Saturday, July 21, 2007

Life On Earth

It's been said we're not bodies having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a physical experience.

But, why would God do that?

Today's excerpt from Reality gave me an answer but also brought up more questions:

"The wisdom of the appearance of the spirit in the body is this: the human spirit is a Divine Trust, and it must traverse all conditions, for its passage and movement through the conditions of existence will be the means of its acquiring perfections. So when a man travels and passes through different regions and numerous countries with system and method, it is certainly a means of his acquiring perfection, for he will see places, scenes and countries, from which he will discover the conditions and states of other nations. He will thus become acquainted with the geography of countries and their wonders and arts; he will familiarize himself with the habits, customs and usages of peoples; he will see the civilization and progress of the epoch; he will become aware of the policy of governments and the power and capacity of each country. It is the same when the human spirit passes through the conditions of existence: it will become the possessor of each degree and station. Even in the condition of the body it will surely acquire perfections."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 52: The Appearing of the Spirit in the Body, p. 200