There are different type of sentiments: national-, religious-, geo-, social etc sentiment. Why people fight wars? Because they are attached to their own religion, nation etc. “My religion is the right one, others have no right to exist”.”My country is the best, other nations should not touch my holy land in any way”. “Our society is ours alone, the aliens shoudn´t come here to take our jobs”.
We have to give up all these sentiments and isms; universalism is the only thing we need. What about: “We don’t need boundaries, let everyone come into my country, or let anyone go out, no need visas?” This might sound great, but wait a minute. Not so fast. Before there is proper structure, facilities, jobs etc, - the freedom can become chaos. If we allow loads of beggars in - while those who have sympathy and will take care of them are rather poor themselves - then it will only bring more pressure of creating more lower class people, while rich on the other hand has to build more boundary walls around themselves in order to stay secure.
Little by little we can open up our boundaries and take care that incoming people are integrated so that local people don’t feel they have to feed the foreigners, without them doing anything. Jobs for all have to be arranged. The rule; ceiling for the wealth and salaries - can partly be reached by sharing working time - why someone need or should work 12 hours, while someone has no job?
Sentiments are waning away when we are becoming world and cosmic citizens. Some of us realize the neohumanism through meditation, some of us especially younger generation seems to have born here with neohumanism in their hearts, from past incarnations, may be even in the other planets, where the neohumism for sure has been already practice for ages.
For learning meditation one need a teacher. One can’t learn mathematics without teacher. Teacher will give you method for meditation, so that you can progress at maximum speed, to right direction and in order not to fall. Besides a teacher, you need an organization to spread ideology, share, to have spiritual company and to function collectively and network with other progressive organizations. The biggest problem here in Finland I see is that one doesn’t want teacher, or organization, doesn’t want to be dependent anyone. Might be also just proudness, or being afraid of unknown, going ashtray…The teacher will come when one is ready to accept. Time is short, and still long way to go, there is need of pioneers for the society, the vanguards, the guides and ultimately the teachers. Moralist has to be united!
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While I have been hanging on Occupy Helsinki tent village with participants from different groups, I have started to understand that this is something different than never before. People meditating in tents, sharing, donating, caring, deciding together and even giving free hugs. If this is not neohumanism, what else? How much “sisu”, strength, sacrificing spirit and determination we have? How little we care about materialistic comforts?
I criticized before a bit them not daring to the streets like me going alone around with posters: “Occupy Helsinki”. I still don’t know why they don’t do it, but I see it now rather insignificant. My ways might not be their way. The common shared spirit is more important.
With Michael Moore´s words some comments: Amazing this movement is growing so fast. In Niles, small town, there are only 10,000 people. They've got a hundred people camping out there, occupying Niles… It has lifted my spirits…This movement has inspired people all across the country. It has already changed the national debate and discourse… and removed despair from peoples' hearts.
This wasn't organized. And it's so counter-intuitive that out of disorganization came one of the best movements I've seen in my lifetime; "Sorry we're not participating in the system any longer”. And I said at the end of my last movie: "I refuse to live in a country like this. And I'm not leaving." So, I think that is shared by millions of people.
Sarkar: Narrow sentiments are gradually fading away and a universal outlook is arising in the minds of human beings. Science and technological development have exposed the blind faith and dogma that have suffocated many sections of society, and gradually humanity is advancing towards an age of rationality and common interest…The unity that grows from the collective psychology in the social, psychic and economic spheres is the first step towards a greater unity. To establish lasting unity in human society… the spiritual sentiment is indispensable…The more the human mind becomes magnanimous or expanded, the more it rises above the sentiments of tribalism, communalism [socio-religious sentiment], provincialism, etc.
Those who are able to capitalize on one of these sentiments advocate it volubly. In fact, every one of these sentiments suffers from the defect of ism, and is completely filled with narrowness, violence, envy, mean mindedness, etc…Those who want to promote the welfare of all human beings, remaining above all sorts of parochial sentiments, have no alternative but to embrace universalism with their heart and soul – there is no other way. As universalism is totally devoid of any characteristic of ism, it is not proper to depict universalism as an ism. If everyone is looked upon as one’s own, no one remains beyond the periphery of one’s kith and kin. Naturally, then, there is no scope for violence, envy, narrowness, etc.
Movements will have to be launched throughout the world to establish self-sufficient socio-economic units based on the maxim, “Know the area, prepare the plan and serve the people.” Local people are those who have merged their individual socio-economic interests with the socio-economic interests of the socio-economic unit they live in.
