SPIRITUAL SECULARISM, SPIRITUAL LIBERALISM, SPIRITUAL HINDUTVA
Hello Friends,
We, in India, are in the last stage of national elections: the last date of voting is May 12 with results out on May 16. About 815 million are voting!
This election has generated the kind of heat and nerves never seen before. I have written in Series 31: Indian Elections: Human Angst and Beyond (click here to read) how this election has been reduced to a die-hard support for, or a visceral loathing of, one particular politician. The concurrent themes related to this are secularism versus communalism, liberalism versus fascism or even a doubt on whether growth and development can coexist with liberal democratic values.
I have written about how we humans have the need to stay within familiar comfort zones to keep the basic human unease in us under check. I have also written how politicians and voters on both sides of this divide have been forced out of their traditional cocoons. We do so many things to keep this fundamental UNhappiness under wraps. A life of predictability, known patterns, helps in evading this basic truth of human existence. Readers of this blog, and my book ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?, will understand this recurrent theme amidst all I write.
Now, let us look at 'liberalism' and 'secularism' from a spiritual perspective. What is this spiritual perspective? Let me rush to add here that it is non-religious. Religion is not necessary to gain spirit in your lives, though some may find it easier that way; I have no quarrels. For a more detailed elaboration on this please read Series 26 (click here).
Simply speaking, spiritualism is a more honest (authentic) acceptance of your SELF, including all the biases, prejudices, negativities, weaknesses and insecurities. Once you do that, all the positives in you can bloom. You can still hold on to your beliefs (including political beliefs or ideologies), but from a position of AUTHENTICITY, which is our basic truthfulness.
A lot has been said, as part of the on-going political debate, on the need for liberal and secular values. There is no denying the centrality of such ideologies being firmly entrenched in any democratic system. But, I feel sick the moment I sense an AGENDA behind all such voices. The moment you are following any agenda through an act that is ostensibly very noble, you have moved away from spirit. You are no longer authentic. One can honestly question: is the majority of the liberal chatterati pursuing an agenda?
This is equally true of the other side who are questioning such voices and giving a counter argument. This too ostensibly often appears to be very noble and fair, but can have a motive embedded in it. When they send a subtle message favouring Hindutva, I often suspect a motive. True, Spiritual Hindutva is automatically secular. There is no debate there. Similarly spiritual liberalism and secularism are essential values to uphold.
I suspect, that neither side is 100% authentic. In the election slugfest, their inauthenticities get exposed. Their comfort zones get demolished. The deeply entrenched human angst surfaces and the battle gets murkier. Really speaking, there is a range of authenticity from 0 to 100%. The committed voters, the ideologically blinded ones, will not care for truthfulness. But the vast number of ordinary voters with bread and butter issues, the so-called less literate or aware, can make out the difference in the degrees of authenticity. And they will always vote according to their gut feel. So the side that people sense to be more authentic will win.
The irony is that both sides give cogent arguments against the opposite view. Arguments are often very powerful and convincing, for they come from the mind. We humans are extraordinarily intelligent. There is no match for the complex ability of the human mind. As I keep saying, this hyperactive mind is the cause for the basic human unease and the consequent human suffering. The mind is an excellent tool. But we forget that it is only a tool and instead we have become the mind. We keep creating unhappiness for ourselves all the time. Little wonder that we are witnessing so much negativity during elections this time. I have also written on The Spiritual Politician in Series 25. Readers can click here to read it.
If we only step back a bit and observe ourselves we can find some inner peace. Both sides will probably start viewing each other with less suspicion and hatred. There will be mutual respect. For the sake of our nation, we need to build that mutual self respect.
Right now, I'm worried. There is so much loathing on either side of this divide, I don't know how the side that is elected will function. Let's hope the angst will gradually subside and better sense will prevail amongst the political class. For you, me and generations to come, this angst needs to be transcended towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. That, of course, is the on-going theme!
Cheers!
Deepak Chatterjee
I have written about how we humans have the need to stay within familiar comfort zones to keep the basic human unease in us under check. I have also written how politicians and voters on both sides of this divide have been forced out of their traditional cocoons. We do so many things to keep this fundamental UNhappiness under wraps. A life of predictability, known patterns, helps in evading this basic truth of human existence. Readers of this blog, and my book ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?, will understand this recurrent theme amidst all I write.
Now, let us look at 'liberalism' and 'secularism' from a spiritual perspective. What is this spiritual perspective? Let me rush to add here that it is non-religious. Religion is not necessary to gain spirit in your lives, though some may find it easier that way; I have no quarrels. For a more detailed elaboration on this please read Series 26 (click here).
Simply speaking, spiritualism is a more honest (authentic) acceptance of your SELF, including all the biases, prejudices, negativities, weaknesses and insecurities. Once you do that, all the positives in you can bloom. You can still hold on to your beliefs (including political beliefs or ideologies), but from a position of AUTHENTICITY, which is our basic truthfulness.
A lot has been said, as part of the on-going political debate, on the need for liberal and secular values. There is no denying the centrality of such ideologies being firmly entrenched in any democratic system. But, I feel sick the moment I sense an AGENDA behind all such voices. The moment you are following any agenda through an act that is ostensibly very noble, you have moved away from spirit. You are no longer authentic. One can honestly question: is the majority of the liberal chatterati pursuing an agenda?
This is equally true of the other side who are questioning such voices and giving a counter argument. This too ostensibly often appears to be very noble and fair, but can have a motive embedded in it. When they send a subtle message favouring Hindutva, I often suspect a motive. True, Spiritual Hindutva is automatically secular. There is no debate there. Similarly spiritual liberalism and secularism are essential values to uphold.
I suspect, that neither side is 100% authentic. In the election slugfest, their inauthenticities get exposed. Their comfort zones get demolished. The deeply entrenched human angst surfaces and the battle gets murkier. Really speaking, there is a range of authenticity from 0 to 100%. The committed voters, the ideologically blinded ones, will not care for truthfulness. But the vast number of ordinary voters with bread and butter issues, the so-called less literate or aware, can make out the difference in the degrees of authenticity. And they will always vote according to their gut feel. So the side that people sense to be more authentic will win.
The irony is that both sides give cogent arguments against the opposite view. Arguments are often very powerful and convincing, for they come from the mind. We humans are extraordinarily intelligent. There is no match for the complex ability of the human mind. As I keep saying, this hyperactive mind is the cause for the basic human unease and the consequent human suffering. The mind is an excellent tool. But we forget that it is only a tool and instead we have become the mind. We keep creating unhappiness for ourselves all the time. Little wonder that we are witnessing so much negativity during elections this time. I have also written on The Spiritual Politician in Series 25. Readers can click here to read it.
If we only step back a bit and observe ourselves we can find some inner peace. Both sides will probably start viewing each other with less suspicion and hatred. There will be mutual respect. For the sake of our nation, we need to build that mutual self respect.
Right now, I'm worried. There is so much loathing on either side of this divide, I don't know how the side that is elected will function. Let's hope the angst will gradually subside and better sense will prevail amongst the political class. For you, me and generations to come, this angst needs to be transcended towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. That, of course, is the on-going theme!
Cheers!
Deepak Chatterjee
chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944
@Deepak33C
If you are following this blog through email, you will notice that the post that you receive in your in-box does not have the blog archives and other features. At times the formatting is not good. For a better view you can see the entire blog at:
Very well written but our politicians are incorrigible lot.
ReplyDeleteIt is not only the politicians. Many independent observers, journalists, academics etc have also been INAUTHENTIC. I find that more disturbing. Politicians will remain politicians.
Delete