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Leading A Spiritual Life

minority a creative one It requires wise leadership. It is a
fact that the minority is always under pressure from the
majority. This is but natural and there is no exception to
this rule. It is a very critical situation. At this juncture,
the leadership of the minority community is put to the
test. If the leadership of the minority takes the pressure
from the majority as a negative experience, and resorts
exclusively to complaining and protesting, the minority
will ultimately face disaster. Such leadership plays a
negative role in the life of its people. It is this kind of
leadership that is thus referred to in a verse of an Arabic
poem: ‘When a crow becomes the leader of a nation, it
will certainly lead its people to a disastrous end.’
The reverse of this situation is one in which, when a
minority comes under pressure from the majority and
is beset by problems, its leadership plays a positive role.
It is then that the leaders of the minority community
tell their people that the situation they are facing is not
a problem, but is rather a challenge which the people
should try to meet with all their might. This kind of
positive leadership gives the right direction to its people,
so that they set about struggling for what is right, rather
than just register complaint after complaint. It is this
kind of positive leadership that leads its people toward
playing a healthy role, and thus giving rise to a new
civilization.

This law of nature means that the minority is always
in an advantageous position from which it can overcome
the majority. Every minority is potentially in a position
to give a gift to the world, that is, a new civilization.

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