The Future Society

By Beloo Mehra

Sri Aurobindo’s social philosophy tells us that a spiritualized society is the future direction for humanity. Humanity is gradually and painstakingly being prepared for a great spiritual turning through its upward spiraling journey from symbolic, typal, conventional, individualistic and subjective stages. The road to a spiritualized society goes through the present evolutionary crisis humanity is facing. Human society, in its present nature – with all its pleasures and pains, abilities and limits, gains and losses, convergences and conflicts, peace and war – is a creation of human consciousness that is in its turn limited by and subject to its present nature. As long as this consciousness remains, all adjustments and re-adjustments, all revolutions and re-organizations, re-thinking and re-planning in the society and its structures – political, economic, cultural – will be devised by the same consciousness that created the earlier structures, and are therefore bound to solve problems facing humanity only for a short period of time, if at all they are able to solve any. A deeper look within and all around us will convince us there is a visible discontent with the present condition of affairs. A new consciousness alone has the key to the present evolutionary crisis that has emerged out of this discontent. A consciousness that is wider, higher, and deeper than the one in which the humanity persists at present. A consciousness which enables the separative, divisive, egoistic tendencies that are presently behind every action and decision we make in our personal, social conduct to transform and evolve into unifying, integrative, harmonizing, and ego-less tendencies.

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“The coming of a spiritual age must be preceded by the appearance of an increasing number of individuals who are no longer satisfied with the normal intellectual, vital and physical existence of man, but perceive that a greater evolution is the real goal of humanity and attempt to effect it in themselves, to lead others to it and to make it the recognised goal of the race. In proportion as they succeed and to the degree to which they carry this evolution, the yet unrealised potentiality which they represent will become an actual possibility of the future.” (Sri Aurobindo, The Human Cycle, CWSA, vol 25, p. 263). This essay is an attempt to visualize a future society that may result as more and more individuals begin their inward journeys with an aim to evolve in their consciousness. The present analysis begins with a brief description of a few signs we see today that indicate an increasing trend of such inner seeking both on the levels of individual and society. It then proceeds to a general description of some of the social and economic structures of a future society that has moved beyond the rationalistic-individualistic worldview and is an aggregate of individuals who are seeking their true subjective self. The analysis leads us to the question whether this futuristic subjective society may open the way to a truly spiritual stage of society.

“The subjective stage of human development is that critical juncture in which, having gone forward from symbols, types, conventions, having turned its gaze superficially on the individual being to discover his truth and right law of action and its relation to the superficial and external truth and law of the universe, our race begins to gaze deeper, to see and feel what is behind the outside and below the surface and therefore to live from within. It is a step towards self-knowledge and towards living in and from the self, away from knowledge of things as the not-self and from the living according to this objective idea of life and the universe. …Subjectivism is in its very nature an attempt at self-knowledge and at living by a true self-knowledge and by an inner strength.” (CWSA, vol 25, pp. 44-46).  We live in times when increasing number of people are waking up to the need for a more holistic view on life, for grasping the true nature of reality, and for an inner quest for meaning and purpose of all that exists. We see these initial steps in increasing popularity of “new age” spirituality among people all over the world. Having enjoyed all that the individualistic age of reason has been able to give them in terms of material comfort and security, more and more people are seeking something deeper and higher. In this self-unfolding process these people’s lives are becoming richer with more and more moments of inner joy and contentment and their hardened ego-selves begin to slowly crack making room for more light and truth.

In the intellectual arena disciplinary boundaries are melting, and new epistemologies are giving challenges to the rigid dichotomy between mental knowing (or knowing by logic and reason) and other forms of knowing including experiential, contemplative, and intuitive. Plenty of voices in the field of transformative research and learning guided by a keen passion for social transformation and informed by emancipatory and liberatory approaches such as critical and post-colonial studies, feminist pedagogy, anti-racist education and critical multicultural literature have focused on challenging power relations based on social structures of race, class, gender, or sexual orientation. These approaches might serve as important steps in the path of individual self-discovery and also the spiraling evolutionary paths of social transformation, leading towards deeper inquiry of self and societies, and gradually moving in the direction of higher and wider realms of individual freedom and liberation. Thoughtful integration of contemplative pedagogies and spirituality-based worldview in intellectual and societal discourse is beginning to supplement these liberatory approaches by incorporating a much deeper understanding of inner freedom.

