Spirituality as the Cosmic Ideal for Humans

Spirituality is not a utopian ideal.

• It is a practical philosophy which can be practised and realized in daily life, however mundane it be.

Spirituality stands for evolution and elevation, and not for superstition in action or pessimism.

All fissiparous tendencies and group or clan philosophies which tend to create the shackles of narrow-mindedness are not connected with spirituality and should be discouraged.

Only that which leads to broadness of unison should be accepted.

Spiritual philosophy stands for universal fraternity. It does not recognize any distinctions and differentiations unnaturally made between one human being and another.

In the present environment, many fissiparous tendencies divide humanity into mutually-belligerent groups.

Spirituality must:

• inculcate sense in human psychology
• develop a natural affinity amongst humans

The approach of spirituality should:

• be psychological and rational
• offer a touching appeal to the deepest psychic human feelings

Human beings should:

• appreciate by a rational analysis their relationship with the Cosmic Entity
• recognize the most benevolent kindness of the most beloved Entity.

Spirituality should lead human beings to the one Cosmic truth from which they have derived their selves,(1) and which is the ultimate destiny.

That ultimate and absolute ideal is the Cosmic ideal – an ideal beyond the scope of time, place and person. It is the Absolute, without and beyond relativity.

It stands with its own lustre for all times and for every factor of the Cosmos, may it be a human being or a less-evolved animal.

Only the Cosmic ideal can be the unifying force to strengthen humanity to smash the bondages and abolish all narrow domestic walls of fissiparous tendencies.

All the sentiment-provoking ideas should be firmly opposed. This does not mean an attack on those sentiments, traditions and habits which are innate in human beings and which do not hamper their Cosmic development.

For example, the policy for all people to have uniformity in dress is ridiculous. Different dresses:

• are the result of climatic factors and bodily necessities.
• are not detrimental to world fraternity.

There will also be many zonal or regional differences as regards other traditions and customs. These should be appreciated and encouraged for the indigenous development of society.

But under no circumstances should there be a compromise in principle or yielding to tendencies detrimental to the inculcation of Cosmic sentiment.

The inspiration of Cosmic sentiment will depend upon certain objective physical problems which must be solved on a collective humanitarian basis. In the relative objective sphere the following few fundamental problems must be attempted at [tackled] and solved.

These are:

• Common Philosophy of Life
• Same constitutional structure
• Common penal code
• Availability (production, supply, purchasing capacity) of the minimum essentialities of life

Common philosophy of life

A common philosophy of life demands a clear conception in the human mind that the development of the human personality means an evolution in all the three spheres – physical, metaphysical or mental, and spiritual.

Some objective materialist thinkers think that spirituality is an impractical utopian philosophy.

Others think of it as an intelligent device to befool the toiling mass.

But the logical analysis given above must have clarified to thoughtful readers that spirituality is the summum bonum of life in all its aspects.

Those who think dharma to be an individual’s concern conceive it in a very narrow sense.

Dharma leads to Cosmic unity, inculcating in the individual mind Cosmic idealism.

Religion, in the sense of dharma, is the unifying force in humanity. Moreover, spirituality provides a human being and humanity at large with that subtle and tremendous power with which no other power can be compared.

Therefore, with spirituality as the base, a rational philosophy should be evolved to deal with the physical, psychological and socio-philosophical problems of the day.

The complete rational theory dealing with all three phases – spiritual, mental and physical – of human development shall be a philosophy common to humanity in general. This will be evolutionary and ever-progressing. Of course, small details may vary according to the relative environment of the age.

Nationalism is fast getting out of date. Not only has national sentiment given humanity rude shocks in the world wars of the present century, but the social and cultural blending of the present age also shows the domination of cosmopolitanism in world affairs.

Vested interests, however, continue to cause certain fissiparous tendencies. There are some who fear loss of their economic or political domination and are directly responsible for these detrimental or retrograde reactions.

Same Constitutional Structure

Despite these obstacles, a social blending of humanity is in progress. It needs a common constitutional structure to be evolved to cement the solidarity of the world.

A world government is also very essential for exercising full control in certain spheres. For example, there should be only one world militia.

The world government should form certain autonomous units, not necessarily national (based on problems of education, food supply, flood control, public sentiment), which should look after mundane and supramundane problems.

The boundaries of these units may be readjusted to suit any change in the environment – for instance, development in the techniques of communication.

Development in the means of communication brings the different remote parts of the world nearer, and the world, therefore, grows smaller. With this well-developed swifter means of communication, units with bigger areas can work smoothly and efficiently.

A language must also be evolved as the lingua franca of the world. At present, English is most suitable for the purpose and no national sentiment should be encouraged to go against it.

But the local languages must be encouraged to help the indigenous literatures develop and contribute towards world progress, and thereby contribute to the common brotherhood of humanity.

Common Penal Code

A common penal code must be evolved.

Legislation must be progressive and capable of gradual adjustment with the prevalent conditions. Any theory which does not hold a parallelism with the ever-changing conditions of time, place and person, is sure to decay and be lost in oblivion. Hence, there must be a never-ending effort for amendment with a view to rectification.

Crimes are acts forbidden by the law of the government concerned, and virtue and vice (puńya and pápa) are the outcome of traditional customs. The sentiments of the lawmakers are very much influenced by the prevalent traditions and customs regarding the concept of virtue and vice of the locality or of the people concerned.

Virtue and Vice

The sense of crime, therefore, has a parallelism with the concept of virtue and vice.

The idea of virtue and vice is different in different countries. The aspirants of world fraternity should try to lessen the difference and reduce the gap amongst cardinal, moral and human laws.

All those actions which help in the growth of the spiritual, mental and physical aspects of human beings in general should come under the category of virtuous deeds. Those actions which go against humanity in its spiritual, mental and physical development must come under “vice”.

This conception of virtue and vice applies commonly to humanity in general.