Neo-Humanism – A Great Hope for the World

The future is bright. When we are entering a new millennium, more and more people – both individuals and groups – are realizing the need for a new world based on collaboration, solidarity and justice. And today we have all the factors required for the materialization of this collective dream. There are two powerful reasons for optimism. In the first place, more and more people want a new world. And second, the development of communications and transportation has practically made this planet a Global Village.

Hope – there is a great need for it today. Even while living in a chaotic world full of conflict and injustice, we need to envision a new world and believe in the possibility of its implementation, while we work to make it happen. We should never lose hope that another and better world is possible. Sub-commandant Marcos from Chiapas, Mexico one time gave a call to form the ‘International of Hope.’ Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar urged all the moralists of the world to be united in order to change society.

As a reaction to the diverse conflicts and injustices in the world, numerous groups and movements are working in many areas to correct the defects of the present society – ecologists, feminists, pacifists, advocates of human rights and animal rights, to mention a few. Amongst all these groups and movements there is need for a common philosophy that can link all people working for a better world. A new vision that encompasses the aspirations of all activists, dreamers, revolutionaries, altruists and well-wishers. The philosophy of Neo-Humanism as proposed by Shrii Sarkar can fulfill that need. This is a cause for great hope.

Neo-Humanism is a new paradigm that analyzes the root cause of conflicts dividing today’s world. But Neo-Humanism is not only an instrument for analysis; it also presents us with practical solutions in both the objective as well as the subjective world. While critical changes are necessary in the way we interact today with the material world, in the production of wealth and its distribution, we also need a transformation of consciousness to make the changes happen in a lasting way. The path should be, as Shrii Sarkar puts it, with a “subjective approach and objective adjustment.” The mind in the sky and the feet on the ground, or “an eye on the path and an eye on the future,” as the Cuban singer Silvio Rodriguez would say.

The present material development ha made it possible for us to travel and communicate so fast tha the world has become small. The view of Earth from the Moon that the first astronauts photographed gave us a new paradigm that we now need to internalize, to incorporate into our consciousness. We are all in fact citizens of the world.

But we must admit that so far, we have failed in the task of building one human society on this planet. We can effectively kill every human being many times over with weapons of mass destruction, but we have not yet been able to create one world where we can all live together in harmony and peace.

Let us analyze first the causes of human conflicts, exploring what prevents us from creating one human society.

There are three types of sentiments that create barriers amongst us. Understanding and detecting those sentiments within ourselves will help us to find ways to remove them.

The sentiment that is born from love for the indigenous land of a country is called Geo-Sentiment. Originating from this geo-sentiment, many other sentiments arise, such as geo-patriotism, geo-politics, geo-economy and many other geo-centered sentiments, including geo-religion. This geo-sentiment tries to confine humanity to a limited part of the world. This Geo-sentiment says, “This is my land and I will give my life for its development, for the happiness of all who live within its borders.’ This sentiment is very dangerous in that it leads to being unconcerned with the lives of people in other lands. So much blood has been spilled in the past and even today because of this sentiment.

Geo-religious sentiments give special emphasis to particular geographical areas, be it a river, mountain, city, or places of pilgrimage, and encourage their followers to go to such and such ‘holy’ places to attain spiritual elevation. But looking deeper into the matter, we can easily realize that the same Cosmic Consciousness permeates each and every corner of the Universe, so it is not the journey to an external place that is spiritually important, but rather the journey within.

Another sentiment slightly less damaging to society than geo-sentiment is called Socio-Sentiment. Socio-sentiment does not confine people to a particular territory, but rather it extends to an entire community. This means that instead of thinking of the well-being of a geographical area, people think more of the of the well-being of a particular community, even excluding all other communities in this process. Thus, while they worry about the interest of a cetain community, they do not hesitate to violate the interests and the natural growth of other communities.

In this manner, socio-sentiment generates an exclusion or discrimination towards “the others” – those not belonging to “my group.” It also affects politics, economies, religions and cultures. Racism is just a product of this socio-sentiment, where a particular group of people discriminate against others due to the color of the skin or other anatomic differences. The discrimination of women is another consequence of this sentiment. We can perceive the nocive effects of this sentiment in the world’s major religions, as when, for example, a religious group refers to its members as “the chosen ones,” believing that only those belonging to that particular group will attain salvation while all others will be condemned. This is an example of socio-religious sentiment.

