What the world needs now is a global vision that can guide humanity toward fulfilling its deepest and dearest aspirations. What the world needs is a spirit-centered vision that is deeply rooted in economic equity and ecological balance. According to P. R. Sarkar, the founder of the progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT), spirituality is the source of our deepest and most fundamental human values. Hence, it is upon this foundation that our economic, ecological, political and scientific values and policies must be based. It is for this reason that Sarkar envisioned PROUT as a spirit-centered theory.
What the world needs now is a global vision that can guide humanity toward fulfilling its deepest and dearest aspirations. What the world needs is a spirit-centered vision that is deeply rooted in economic equity and ecological balance.
According to P. R. Sarkar, the founder of the progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT), spirituality is the source of our deepest and most fundamental human values. Hence, it is upon this foundation that our economic, ecological, political and scientific values and policies must be based. It is for this reason that Sarkar envisioned PROUT as a spirit-centered theory.
According to Sarkar, the most prominent philosophies human beings have followed throughout history can be divided into four categories:
- (1) dogma-centered philosophy,
(2) matter-centered philosophy,
(3) self-centered philosophy and
(4) spirit-centered philosophy.
1. The followers of dogma-centered philosophy believe in various dogmas and superstitions. Such dogmas are based on beliefs devoid of rationality. They stifle the intellectual development of human society. Spirituality and religion is therefore not the same, since religion is often based on various dogmas that create divisions and exploitation in human society. All our past religious wars and crusades have been caused by dogma-centered ideas. Such religious, fundamentalist sentiments are still causing bloodshed, oppression and ecological destruction in the world today.
2. In matter-centered philosophies, the utilization and enjoyment of material objects become the main concerns of people. Hence, Marxism is a matter-centered philosophy, as it concerns itself mostly with the material welfare of people. Marx was certainly justified in calling our attention to the debilitating effects of religious dogmas, but he failed to recognize the fundamental and uplifting effects of spirituality. Consequently, some extreme versions of Marxism degenerated into the communist regimes of Stalin and Mao Ze Dong, authoritarian regimes that killed millions of people and oppressed millions more. Sarkar reminds us that the proponents of matter-centered philosophies often resort to brute force to exploit people, as do the followers of dogma-centered philosophies. Marx was certainly justified in calling our attention to the exploitation of capitalism, and in some countries, the Marxist-inspired socialist movement has helped reduce capitalist exploitation by creating better economic and social conditions. These mostly European countries, however, are still steeped in a materialist culture. Although these neo-liberal economies have certain socialist features, they are thoroughly materialistic and profit-driven, and thus intimately linked to the untold exploitation of third world countries and the environment.
3. Self-interest is the guiding motive behind self-centered philosophy. Capitalism is based on individual self-interest, and this leads to an economy solely motivated by profit and greed. As Sarkar asserts, nature has not assigned any portion of the natural world to any particular individual. Then how can we base an entire economic system on this limited concept, on a system based on the theory of unlimited accumulation of wealth? It is this internal contradiction of capitalism that has led to a world in which some live in luxury, while others, deprived of basic needs, die of malnutrition and lack of medical care.
As long as the basic tenet of unlimited hoarding of wealth remains fundamental to our economy, economic disparity and environmental degradation will continue. We will continue to accept as fair and inevitable that economic growth creates concentration of wealth, on the one hand, and unemployment, displacement of people and poverty, on the other. Without a fundamental rethinking of the current economic system of private property rights as an absolute right above all other values, and that human progress is best measured as increased material consumption, we cannot create an environmentally sustainable and poverty-free society.
The United States undoubtedly represents the most prominent example of a self-interested society and economy. US capitalism is the most ruthless in the Western world. In the US, the capitalist credo of individual self-interest has become an economic religion, corporate greed has become the norm and any form of socialist or collective planning has very low priority. As a result, even though the US is the world's wealthiest nation, more than 40 million US citizens have no medical insurance, homelessness is rampant and millions live in poverty.
4. In contrast to the above three philosophies, PROUT is based on the a spirit-centered philosophy. Sarkar's perennial philosophy asserts that all living and non-living entities are created by a common spiritual source. Thus there is no separation between the Creator and the created universe. All living beings have the right to enjoy this cosmic property we call Mother Earth. PROUT's terms this spiritual concept Cosmic Inheritance?that is, everything, even inanimate things, are expressions of Cosmic Consciousness, the Creator of all. Every living being thus has existential value in addition to utility value. Hence, humans do not have the right to exploit nature without regard for its inherent right to exist.
While the influence of classical Marxism has waned, capitalism's fierce exploitation continues, and religious wars are still raging. It is therefore necessary to appraise humanity's future. According to PROUT, neither socialist nor capitalist materialism has the ability to meet humanity's deepest needs. However, we cannot reject material development in exchange for otherworldly dogmas and fundamentalist religions either.
PROUT therefore suggest a balanced approach to socio-economic and human development, a holistic approach that nurtures our physical needs without being destructive to the environment, while also nurturing people's desire for wisdom and inner fulfillment. In short, PROUT suggests a new, spiritually-based, socio-economic approach to developing a more balanced global society.
Some features of this society will include:
--a social outlook based on perennial spiritual values
--social policies that foster social equilibrium and social progress
--a theory of history that understands the dynamic forces of change
--a social philosophy that fosters unity and cooperation
--a just and effective system of governance
--an economic system that provides equitable distribution of material resources
--an ecological philosophy that promotes balance between society and nature
All of these features are found within Sarkar's Progressive Utilization Theory. Many other progressive people and movements are promoting similar aspects of social theory and change. It is time we unite in order to save the world and humanity from further destruction and disunity. The time is now, and the future is in our hands.
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Roar Bjonnes is a PROUT-activist, writer and columnist living in Ashland, Oregon.
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