Article January 10, 2005 Issue

COMPASSION, NOT DISDAIN

Neera Kapur

Sometime ago, a family member called to say a very important letter had been sent by courier, and I should receive it the next day. When it didn't come, I called the courier service and was told that it would arrive by a certain time. For several days, I continued to get this promise, but there was no sign of the letter.

In India, people say that once your letter has been misplaced by these courier services, you can forget about ever receiving it. Such cynicism certainly seemed justified, especially when the service finally confirmed that the letter was missing.

One definition of cynical is "disinclined to recognize goodness," and as I was thinking about this situation, it suddenly dawned on me that I was tempted to believe that in this situation, good could be absent or unrecognizable. I saw that this wasn't so much about my need to receive the letter as about my need to ask God to reveal His loving and wise nature, His pure character—about good being recognized. I affirmed that because good is from God, it is always in sight, never hidden or lost. I refused to let in thoughts of fear, doubt, or the possibility of mistakes. Instead I turned to God's power by maintaining that everyone who had anything to do with this letter was also encompassed in God's love, because the one divine Mind was guiding us all.

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