This socio-sentiment may seem more subtle than geo-0sentiment but it is much more harmful today. When it affects the field of economics, it becomes the origin - the seed – of imperialism and colonialism, whose cause can be traced to socio-economic sentiments. The industrially developed countries, to assure a permanent supply of raw materials and the continuous readiness of markets for their elaborate products, invoke imperialism along with economic and political fascism to gain their ends. They try to create a sphere of market satellites in order to guarantee the supply of raw materials and markets for their manufactured products. When the underdeveloped or developing countries detect the intentions of developed countries, then conflict arises between both, and this implies a great threat for world peace. For this reason, only by imbibing a perspective beyond those limiting socio-sentiments can we overcome the economic differences pervading today’s world.

There is a third sentiment limiting the human mind. We can call it ordinary humanism. Or rather we should call it pseudo-humanism. It is the sentiment that does not differentiate between humans but it neglects other living creatures such as animals and plants. This sentiment is the cause of much suffering in the animal kingdom and endless destruction of nature. Pseudo-humanism is also the sentiment of “pity” behind some “humanitarian” aid packages that make some countries wholly dependent on other countries that provide them emergency food. When not based on genuine love for humanity and respect for all living beings, this pseudo-humanism is the cause of not only conflicts between humans and other living beings but also between individuals – especially when there is a subjacent superiority complex hidden in therein and from that a subtle form of discrimination.

When the underlying spirit of humanism expands to embrace all animate and inanimate beings of this universe, it is called Neo-Humanism. This Neo-Humanism will elevate humanism to universalism, to the cult of love for all sentient beings of this universe.

Generally people assign a utility value to all things of the world – things that are used for something. However, we need to understand that everything also has an existential value. That is, all creatures of the universe exist for a purpose, regardless of whether or not human beings find a way to utilize those creatures.

T overcome all these limiting sentiments, we must first encourage the use of logic and rationality. We also need to fight against all types of dogmas that limit and narrow the human mind. We must educate future generations, teaching children from an early age to think logically. Educating children about the fundamental equality of all human beings and the beauty of diversity, as well as inculcating in them love and compassion for all of creation.

On the subjective level, the only way to establish a neo-humanistic, universals outlook is by the expansion of our consciousness.

Just as the human body can be taken care of and developed by proper training and exercise, in the same way we can expand our consciousness by scientific intuitional or spiritual practices. The practice of meditation in particular is not, as many people may think, just a personal practice without social implications. The practice of meditation can help in the task we have of creating a new world, by changing the consciousness of every individual. As Shrii Prabhat Sarkar says:

“Spirituality is not a utopian ideal but a practical philosophy which can be practiced and realized in everyday life. Spirituality stands for evolution and elevation, not for superstition or pessimism. All divisive tendencies and group or clan philosophies which create shackles of narrow-mindedness are not connected with spirituality and should be discouraged. Only that which leads to broadness of vision should be accepted. Spiritual philosophy does not recognize any unnatural distinctions and differentiations made between human beings; it stands for universal fraternity.”

True spirituality is connected to the deepest and most subtle feelings which are the core of every human being. In this sense, spiritual practice I the process of being in touch with and awakening those inner treasures. Hence, the establishment of Neo-Humanism within starts with spirituality as a practice. When the essence of spirituality is felt, it gives place to a spontaneous feeling of empathy for all beings. It further leads to the desire to work for their welfare and to making a fervent commitment to fight against all causes of suffering. This spirituality turns into a mission when we feel that we came to this world with a purpose – to develop ourselves and to make life better for those around us. The poet and playwright Bertold Brecht wrote:

“There are people who fight one day and they are good.
There are others who fight one year and they are better.
There are those who fight many years and they are very good.
But there are those who fight all their lives:
Those are the indispensable ones.”

The question arises, how to create those indispensable ones? Or why do some people work for noble ideals for part of their lives and then stop, while others continue on this path for their entire lives?

Spiritual practices referred to above can be a marvelous tool for social activists to maintain their spirits under all circumstances – to always keep alive their source of inspiration. And from this unbroken stream of consciousness will naturally evolve the perennial longing to serve the suffering humanity.

Someone once said that in the present world, with all its problems and complexities, the solution lies neither in the revolutionary nor in the saint, but rather in a combination of both. This is the real challenge for all activists today: working for a better world while working to become better human beings. Serving humanity while developing ourselves internally. Cultivating the best within us in order to become better instruments for changing the world. Building a new world is possible, no doubt. And working together we will materialize it. The future is bright. Let us usher the new world without further delay!