Before beginning a journey, we might pray that we stay safe throughout, and that the purpose of the trip is fulfilled. Then we can go one step beyond, and pray that we will learn a great spiritual lesson in the process. In that initial prayer, we might feel that we have been heard, that there is nothing to worry about, that we will be successful. We are as sure as we could be. Later, when we confront all of the challenges of the journey, perhaps faith escapes our hearts. We doubt our intuition, and think that maybe we were mistaken. Maybe our prayers were never heard, and maybe we were deluded. Finally, in one form or another our venture is a success, and we wonder why we ever doubted. How much suffering we can save when we surrender to faith.

When we sit down to meditate, we might use some technique to get to a certain mental state. We might count a few breaths, or repeat a mantra. After 15 minutes or so, something has changed, and now our mind is calmer than it was. Perhaps at a certain point, such techniques are unnecessary. Now we know what state we would like to enter, and as we sit down we simply arrive there without effort or pressure. Likewise, if we are in prayer, we might focus very hard on our well-wishes for others, or bringing peace upon the house in which we are staying. What happens if we let go of the effort, and simply notice the divine quality that already exists in the object of our prayer?

The bystander effect describes a situation where nobody takes action because they believe it’s not their duty, or that there’s nothing to be done. For example, if a person is stabbed in the street in a city, being watched by a crowd, people might not call the police because it seems obvious that someone must have done something. Those people watching weren’t malicious; they didn’t want harm to be done. Even so, their inaction allowed greater suffering. When we think about these situations ahead of time, we give ourselves the chance to decide how we will act. Read the transcript and find important links on the site: [A Beautiful Thought - Psychopaths and Heroes: Episode 395](https://beautifulpodcast.com/psychopaths-and-heroes-episode-395/)

I welcome you to the final episode of A Beautiful Thought. Looking around us, we might notice there are many strange inversions in the world. Things seem to be the exact opposite to what they’re supposed to be. For example, once there were grand books telling stories that would appeal to the masses, and at once teach high spiritual ideas, such as the Mahabharata and its extract, the Bhagavad-Gita. Now the popular stories we see seem to be mere backdrops to act as propaganda for powerful organizations such as BlackRock. The spiritual ideals are eliminated, the entertainment reduced, and the message they want to push is most prominent. Another example is the concept of “mother”. In the tradition of yoga, once men would mentally refer to women as “Mother”, controlling their lust and attempting to see them as the Divine Feminine. Now in TikTok videos, young men leave comments calling attractive women “Mommy”, for quite another purpose. We might say our innocence has been taken from us, or we might say that we willingly gave it up. But even in a world like this, our innocence can be regained. The solution can take time and effort, but it is simple. By pursuing sexual continence, control of one’s own thoughts, and keeping God in mind, we can regain that innocence. Instead of moving deeper into the world, we move deeper into ourselves, into self-control, and into our own spirits. The rewards are numerous, and perhaps they are even perfect. [Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Purity Of Mind: Episode 480](https://beautifulpodcast.com/purity-of-mind-episode-480/)