Mahábhárata will have a beneficial influence on people’s minds. Many of its passages may be quoted to enlighten people about their glorious past, and offer solutions to their worldly problems. Biographies of great saints, sages and personalities of the past should also be presented to the common people to foster unity in them. There is a subterranean flow of love and devotion in people’s minds for those sages and saints, as those saints rose above narrow sentiments to propagate the ideals of unity and fraternity.
There are three cardinal socio-political principles which should never be violated. First, people should not be retrenched from their occupations unless alternative employment has been arranged for them. Secondly, people should not be forcibly converted from one religion to another. Thirdly, no mother tongue should be suppressed. Occupation, spiritual practice and mother tongue are very important to human beings. If the sentiments associated with them are hurt, human beings will be deeply affected.
Now let us see what the impact of geo-sentiment is. This geo-religion, geo-economics, geo-sociology, geo-social sentiment – these “geo’s” are limited to a particular country or a particular direction…The east is sacred, while to another group the west is sacred. Thus conflicts arise between these contradictory sentiments, leading to war and bloodshed.
All these sentiments certainly hinder the inner growth of human beings. Now then, what is the most powerful weapon with which to fight this geo-sentiment? Rationalistic mentality has to be developed in two ways: First, through the study of various subjects… and…svádhyáya [“study of spiritual subjects”]).
Next comes socio-sentiment, which promotes the interest of one’s own society at the expense of other societies. Based on this sentiment are many other sentiments, such as socio-patriotism, socio-religion, socio-economics, socio-art, -architecture, -literature, and so on…A social group’s own deity “says” to the people, “Your God is the true God: all other gods are false. You are the chosen people in this universe: all others are cursed!” These are the preachings of socio-religion.
What is the way to counteract this socio-sentiment? The only way to eliminate it is to develop proto-spiritualistic mentality. The basis of this proto-spiritualistic mentality is sama-samája tattva [the principle of social equality]. Those who are inferior and neglected, who are helpless and destitute…They are mute; and so the heavy responsibility of expressing the sentiments that are hidden in their tormented minds has to be borne by the artist alone. The litterateur or the artists, has to take the responsibility of enabling them to rise up and sit in the same row with the rest of society, after dusting off the dirt from their bodies.
Regardless of whether they are rich or poor, old or young, educated or illiterate, if the local people are inspired by anti-exploitation and universal sentiments, they will be able to start powerful movements for socio-economic liberation. If an anti-exploitation sentiment is created among the poverty-stricken mass of India, not only will a strong nation or a strong group of nations be formed, but this nation or group of nations will continue with due solidarity for a long time…There is no other alternative to save India.
The feelings and sentiments of all human beings are the same; and preparation for a nobler life is the same for all. The requirements and necessities of all humanity are the same. So humanity is a singular entity, humanity is one and indivisible. And for this purpose we should always maintain equilibrium amongst different humans, and there must be one equipoise for the development of all, irrespective of caste, creed, nationality and clan isms.
Hence you will have to provide a soothing touch to the physical, physico-psychic and psycho-physical spheres of life, otherwise human existence will become meaningless. That is, through the application of Neohumanism, the existence of each and every human being of the society must be made successful… Today men should consider the needs of women and gradually restore to women the rights which women once entrusted to men out of feelings of helplessness or in response to their heartfelt sentiments.
If a person hears some sentimental talk based on dogma for a long time…and if words are used with great oratorical force or articulated in a very rhythmic or vibrant way, in that case the mind becomes heated. Then the heated mind snaps the subtle link between the nerve cells and nerve fibres, and as a result, instead of remaining calm and tranquil, people lose their judgement; with their minds temporarily disturbed, they engage in inhuman activities…Human feelings cannot check the infighting prevalent among human beings. For this purpose we should have a two-fold approach…We will have to educate the mind properly, along the lines of Neohumanism.
This Neohumanist education will impart proper training to the mind. And at the same time there should be spiritual practice for proper psychic transformation…
Modern, educated people must be liberated from all sources of dogma and petty isms. They should reject the worn out shackles of the past and welcome the new, crimson dawn with an open mind. This will prepare the way for all-round success in human life, and the attainment of the highest fulfillment. Only this Neohumanism, can save our universe, can save human existence…Be the [vanguard of] a bright future…The crimson light of that future breaks on the eastern horizon. We should welcome it – we must welcome it. There is no alternative but to welcome it.
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According Sarkar Neohumanism fully unites spiritual with social idealism. It will “elevate humanism to universalism, the cult of love for all created beings of this universe”. Thus Neohumanism could also be termed spiritual or universal humanism, a concept which underlies Prout’s progressive socialism.
Didi Annapurna