Page 43 - NAMAH-Apr-2016

Namah Evolution Next — XI

may be a catalyst for rapid growth. But still of beliefs or narrow cult practices and fixed
the final choice must be with the individual. dogmas. Such a person will have gone beyond
It may be useful to remember, and children these preliminaries and is now an explorer
should be brought up in such a way, that we of Infinity. He is on the Path of No-Path or
all have been citizens of many countries and to put it more positively, he carries the Path
climes. This is the best antidote to racism and a within him that is everywhere. He will be
healthy attitude that would encourage global guided by the Universal Spirit, the Eternal
unity. Thus we will have two co-ordinates to Guide within and will be led towards his
navigate our life – one, local and regional; the higher destiny. It is only if this has not been
other global and universal. The first one helps born that he needs contraptions and devices
us to adapt to our immediate environment, that we call as fixed and formal religion which
absorb the best it has to offer and thereby are fast becoming dated, overthrown by the
make our birth in a certain country useful evolving spiritual impulse in man.
from an evolutionary perspective. The second
attitude helps us not to be restricted and In fact we already see something of this
egoistically attached to our one way of life happening, in an increasing number of
and helps us to adapt to the larger truth of children. If only we do not pull them back to
differences between groups of humanity. the past and tie them to our dated mode of
life. Only if we allow them space and time to
Finally it is important to inculcate in the child grow in an atmosphere of love and freedom
the sense of universality. The values of a and light, without imposing anything, will
nation and of other nations are important, but they then blossom well and find their place in
much more important is the value of being the total scheme of things. Only if we do not
human and passing beyond humanity, the insist on our own way of life, but let the vast
value of creation and all that exists here and creative impulse of the Cosmic Spirit express
elsewhere. This can only come if the child is Itself through them, will they then surely
encouraged to discover within him something grow and get rid of all that has gathered
that uses but is not tied to the circumstances around their feet as the dust of time that
of his birth and parentage. It is the essence of our evolutionary journey makes us prone to.
our humanity, the deep unchanging soul with More and more we are encountering such
its aspiration for truth and beauty and good. children who appear lost simply because
These are the universal values and if a child they are ahead in the evolutionary march
has them then he is as spiritual as anyone else. even though younger in age. One day they
This flame for Truth and Light, this thirst for will make the idea of school redundant or
Beauty and Love, this seeking for the Good of trigger vast reforms in our entire education
all, is the deep spiritual sentiment that marks process right from the way we look at these
us as different from ordinary humans. If we forerunners of the future.
have this then we have surpassed the need of
formal religion or any structured framework (To be continued)

Dr. Alok Pandey, an editor of NAMAH and member of SAIIIHR, is a doctor practising at the
Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

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