Search for Perfection
Part 3
With such an inherent ignorance when even an individual cannot be perfected, how can the whole society be changed towards perfection? Can society ever be perfect and happy—even with optimum economic development and material abundance—when its members continue to remain selfish, mean, and dishonest? Because in the present scheme of things our society with its all-pervading preoccupation with socio-economic development does not show any sign of concern for perfecting human nature and therefore even if a stage is reached, as in some parts of the Western-European countries, when the material development reaches its acme there seems to be no reason why a man will not continue to suffer from the ills of his lower nature. Economically developed countries are glaring examples of the continuity of all human weaknesses and frustrations even after stupendous material growth and intellectual attainments.
The time now has come to realize and acknowledge the dearth of past efforts towards perfecting society when nothing was ever consciously done to perfect human nature that indeed is the primary source of all human miseries. The consequences have been disastrous. There has been an alarming decline in all the value systems in our life. We are, as it appears, instead of progressing toward perfection, receding toward barbarism and annihilation. This derogatory trend must go on till past mistakes are rectified by the way of introducing in our life the knowledge of self-perfection as an indispensable necessity, which alone can truly perfect our individual and collective life.
This knowledge should first be introduced to young children for two main reasons. Firstly, the road to self-mastery is long and assiduous—children being more open and respective will be able to learn faster and, at the same time, will get more time to reach the goal. And secondly, such knowledge will give them a new insight into life and make it more meaningful and interesting by opening up new horizons of knowledge—by converting their life into a continuous field for learning in which every obstacle for them will be a challenge to conquer, every difficulty an opportunity to progress.
It may be argued that these ideas about perfection are irrational and impracticable, if not utterly chimerical; that man can never overcome his inherent weaknesses, can never rectify the defects of his nature, and much less be the master of all his thoughts and feelings, and actions. Such an objection is natural enough to the dogmatic human mind but it rests on the assumption that man can only be what he is at the present and cannot progress and achieve anything better in the future; such an objection cannot have any enduring value. The whole aim of the evolutionary nature has been to take her creation to a constantly greater state of 2 existence, to strive ceaselessly to manifest perfection progressively through her countless forms and species. More than a “struggle for existence”, – in the right view of things – it has been a labor towards perfection. As has been propounded by Sri Aurobindo, this process cannot stop in man as he is as yet too imperfect an expression of the evolving Nature. With full of animal habits and tendencies – he is still “a thinking animal”. Nature cannot remain satisfied with such an imperfect result of her endeavor, her labor cannot stop until all animal tendencies in man are changed into something greater, truer, nobler state of being. She has, therefore, implanted in man the propensity and capacity of self-exceeding. And one of the basic differences between the animal and the man is that, man can see the imperfections of his life, can set before him an ideal to change these imperfections into perfection, and—, not only that, can consciously endeavor to achieve this perfection in his life. This urge for perfection, this adoration for the beauty of perfection is there in the depth of every human being in the form of an aspiration for truth, for beauty, for greatness, for harmony, which keeps haunting man relentlessly and man can never be contended, never be happy unless this aspiration for perfection is fully realized in every aspect of human life.
It is this native urge for perfection, this innate love for beauty which has to be cultivated and awakened in the children so that their nature may undergo a sublimation, a transformation in its light and they become incapable of expressing anything but a sublime sense of beauty, harmony, and perfection in all their thoughts, feeling or action. Anything mean, unrefined, or vulgar will be alien to their nature and therefore spontaneously rejected. They will constantly live in a state of inner freedom and joy, remain unruffled in the face of all adversities, and will radiate their purity of nature and inner delight into society, awakening in others too an imperative need for a qualitative change in life. The increasing presence of such children in society will slowly change the nature and character of our collective life. There can be no other way for transmutation of the human life but first to change the individual human nature—however insignificant, however insufficient, however inconsequential it may appear in the beginning. All other efforts to change the quality of human life cannot but continue to fail.
Our life and our social environment cannot change unless we first change ourselves. It is amazing how such a simple truth of life can elude our understanding. How queer it is for a person to expect all others to be just, generous, kind, and honest while he himself continues to remain mean, selfish, malicious, and dishonest. Indeed, how preposterous it appears when we expect our society to become perfect while we ourselves remain imperfect.
It may at first sight appear difficult, formidable, or even impossible to surmount all the imperfections of human nature but once we realize that there is no other way to truly change our life we must take the inevitable first step towards changing our individual nature. Let us, therefore, work in all earnest in that direction 3 by way of preparing our children for a better life of which we could only dream but never realize. Let our efforts be concentrated to educate and train the children – “the massive barrier breakers of the world” – with the knowledge of self-perfection so that they may triumph over all the weaknesses of the present human nature of which we remained slaves and could never conquer. Let us join hands to help them to discover their true self so that, in the light of its truth, they may create their own beautiful world – a world of understanding, unity, and harmony. Let us not above all continue to make them victims of our bottomless pettiness and meanness, our limitless selfishness, and our boundless arrogant egoistic self-assertion, only which it seems, we are at present capable of giving them. Let their life be noble and pure and great. Let there be an efflorescence of true love, harmony, and happiness.
Let us consecrate ourselves to work for the advent of a new age where perfection in life will no more be a dream but a reality. Let us not flinch because the work is too colossal, the goal too far, and way unending, for the result when it comes will also be overwhelmingly rewarding. Let us then set forth on the way with determination, courage, and faith and what could be a better source of inspiration and strength on this long, tardy way than the following thought of Sri Aurobindo: “What I cannot do now is the sign of what I shall do hereafter. The sense of impossibility is the beginning of all possibilities.”
End