The power of intention

Several years ago, I read from the writings of a spiritual teacher the following axiom of life, "attention energizes, and intention transforms". The meaning in this statement is profound. It means that just by directing one's attention on something is not enough to have it, there must be a deeper desire working in us that makes that quantum leap of connecting with the pure potentiality that is the source of all creation.

If mere attention was all we needed to have anything we wanted then there would not be any value to anything. Everyone would have the diamonds and the big cars and airplanes and villas in exotic corners of the world if that were the case. But then there will not be any value in it, and we would not desire these, for the ego desires what others don't have or that which is hard to get. Not because of the hardship but because that ownership will set us apart from the rest of the ordinary humanity. That gives us the momentary elevation of spirit that makes us both proud and arrogant also. My high-school autograph book adorned axioms come to mind. One of these read, "if wishes were horses beggars would ride". I did not know the depth of that thought then, but it kept me in tag, and a few years later, I fathomed its insight.

So it's not mere attention that will give us what we want. It is the strength of our intention that will transform or help materialize the dreams we have in our minds into the substance of our world of form. Intention is also related to making a decision. Making a categorical decision is the act of intending and such decision makers are the ones to whom Providence shows the Path to achievement. A decision may be made for good or for bad, but the very act of intending makes having possible. That is why there are both good and evil people known for these qualities and achievements. What sets them apart from us ordinary people is that they all make powerful decisions to push forth their lives. On the other hand, there are those of us who wish to be this or that or wish to have this or that. But that is as far as we go and so we live in despair of not achieving these when actually what happened is that we had not intended on these wishes strongly enough by making that sacrificial decision to go ahead with the challenges that are before us to get to our goal. And, when things don't happen as wished, our ego uses that readily available human quality of blame to come to the rescue. The excuses then flow in unending streams for rationalizing as to why we could not achieve such and such. These excuses then go on to wreak the attendant havoc of consequences that seem the bane of our society today. The blame game is like an infectious diseases that soon encompasses the whole society. Perhaps we can understand in this way, the plight of our society today, whether in Maldives or elsewhere. 

Yes, we have the choice to decide, and when we do so strongly enough and in attendant sincerity, the whole universe works to let us achieve what we desire. But mind you, the consequences of our action will have to be dealt with by us later on, for as it is said, nothing of the good or bad that we do – allegorically that even the size of an atom -- is ever lost in the universe. These are preserved or recorded for us to pay for these or be rewarded as the case may be, now or in the hereafter. The above is also the truth of the saying "ask and you will be given" -- if the power of your asking is at that level of a powerful intention, you will have it. God is merciful indeed!

Thus to make our Nation good or bad is our choice. When the collective intention of our nation is veered towards a certain path, Providence makes it happen. The way to get out of this is to make the collective vibes positive and we will have a more loving and harmonious Nation. That Allah doesn't change the plight of a people unless they will it, is an axiom from Islam’s wonderfully enlightening Book. As we approach our Nation's Republic day on 11 November, these are thoughts we can ponder upon. May Allah (SWA) Bless us all as a sustaining beautiful nation where we all live in harmony and be a beacon of such an example to all those nations around us.