"After reading Kishor Gandhi's introductory chapters, what I think is the significance of studying Sri Aurobindo's social philosophy/social thought?
The significance of studying Sri Aurobindo´s social philosophy thought remain basically on the source He nurture his explanations. Such source is based on His direct experience that belongs to a deeper and higher level of consciousness than ordinary human being.
Besides, if we examine the question more accurate, in a mental level, is possible to me find some guide lights about this significance in at least three different subjects, which touch three reflections I am doing in present time:
1-Why my master proposal was not accepted for one of the best universities of Brazil ?
2-Why the results of my social work on “Planting Peace on Earth” are inconsistent?
3-What I can understand or accept of this twelve year of collective experience?
1- The Social Sciences. My graduation studies also was on this subject, so I can really perceive how this science is built on mental opinions or thought’s on the surface about the social facts without a really comprehension of the movements and the destiny of society. Gandhi´s text show us that the separation of social philosophy from the social science introduced this science on a phenomena ground, without no space to the ground of reality. Going further he affirms that even the union of the philosophy and science cannot give us a higher understanding of the collective experience; it´s necessary to uplift the rational mind to a spiritual reign.This incomprehension brought such a painful consequence, which I highlight, the exile of human beings to their greater destiny, on his consciousness.
To present this spiritual approach on a master`s proposal in a social sciences department of western´s universities is extremely illogical and definitely there is no opening for this subject.
2-The individual and the collective roll on the evolutionary process of nature. After twelve years of trying to do a collective work through the non-profit organization I founded, I realize how these two units (individual and collective) are mixed and how the individual process is a neural point that should be faced for each one so the collective work can go forward. Gandhi´s text points the equal importance Sri Aurobindo rely on the collective and individual dimension of reality. Nevertheless, He emphasizes the importance of the individual progress so the cosmic spirit organizes the collective. Without this individual bases, none collective experience can last or be firm on its pure ideal.
First, the inner work is still a rare practice today on the western side of the planet attributing this work to esoteric forces and a frequent negligence of a collective experience. Second the social militancy seems to disperse the attention from the inner realm, considering it a secondary practice. So, these two dangerous limits retard the possibility of achieve some “success” on social work.
3-The Nature of the collective.The collective experience I am talking about has some specific elements: geographically is a green public area abandoned for the government; a low economic rent neighborhood; an increased presence of the drug traffic and a South America context. What this ego´s elements means on the experience we are developing? Which elements of the soul of this social group, I can identify? Gandhi´s text taught me the first general ideas about the true self of a collective reality. He shows that according to Sri Aurobindo´s experience the collective soul goes through the same experiences that individual soul traverses.
A general thoughts on whether the idea of evolution can help us understand the changes/development cycles/progress that we see in our present society today? I am going to say a few words based on my subjective/inner understanding of what I see around and within myself, and also based on what I have gathered from the material I have recently read .
Thinking rationally, I don´t have clear explanations about how the idea of evolution can help us understand the changes of society but I have deep inside myself the confidence and the experience on my process of evolution as an individual. From an imbalance for a growing harmony; from feeling depression to a feeling of inner peace; from being very upset to awaken compassion; from staying very unconsciousness to a state full with drops of consciousness!
This perception of an evolved consciousness operating in my personal system; give me glimpses about the potentiality of this process on society. From a narrow point of view about the collective to a sense of human unity; from a disconnection with the process of Nature to an initial comprehension of a living system of Nature called Gaia ; from the practice of war to an open dialogue of the conflicts between the countries…
Also the Idea-Force of evolution help me to see some signs of this process on society, for example, from separation to unification, in such evidences: the geopolitical aggrupation´s as a Mercosur, European union and so on; the technology of communication as the free on line program Skype; the international conferences about the planet earth and the common natural resources.
Clearly, one of my mainly interests on studying Sri Aurobindo´s social philosophy is to understand the whole reasoning about this basic premise of His approach: the evolution.