All these trends are good indicators of the dawn of an age of true subjectivism which may be a pre-condition for the advent of a spiritual age. But we may be certain of having entered a truly subjective age when a substantial mass of individuals would have experienced the inner evolution of consciousness and would be leading their lives in accordance with an inner law of the spirit. Sri Aurobindo describes true subjectivism as a seeking in which “the individual seeking for the law of his being can only find it safely if he regards clearly two great psychological truths and lives in that clear vision. First, the ego is not the self; there is one self of all and the soul is a portion of that universal Divinity. The fulfillment of the individual is not the utmost development of his egoistic intellect, vital force, physical well-being and the utmost satisfaction of his mental, emotional, physical cravings, but the flowering of the divine in him to its utmost capacity of wisdom, power, love and universality and through this flowering his utmost realisation of all the possible beauty and delight of existence…. The second psychic truth the individual has to grasp is this, that he is not only himself, but is in solidarity with all of his kind... That which we are has expressed itself through the individual, but also through the universality, and though each has to fulfil itself in its own way, neither can succeed independently of the other.” (CWSA, vol 25, pp. 46-47).  Through such a true subjective seeking, an individual’s law of the spirit leading him or her in a unique direction specifically suited for the individual’s progress would not be in conflict with the life-direction of other individuals on their unique journeys of seeking for true subjectivism. Free-progress of the individual and infinite variation among the individual paths of progress would capture the group consciousness as the underlying deepest truth of human experience. “The society has no right to crush or efface the individual for its own better development or self-satisfaction; the individual, so long at least as he chooses to live in the world, has no right to disregard for the sake of his own solitary satisfaction and development his fellow-beings and to live at war with them or seek a selfishly isolated good. And when we say, no right, it is from no social, moral or religious standpoint, but from the most positive and simply with a view to the law of existence itself. For neither the society nor the individual can so develop to their fulfillment” (p. 47).

In such a society, there would be a wider human tendency to live through and with pain, death and loss as the needed grist for the mill so that individual soul may progress and grow through such experiences. Humanity would recognize that the misery and violence resulting from exaggerated mental, vital and physical ego are crude but necessary steps to a golden future that is evolving through these stumbling efforts. There would be a kinder and more compassionate understanding and acceptance of those dark moments and life-phases that are part of overall human experience, and these would be seen as opportunities for deepening one’s transformation. Peace would come from the realization that it is an endless journey to perfection that we are on. Tranquility would come from the knowledge that every little victory along the way is a marker to the countless victories that await us, and every little failure along the way is a sure sign of even more countless victories that await us. Calm courage of the spirit would be the inner guide as individuals move through various stages and phases of life.

Individuals would realize the inherent ideal purpose of their work. Writers’ hearts would open wide to receive experiences and realizations that are translated into words and woven in beautiful prose and poetry that avoid unnecessary sensationalism and convey the deepest truths and ideals of human experience. Artists and sculptors would be creating forms that will carry them and their patrons into the realms and imaginations of formless. Musicians and singers would in their music bring forth the stirrings of the depths of their souls and create a bridge between the form and formless for the listeners. Dancers would bring into being deep, wide formless truths through their graceful forms and movements in front of which all purified human hearts would involuntarily bow in utmost humility.

Children would grow with self-discipline that comes from deeper freedom, not with mindless confusion and mind-numbing authority. Parents would discover the true spirit behind the words – “child is the father of man.” Teachers and students would be co-learners in their journeys to discover and uncover the truths of the world; they would collaborate in a mutually respectful manner and deeply appreciate and grow from their differences. Education would not be a business, and businesses would be managed through human-centered and consciousness-based approaches. Business leaders would worry less about the balance in their bank accounts but more about the balance in their junior-most employee’s retirement accounts. Wealth-generation as an important social activity would have regained its heart and would realize its purpose in creating a warm luxurious reign of beauty, harmony, comfort and contentment for all. The weakest and poorest sections of the society would be looked after by an enlightened socialistic economic setup where individual freedom and enterprise is just as valued and encouraged as state-run programs and enterprises. A spiritualized ethic of compassion and caring for all creation would guide social action.         

