That the world today is besieged by conflict, and that increasingly it is most visible on the mental plane in the “war of ideas”, is obvious. The fields of politics, culture, and the media, in particular, are focal points where conflict is raging, sometimes in such brutal ways that truth itself is being called into question. What might not be so obvious is the esoteric teaching which affirms that the principle of conflict must be seen as a spiritual necessity. Conflict, to many minds, seems to be the antithesis of spirituality and the major obstacle to harmony, so it might come as a revelation that, esoterically, conflict is the preliminary step towards the achievement of harmony—that harmony is the outcome of conflict rightly handled. In these thoughts there is some comfort, some reassurance that perhaps the overwhelming conflict raging throughout the world at present is in fact a necessary aspect of a deeply spiritual and ultimately positive stage in human evolution.
Perhaps one reason that conflict is a spiritual necessity is that the principle of conflict is said to be latent in every atom of substance, generating a cycle which progresses from conflict, to renunciation, and finally to emancipation. The evolution of every atom of substance on Earth must follow this progression in its development. Why then should humanity expect to evade it?
The worldwide extent of the pandemic caused by the Covid virus has created conditions which are affecting every part of humanity. Looking behind the outer effects of the virus to a causal level, the esoteric teaching available to us affirms that conflict by its intrinsic nature produces devitalisation, weakening the resistance and rendering the organism susceptible to infection and contagious disease. The worldwide pervasiveness of conflict on all levels—physical, emotional, and increasingly mental—coinciding with a time when human minds are being inundated by the energies and forces of a transitional age, has prepared ideal conditions for a pandemic that is unwelcome but undeniable evidence of universal sharing.
A positive aspect of conflict is that it seems to be closely aligned with the process of achieving mental clarity. Specifically, we can see evidence of this in the remarkable achievement of scientists in the rapid creation of vaccinations to render the virus ineffective. On a more abstract level, mental clarity is achieved through conflict because it fosters recognition of the pairs of opposites. Through the experience of conflict, cleavages become clearly delineated, presenting choices which awaken the intellectual faculty of discrimination. In the confrontation between conflicting values and ideas, the mind develops the power to discern and then to choose, and to do so on increasingly more subtle levels—between greater and lesser principles, better and best values.
Love, surprisingly, can also stimulate the development of conflict, for we’re told that the outpouring of the stimulating Love of God must inevitably produce conflict as it makes impact on responsive and unresponsive human hearts equally. Again, we can recognize the opportunity of the present moment, as the powerful inpouring energies of the new age collide with the receding forces of an old age, rapidly ebbing yet still influential in their hold on conservative values, in particular. The significance of this transitional phase highlights the part that people of goodwill can play in providing a channel for the Love of God now streaming into the world. The suffering and urgent need created by the pandemic are touching the hearts of countless people of goodwill, causing them to examine their priorities and presenting choices between self-interest and the good of the whole.
It’s just here that a line of cleavage between the people of goodwill and the unresponsive natures of those who are, as yet, uninfluenced by this quality of divine love is being made abundantly, undeniably, and constructively clear, according to the esoteric teaching. The old platitude “stand up and be counted” applies here, for this is just such a moment when every human being is being tested according to the values and goals they hold most deeply and dearly. The worldwide extent of the pandemic caused by the Covid virus has generated conditions which are requiring humanity as a whole to face such tests.
To strengthen us in our resolve, the esoteric teaching declares that there could be no disaster more serious than a too abrupt ending of this conflict, for it’s essential that the issues become still clearer in human minds before any final choice is made. Ultimately, the eventual outcome is assured—sooner or later. The choice will be up to us, but the present conflict of ideas is today so acute that at some point it will finally exhaust itself, and human beings will turn, with relief, towards right human relations. This development is governed by cosmic law, and its inevitable appearance will constitute the first major decision leading to the harmony which humanity so desires.
