Know Your Heritage - 07

Progress is a big word in our modern world. If you say 'progress' you can justify anything as it were. But in our heritage there is a balanced view. The so called 'Progress' is put in its place. In our modern world 'Progress' is self-authentic. But in our heritage 'Progress' needs to be authenticated by something larger. Because the whole human life itself is seen in its cosmic context rather than as the exploiting core of the dull world around. 

The artifice by which they keep up this dynamic balance between the progress of the parts and the stasis of the whole is itself interesting. Every individual life is understood as the development of stages. A human being born is unfinished and becomes finished human being only after the completion of education. That is the basic stage of the human life. After that, the human being must progress, multiply whatever is at his hand, whatever he has acquired by way of skills or knowledge while learning. He is expected to excel in whatever he chooses. He must create money not grab it. He marries and brings forth children. And he must vouchsafe their education. 

While engaged in progress he must take care of five important things. He must take care of his forefathers by raising good children. He must take care of the masters of wisdom by preserving and strengthening the great books and the education on such books. He must take care of the piety, the social understanding of the divine. He must take care of helpless human beings. And last but not least, he must take care of the animals, birds and other beings around. Even our understanding of progress is detailed in this way. Mindless exploitation and frantic grabbing have never been our concept of progress and will never be. 

Even this concept of 'progress' is not endless. The human being who engages in this stage of life is reminded of more important things and much broader concerns. His involvement with 'progress' is only time-bound. He must yield to the next generations and take up more important tasks in life. This scheme is not something imposed on him from outside. It is something deeply inlaid in the very living itself. After you have gone all speed in external life you are expected to slow down and reverse your aims. You must now begin trekking in the internal explorations. You were reveling in the world of things. Now you are expected to learn and master in the world of concepts, values and ideas. You were driving through avenues of reality out there. But now you must go uphill in the reaches of your inner reality. You were speeding through roads. Now you are trekking through forests. The symbolic name of this stage of life is 'Vanaprasta'. 'starting into the forests'. 

You were chasing progress outside before. Now you have to chasten down by progressing in the inside. You were contributing to the society by way of things and more things. Now you are contributing to the same society by way of values and wisdom. This thermostat you have to keep up, this system of checks and balances. 

Srirangam Mohanarangan 

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