In this future society, we may find small, sufficiently self-reliant economic and social aggregates that are freely formed by individuals who have come together because of common interests, backgrounds, and affiliation. These aggregates would encourage people to practice the kind of work that is deeply meaningful and fulfilling, but in the name of self-reliance and self-sufficiency there will be no pressure to cover all needed areas of economic activity. The sphere of economic activity would be determined by the creative potential of the people in a community, and the availability of natural and other resources available to them where they are based. Reasonably regulated exchange of goods and services among the aggregates would be preferred without encouraging mass and unlimited production of goods and services that could lead to unbridled commercialism, industrialism, and rule of the market. A small group of elected officials would use a consensus-based decision making process to manage the necessary administrative functioning of the aggregate. Politics, law-enforcement, and other much-needed administrative and governmental activities would be chosen as life’s work by those individuals who see these fields of action as instruments with a deeper purpose to bring forth the ideal of Divine Life on earth. These individuals would work toward increasing transparency in legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.

Such smaller aggregates would be loosely and freely held together by a common spirit that ties them to larger aggregates. People would be relatively freer to move from one social aggregate to another, would be able to make decent living in new places, and this type of migration and assimilation would somehow be smoother because of the already-loosening hold of one’s social and cultural egos that could prevent one from connecting to somewhat unfamiliar cultural and social norms. The tendency of political, social and cultural aggregates would not be to dominate or devour the ones that are relatively weaker and poorer, but to aid them to grow and develop with their unique identities and traditions intact and blossoming. Cultural traditions, practices and values would not be marketable items, but there would be a free-flowing exchange of ideas and thoughts leading to new forms of synthesis of a variety of traditions and practices. The larger aggregate would be secure in the unity of its spirit and in the diversity of its forms. With full confidence in such deep and inner security these aggregates would interact with other large and small aggregates and collectivities in the spirit of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence. Compassionate progressivism, free-spirited interdependence, shared prosperity and a free unity of nations would guide international diplomacy. 

Such a vision of future society representing an age of true subjectivism sounds very ideal and a really great improvement over what we have at present. As utopian and difficult to achieve as this vision looks to us at present, it must be remembered that even a truly subjective society is not the end of the journey of a conscious, awake humanity. It is perhaps true that being on the journey itself makes conscious and awake human beings see the glimpses of the perfection that they are inherently capable of creating every moment. But more must be done if an age of true subjectivism has to lead to an age of spirit, if the Truth of a spiritualized society and a divine life based on a supramental consciousness is to be established. “If a subjective age…is to find its outlet and fruition in a spiritualised society and the emergence of mankind on a higher evolutionary level, it is not enough that certain ideas favourable to that turn of human life should take hold of the general mind of the race, permeate the ordinary motives of its thought, art, ethics, political ideals, social effort, or even get well into its inner way of thinking and feeling. It is not enough even that the idea of the kingdom of God on earth, a reign of spirituality, freedom and unity, a real and inner equality and harmony—and not merely an outward and mechanical equalisation and association—should become definitely an ideal of life; it is not enough that this ideal should be actively held as possible, desirable, to be sought and striven after, it is not enough even that it should come forward as a governing preoccupation of the human mind. That would evidently be a very great step forward,—considering what the ideals of mankind now are, an enormous step. It would be the necessary beginning, the indispensable mental environment for a living renovation of human society in a higher type. But by itself it might only bring about a half-hearted or else a strong but only partially and temporarily successful attempt to bring something of the manifest spirit into human life and its institutions…More is needed; a general spiritual awakening and aspiration in mankind is indeed the large necessary motive-power, but the effective power must be something greater. There must be a dynamic re-creating of individual manhood in the spiritual type” (Sri Aurobindo, The Human Cycle, CWSA, vol 25, pp. 261-262).