What if I told you that it is not ME or US but BOTH
- That it is not Individual or Society but BOTH
- That one does not exist without the other
- That the inside and the outside always go together
- That the relationship between the individual and society is intrinsic, not extrinsic
- That the relationship is dynamic, not static
- That 'No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe'
What if I told you that our leaders do not drop down from the stratosphere
- That they are home grown, on the ground
- That leaders mean followers
- That 'followers lead by choosing who to follow'
- That followers lead by their acts of commission, omission and acquiescence
- That where an organized community will be lead is inseparable from the shared values and beliefs of its members
- That our leaders are more representative of us than we may recognise.
What if I told you that Mahatma Gandhi was right when he declared that ‘We must become the change we seek in the world’
What if I told you that 'there can’t be any large scale revolution without a personal revolution'
- That 'you cannot hope to build a better world without improving individuals'
What if I told you that ‘only you yourself can be your liberator’
What if I told you that 'just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you
- That ‘our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter’
- That Gramsci was right when he wrote that ‘the man of action is the true philosopher: and the philosopher must of necessity be a man of action”
What if I told you that change will not come simply by moaning about what is
- That neither will it come from a simple minded moralising about what ought to be
- That it is when our words begin to coincide with our deeds
- That what we say will emerge with power to influence.
What if I told you that ‘economic growth accompanied by worsening social outcomes is not success, it is failure'
- That the legal framework within which the 'free' market functions, is man made and is not cast in stone, and can be changed to secure better social outcomes
- That a fundamental contradiction does not exist between socialism and a market economy
That it is not socialism OR private enterprise but BOTH
- That the left wing and the right wing belong to the same bird.
What if I told you that Sri Aurobindo was right when he said that ‘it is wrong to demand that the individual subordinate himself to the collectivity, but it is true that as the individual advances spiritually, he finds himself more and more united with the collectivity and All.’
What if I told you that ‘activism without spirituality is just an angry mob’
That it was Brazilian Archbishop Heldera Camara who said 'when I give food to the poor, they call me a saint, that when I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist'.
What if I told you that 'the ‘survival of the kindest’ rather than the ‘survival of the fittest’ may be a better description of the origins and journey of humanity'
What if I told you that 'humanity is now faced with a stark choice: evolve or die..
- That, if the structure of the human mind remain unchanged, we will always end up recreating the same world, the same evils, the same dysfunction'
- That Aurobindo was right when he wrote a hundred years ago that "if humanity is to survive, a radical transformation of human nature is indispensable…”
And, what if I told you that Charles Chaplin was right when he said in the concluding speech in his film the Great Dictator -
"…I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible – Jew, Gentile – black men – white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness – not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls – has barricaded the world with hate – has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost…."
And, yes, what if I told you, again –
That it is not Individual OR Society but BOTH
That one does not exist without the other
That the inside and the outside always go together.
