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pilot and had dropped many bombs at night when people were sleeping. When I asked him if he repented for that, he said, 'Not at all, they were our enemies. It was my duty to bomb them. They got what they deserved.' I told him, 'That is your belief. Not all share that belief, least of all the victims, many of whom were innocent women and children. And all sons are dear to their mothers, whatever the nationality. He had no feeling for what he had done. In fact, he was glad. Such a person perpetuates violence in his consciousness and often becomes the victim of self-violence before the karma can be erased."
Sorella asked Gurudev what she could do to help a friend who had received such a shock from bombs exploding in her backyard during the war in Germany that she has not been able to forget it. "Whenever the month comes in which the explosions took place, for fifteen days she shakes and trembles. It happens like clockwork every year. When the fifteen days are over, she comes back to herself.”
Gurudev suggested, “First you be calm and aware of yourself through your own meditative practice. That will help her also. Help her to see that she is living in the 1960's and that what happened then is not happening now. Little by little, she will disidentify."
Before returning to Munich, Sorella told Gurudev, “These days of unselfish help and kindness have restored me to myself. You have given me back my faith in mankind and in the evolution of consciousness, the greatest gift anyone can bestow on anyone."
As more and more Europeans and Americans were uplifted by Gurudev's insights into the human heart, he found that he too was inspired and exhilarated by his contact with them. He liked their practical approach to problems, their direct unpretentious way of addressing him their questions. He sympathized with the longing they expressed for a more spiritual environment. He saw in them a deep quest to change their lifestyles and to practice meditation. Meeting with them seemed like a breath of fresh air in his life. He felt undeniably new openings within.
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