Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I Speaking Tree I July 13, 2014

Spirituality is the science of the soul. Spirituality is a way of thinking that leads to a way of life. Spirituality begins from a discovery. When you discover that man is greater than all things, you become a spiritual person. You begin to evaluate yourself not in terms of material things but in terms of higher realities.

Spirituality can be defined as high thinking. in countries where there are severe storms, birds with small wings are caught up in them, but large birds with strong wings fly upwards and save themselves from becoming victims of these storms. This phenomenon has given rise to the saying: 'Big bird of the storm.' A spiritual person is one who has developed the capacity for 'big bird' thinking.

People generally suffer from tension when they experience some kind of material loss. However, even after incurring such a loss, they still possess a great deal. But, they focus on what is lost and overlook what is still left to them. This leads to the phenomenon of tension. A spiritual person is one who has learnt the art of stress management. For example, if he incurs a loss, he asks himself why he should suffer from tension, there being so much that he still possesses.

It is the urge to acquire money for the sake of money that causes stress. If you adhere to the principle of acquiring money for the sake of need, you will be able to lead a tension-free life. The well-known American billionaire, Bill Gates, has rightly said: "I can understand wanting to have a million dollars. But once you get beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same old hamburger!" It is one's greed that creates problems. If one remains content with fulfilling one's needs, there is no problem at all.

Once I met a man who was extremely worried. He told me that someone had defrauded him of Rs. 80,000. I asked him if he had anything left. He replied that he still had Rs. 25,000. I advised him to forget the lost 80,000 and start up a new business with 25,000. I met the person again after two years. He was very happy and exclaimed that he had gained much more than he had previously lost.

In every case of stress, it happens that the person's focus changes. He thinks about what he doesn't have instead of what he has. It is this shift of emphasis that is responsible for stress. The formula for de-stressing is very simple: forget the past and re-plan the future. Save yourself from negative thinking and you will be able to save yourself from all kinds of stress.