Life is an interplay of opposing forces. There are three basic forces which underlie all interactions in the universe: the creative force, the destructive force and the force that maintains what has been created. These forces are also called the three gunas: Sattwa, Raja and Tamas. Sattwa is the creative force. Rajas is the maintainer and Tamas is the force that destroys or dissolves what has been created.
Life is composed of a huge display of diversity, from the point value of abject darkness to the infinite value of divine light. There will always be destructive forces which rise up to challenge positive forces. Life is described in the Bhagavad Gita as a battlefield of opposing forces. We have the freedom to choose how we want to live, either to use our energy to support the growth of creative, positive forces or to be swept away in a damaging current of destructive, negative forces.
The world is perched on a precipice of danger. We are all called upon to chose life-renewing decisions, life-sustaining decisions, life-supporting actions to preserve our planet from destruction. We can tilt the balance toward positivity by aligning our thinking with our highest ideals, and acting in ways which translate these ideals into reality. By moving in this direction, we gain greater happiness and radiate more light into even the darkest corners of the universe.
barbara ann briggs 