Baba says, “With the screwdriver of understanding, tighten the loose screw of carelessness and remain constantly alert.”

Father shows son and then son shows Father. God comes at this most auspicious confluence age and gives the knowledge of the soul, of Himself and the world cycle to His children through Brahma. He is the Ocean of Knowledge, and so only He could give this knowledge. But even before being the Ocean of Knowledge, God is the Father, He is the Ocean of Love. So the very first thing He does prior to giving the knowledge is adopt me as His child practically and make me belong to Him, practically. He fulfills all my relationships and enables me to experience His love, support and companionship in the corporeal. Without this foundation of love, I wouldn’t really receive His knowledge and imbibe it. The Father shows me practically how to think, speak, be and by applying His teachings into my life and becoming a sample, I reveal Him to my brothers. They then are inspired to claim their inheritance from the Father. So the Father shows me first and then I show what I have learnt to others and in doing so reveal the Father.

Every child wants to reveal the Father to the world by becoming a sample and yet, Baba says, there isn’t complete revelation yet. The reason, He points out, is carelessness. One is to make a firm pledge in my heart and another is to simple make a fleeting promise. A pledge means a firm promise: I may die but I cannot break my pledge. No matter what the circumstances, the people, the situations…I keep my pledge. I cannot allow my resolve to shake or weaken. I cannot allow myself to become defeated in any situation.

However, in most cases, Baba says, when a situation or circumstance comes, instead of solving it and moving forward, I actually use the situation or circumstance as an excuse for my weak effort: “I usually don’t become angry but the situation was so big that…”, “I didn’t mean to do that but what they said about me was too insulting…”, “If they hadn’t behaved that way, I wouldn’t have…” etc. However, a firm pledge means: Whether the situation is big or small, whether they did something or not, I have to become like the Father. I have to become the sample. I don’t have to make others ‘okay’ or ‘behave properly’ or ‘put them in place’, instead, I have to focus on myself and become like the Father. If I can do this, the other will automatically receive the learning they need to change. I can inspire change in others like the Father inspires change in me by first embodying the change myself.

But often, I go about it backwards, I demand change from others first before I change myself. “I will do it if they do it”, “if they behave properly, then I can feel good; then I can make effort to become perfect.” “You are bestowers, not takers“, Baba reminds me. “Remember the meaning of Brahmin life is: To give is to receive. The receiving is merged in the giving. This is why a firm pledge is to see the self, to change the self and to maintain your self-respect: the self-respect is being a master bestower, not a victim making excuses.” To play a victim making excuses is to become careless; it is to betray myself out of my victory.

Even in machinery, no matter how big it might be, even if a tiny screw becomes loose, it makes the whole machinery useless. Similarly, in order to fulfill my pledge of becoming a sample, I make big plans and make a lot of effort. However, the tiny screw that makes those plans and effort weak is carelessness. It comes in different forms, in new forms every time. Sometimes it is: “when they do it, I will too”, other times it is: “I would have but the situation was too big…”, still other times it is: “this happens to everyone, even the seniors do this, no one is perfect yet, there is still time…”. “Tighten this screw of carelessness with the screwdriver of understanding.“, teaches Baba. “I have to become like the Father. I have to become a sample.” I have the knowledge, I also have the desire to change but the difference comes in actually do it. To make all three the same means to become like the Father. “Write on your heart with the ink of determination. Only such determination will make you the same as BapDada. Otherwise, you will continue to play these games of sometimes victory and sometimes defeat.“, teaches Baba.

God Himself is my Father. God Himself is my Teacher. God Himself is my Guru. I couldn’t have been dealt a better hand when it comes to making my fortune. Let me stop making excuses that prevent me from claiming all that is mine. Let me check for all those loose screws and tighten them such that I become the son, the daughter that reveals the Father.