Lofty Goals, Dynamic Souls: Guarding Against Blindness to Success and the System

In this Bamteli talk from November 20, 2011, Hocaefendi responds to questions about whether the danger of "blindness to the system" can also affect the service of faith, and how to keep the spirit of service alive. He notes that such blindness can be born of success, and can also arise when God bestows favors upon someone without corresponding merit or effort. In that case, he says, one should shudder with concern, remain grateful, and ask whether it might be istidraç, a gradual drawing toward ruin through good things. He observes that nations and civilizations, such as Rome, Byzantium, the Seljuks and the Ottomans, have gone through periods of blindness, decline and dissolution. The remedy he offers is to keep showing people lofty goals, to keep them dynamic and in a state of constant metaphysical tension, and to renew the forms of service without ceasing. He points to the example of the first caliphs, whose lives were filled with striving, as a model. He cautions that people who forget how small their own effort is and begin to say "we did this" may fade away, and he says that those at the forefront of the work should close their doors to worldly and otherworldly gain. He also reflects that death cannot be escaped, since life and death are created together, but that the lifespan of a community can be extended by God's permission. For this, he says, one must first be alive in spirit, giving life to those around him, rather than giving in to fear, complacency, comfort or love of worldly gain. — Original talk (Turkish) by M. Fethullah Gülen, published by HerkulNagme. Original video:    • Yüksek Hedefler, Dinamik Ruhlar | Bamteli ...   English subtitles added for international viewers.