17. To be free

Why do I want to be free?
   If I want to be free
   Because the rest of the world is bad,
Then God will ask me
To create another world of my own
   Since His creation has failed me.

   But if I want to be free
   So that I can be of greater service
   To my sisters and brothers,
   To God's entire creation,
Then God in me selects the hour,
And at that choice hour
   The aspiring human in me achieves
   Freedom from life's ignorance-night.

If I want to be free
To love the world,
   To be part and parcel of the world,
Then God is all eagerness
   To grant me freedom.
But if I want to be free
Because the world is full of ignorance,
The world is nothing but a devouring tiger,
   Then God feels that I am not the right person
   For Him to grant freedom to.
He will grant me freedom
   Only when He sees that this freedom
   Is for dedicated service,
For the transformation of the human race.