Question: I know I have vital problems but I never wrote to you about them. Does that mean that I am insincere?

Sri Chinmoy: No. Some people are sincere to the extreme; they write about everything. Again, some don’t write, but that doesn’t mean that they are insincere. They may want to fight it out by themselves. Some feel embarrassed; some feel that it is beneath their dignity; some feel that they can handle the problem. These are the reasons why they don’t write. But people who write get more compassion from me. Like a magnet I try to pull their vital problems. They feel that they will get some help from me by becoming sincere, but my help is not enough. They need willingness. They themselves must want to conquer these forces. Divine compassion will increase if they write, but their realisation will not take place unless they themselves want to conquer the wrong forces.

If I am hurt and I come to my mother, then my mother will immediately try to show me all her concern. But if I again go and strike myself, then I will have the same problem. If I don’t return to the place where I got hurt before, then my mother does not have to come. Only when I have a problem, I will tell her. So the people who tell me about their vital problems are better off than those who do not tell. But again, I am saying that just by telling me, you will not be able to solve your problems. If you tell me, then you can feel that you have someone to pull with you in the tug-of-war. But what actually happens? You ask someone to pull with you in one direction and he is ready to help you. He pulls in that direction, but you change your side. After inviting someone to be your friend, and to help you when you are in difficulty, you go to the other side very nicely and you start pulling against him. You say to him, “Who wants you?” It is like a husband and wife when they fight and quarrel. If a friend comes as an intermediary, then he gets a blow from both sides. The husband and wife say, “Why do you have to interfere? It is our business. We can fight; we can do anything we like. Why should you bother us?” You ask somebody to help you when you have problems. But when he comes, you say, “It is none of your business; I will take care of myself.” This is what is happening.

Vital problems are a disease. When one person is affected, there may be many more to catch the disease. And if someone becomes a victim of one individual, then there will be five or six other persons also attacking that person. If one person cherishes ignorance-forces and throws them into someone, then soon it becomes five persons. Recently one boy has become the victim of five girls. Letters are coming to me. I won’t tell the names of the boy or the girls, only I am saying how the number increases. But if you have a little bit of vision, then you will immediately know who the boy is. How his face used to shine once upon a time! Now that shine is gone. But you don’t have to look around to see the boy; just think of yourself. I read these letters and then I tear them up, so nobody will know. One person will get five blows, five arrows will come and strike him. Is one not enough to kill him? Similarly, one girl may be the victim of five arrows from five boys. One blow you can’t survive, so how will you survive five blows?