DISCOURSES Volume II - Avatar Meher Baba Trust

THE SEARCH FOR GOD 15of life. There thus comes into existence a true search for lastingvalues. Henceforth the burning query which refuses to be silencedis, "What does it all lead to?"When the psychic energy of a man is thus centred upondiscovering the goal of life, he uses the power of desperatenesscreatively. He can no longer be content with the fleeting things ofDivine desperatenessis the beginning ofspiritual awakeningthis life and he is thoroughly scepticalabout the ordinary values which he had sofar accepted without doubt. His only desireis to find the Truth at any cost and he doesnot rest satisfied with anything short of the Truth. Divinedesperateness is the beginning of spiritual awakening because itgives rise to aspiration for God-realisation. In the moment ofdivine desperateness, when everything seems to give way, mandecides to take any risk to ascertain what of significance to his lifelies behind the veil.All the usual solaces have failed him, but at the same timehis inner voice refuses to reconcile itself completely with theposition that life is devoid of all meaning. If he does not posit someGod or nothinghidden reality which he has not hithertoknown, then there is nothing at all worthliving for. For him there are only two alternatives: either there is ahidden spiritual reality which prophets have described as God, oreverything is meaningless. The second alternative is utterlyunacceptable to the whole of man's personality, so he must try thefirst alternative. Thus man turns to God when he is at bay inworldly affairs.Now since there is no direct access to this hidden realitywhich he posits, he inspects his usual experiences for possibleavenues leading to a significant beyond. Thus he goes back to hisusual experiences with the purpose of gathering some light on thePath. This involves