capacities and realisations of the inner world we have to bring forward. That is the only way that each seeker-server and lover of the United Nations can contribute the utmost to the fulfilment of the United Nations world-embracing and world-illumining vision.