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<p class="paracenter">XVI
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<p class="paracenter"><b>THE RELATIVE BEST </b>
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<p class="para"> Whatever happens is for the best—<i>under 
the circumstances, </i>
it must be added, for the best is the resultant of many forces pulling in all directions for and against and side­ways. The 
 <i>best<b>
 </b> </i>means whatever leads to the goal, to the ultimate good, the final reality, the Supreme, the Divine. The universe is so arranged, the divine dispensation acts in such a way that every event, every circumstance, what­ever its appearance, always leads to the Supreme Goal. So it is said the way, whatever it is, straight or crooked, always guides you to your final realisation.</p>
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<p class="para"> Only, in the progressive march, 
the best can always be bettered and must be bettered. In the earlier stages, 
when one is in ignorance and darkness lies about, the path is sure to be 
tortuous with ups and downs, aberrations and retrogressions, but as one advances 
and the consciousness grows the obscurity dissipates, gradually the path too 
straightens itself, becomes smooth and kindly. That is how the best at one 
moment, which may appear to the superficial consciousness, very bad or even the 
worst, is bettered —betterment means precisely this that one rises into a 
clearer consciousness, one moves along a straighter path, one takes a shorter 
and happier course to the Goal. This is true as much of the individual as of the 
world as a whole, for the world too, like the individual, moves inevitably
<br>
</p><p class="pageno">Page-62</p>
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<p class="para">towards its high 
destiny—the same as or parallel to that of the individual.
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<p class="para"> It is the best that happens 
always for nothing else can happen but it is a relative best, relative to the 
situation that the consciousness according to its status creates around. As the 
consciousness advances the nature of the best is also transformed.
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<p class="para"> There is an absolute best but 
that can happen only when the consciousness has arrived at, attained union with 
the Supreme Consciousness. In fact there is then no longer any path to traverse, 
the path has lapsed or merged into the goal, the path and the goal have become 
one. This does not mean that dangers and difficulties and pitfalls have to be 
accepted and welcomed but that they have to be faced in the right spirit as aids 
and helps necessary and inevitable at certain points of the journey. One must 
grow into the consciousness that will be able to see them as such, find their 
use and turn them into the good that lies behind or ahead.
<br>
</p><p class="pageno">Page-63</p>
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