Question: I pray and meditate, I feel a flood of love and joy. But then I find that all the suffering of the world seems to well up inside me and I feel guilty for feeling joyful when so many other people are so unhappy.

Sri Chinmoy: You may feel the suffering of the world, true; but you can go one step further. You can share your happiness with those who are unhappy. Suppose you have a mango. It is up to you whether you eat the mango all by yourself or share it. You may not want to share it because it is most delicious. Again, you can offer a portion of it to your dear ones or to humanity. If you offer it to others you won’t feel miserable, but if you eat it all yourself, then you will feel sorry. So when you get peace, joy and bliss, you can share it with others in silence. Sometimes they may not use it; inwardly they may find fault with it and reject it. But you can do your part by offering others the peace and joy that you get.