== AM POLITICS: SELF-INTEREST IS UPPERMOST ==
- ADDENDUM -
Namaskar,
Here is some follow up to yesterday's letter about how in the post 1990 era
AM politics is dominated by self-interest.
To reiterate, all the groups are fueled by their own selfish desire. None
should think that any one group is to be followed or favoured; rather, AM
ideology is to be followed. That is the only way to achieve unity. And that
was the overarching message of yesterday's letter. By reading it anyone can
understand.
Side by side here are three more points that substantiate the ideas
expressed in that letter.
WHICH GROUP IS COMPARATIVELY BETTER
Once again, our creed is universalism, not groupism. It is not a question
of following Vimalananda's Ranchi faction or Tiirthananda's EC faction. No
group has the solution since they are dominated by self-interest. The
solution lies in Baba's expansive view of neo-humanism.
At the same time, if we were to compare Vimalananda's stance with
Tiirthananda's position, then it is quite clear which one is comparatively
better. Although both outlooks are groupist in nature and therefore
defective, Vimalananda's standpoint is comparatively better because more
people come under the umbrella of his self-interest. Vimalananda is
concerned with numerous peoples in various sectors whereas Tiirthananda's
view is limited to a handful in NY and a couple others-- that's all.
And Baba's clear-cut guideline is: The sentiment representing more people
is comparatively better.
Baba says, "Let us consider, for example, the case of a Portuguese
nationalist. The mental object of a Muslim communalist is certainly larger
than that of a Portuguese nationalist, because the former desires the
welfare of a greater number of people than the latter. This is because the
number of Muslims in the world is greater than the number of Portuguese.
Judged from this perspective, I cannot denounce the sentiments of a Muslim
communalist in comparison to a Portuguese nationalist. Similarly, it has to
be accepted that the sentiments of a Rajput casteist are broader than those
of a Portuguese nationalist, because the former desires the welfare of more
people than the latter. Likewise, the feelings of an Andhrite provincialist
will have to be considered broader than those of a Portuguese nationalist.
If one supports provincialism with seventy-five million Bengalees, it must
be accepted that these feelings are more expanded than the nationalism of
most of the nations of the world. The population of most of the nations of
the world is less than the population of Bengal." (POD #18)
So Baba's point is quite straightforward. The more people that come within
one's selfish sentiment, the greater is one's mental outlook. That is why
Vimalananda's approach is better than Tiirthananda's, in a relative sense.
This much understanding about the nature of sentiments every Ananda Margii
should have.
And of course when it comes to our practical approach, then all such
sentiments are to be discarded as they are inherently defective and only AM
ideology is to be followed. Because only the dharma of AM can bring welfare
to all.
IRONY OF NY SECTOR
The second point is the sheer irony of what is going on now in NY sector.
In this regard, Baba draws a perfect analogy to the dire tragedy that
occurred in Bengal in the first half of the 20th century.
Baba says, "Those same Bengalees who had once fought with all their might
to unify Bengal presented a petition to the British in 1947 to once again
divide Bengal in two. When the two Bengals were united in 1912 the
Bengalees thought that they had won the fight. And when Bengal was again
divided in two in 1947, again the Bengalees thought they had won the fight.
What a tragedy of history! (SC-1, disc 6)
So up till 1912, the Bengalis wholeheartedly fought to make a united Bengal
and by their determined efforts they achieved victory on this point. And
they celebrated accordingly-- having achieved unity. Then just a few short
decades later those same Bengali people engaged in a campaign to divide
Bengal. And ultimately it was divided and again they rejoiced thinking they
got victory. Such is the irony of the history of Bengal.
Oddly enough, that same imbalanced and ironic episode is going on now in NY
sector.
In the 1970's or so, the ACB margiis of NY initially joined the universal
mission of AM with a strong desire to make AMPS the perfect medium of those
ideals. And to keep a united Marga those very ACB margiis helped fight the
Communists, Indhira Gandhi, and the CBI-- all done to keep AMPS united. And
they celebrated that victory. Yet now, just a few short decades later,
these very same NY ACB margiis are cracking AMPS into pieces with their
very own hands by breaking away from the main structure. Yet in this
process of division they are also feeling glorified and victorious, just
like the Bengalis felt in 1947. So see the irony of it all.
In both circumstances the said parties fought hard to bring forth and
maintain unity and then later on due to their own self-interest they fought
hard to bring division. That is why Baba openly proclaims such events like
that of Bengal and NY Sector as being ironic and "a tragedy".
BREAKING AWAY GOES AGAINST AM FUNDAMENTALS
The third and final point of today's addendum is this: There can be
absolutely no sympathy for those who break away from AMPS as they are going
fundamentally against AM ideals. And that is what Tiirthananda's EC crew is
doing: Dividing the organisation by changing the NY sector by-laws etc.
In that case, in the face of undermining the principles of AM by breaking
away, all EC's philosophical talks are utterly useless. What is the need to
listen to their lengthy lectures on AM when they have blatantly undermined
Baba's teachings by splitting the organisation.
If the EC faction did not choose to break away then their various proposals
about the development of AMPS could be discussed and considered. That would
have been fine and welcome.
But when the EC heads deliberately and forcefully opted to make a split
from AMPS, then what is the need to consider their grandiose philosophical
proposals. Because their whole idea of splitting the organisation is
totally defective and destructive-- and against our ideological principles.
Baba says, "One human society is divided into different nations, and one
nation is divided into different religions; religions also have different
castes, and castes also have different sub-castes -- what kind of situation
is this? We have only learned how to divide and subdivide humanity, and we
never learned how to unite the people. This is all due to the defective
teachings of dogmas...Dogmas are psycho-physical diseases." (PNS-9, p.46)
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace our Marga will surmount the present crisis. Because AM
ideology does not tolerate groupism of any kind. Rather our Marga is based
on neo-humanism and universalism. So those various factional leaders from
all the camps will be exposed and groupism on the whole will be rid from
AMPS. By that way our AM ideology will be established and we can usher in
that golden era by His grace.
Baba says, "So the important thing is that all are the progeny of the
Supreme Progenitor. According to this, there will be unity in the physical
stratum, and so will there be in the psychic and spiritual strata. But to
strengthen this unity yet more, there is one more factor which should be
there, and is there - that factor being the common goal for all the
children of the Supreme Father - the merger of all in Him. All have come
from Him and are in Him; therefore, all people will have to live together."
(Disc on MHB: 'Planning for the Mahavishva')
Namaskar,
Jagatmitra
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