Thinking like a family
Dharmadeva
Thinking like a family
In Jamalpur in 1959 P R Sarkar gave his pioneering discourses on Prout. The
opening sentence of his final discourse was, "The universe is just like a
joint family". (A joint family is an extended family, including the
children of more than one generation) and it is this family kind of
thinking, I am certain, which is the key to understanding Prout.
Imagine for a moment that your parents were extraordinarily prolific and
that all the people around you, indeed everyone on the whole planet is
actually your family. Does your family allow people to starve to death?
Does your family allow stronger members to torture the weaker ones or to
pile up luxuries by robbing them of their basic necessities? Do you allow
some members of your family to wander shelterless or simply stand by and
witness murder, theft and rape without intervening? Of course not. And
does everyone have an exactly equal say in decision making or are decisions
taken by the wiser and more senior members of the family, those who have
proven that they can think for the benefit of all? Finally, don't you
encourage all the members of the family to develop and utilise their full
potential?
The spirit of the universal family is the inspiration behind Prout
thinking. Although there may be strict rules in family life there is no
question of oppression, suppression or repression. From guaranteeing the
minimum requirements of life to controlling the accumulation of wealth and
benevolent government of socially moral persons, Prout principles and
policies clearly reflect the family spirit of love and fairness.
But is it practical?
These are high ideals but the question is, does it work? How will it stand
up to capitalism and so-called democracy based on politics only but not
imbibing economic democracy when it comes down to dollars and cents and
protecting peoples rights? Capitalism does not present such a great
challenge - more than half the population of the capitalist world lives
below the poverty line and each day sees higher unemployment and falling
levels of production in the non-affluent countries. Even the most affluent
of capitalist countries seem to be coming rapidly to a dead end.
Why ethics matter
Thinking like a family not only works better than
capitalism, it is the only approach which will save us, and the first
reason is because this is the way the Universe works. "The universe is
just like a joint family." We all come from the same consciousness, and
every atom, molecule, plant, animal and human being is evolving back
towards the same consciousness. There is no favouritism here, there is no
preferential treatment according to class, caste, colour, sex or species.
The
universe is DESIGNED as a place for ALL to evolve, not just the white or
the rich or the human species.
This evolutionary flow towards limitlessness is a powerful force and it has
the momentum of the entire universe behind it. It is the nature of the
universe - its own inherent characteristic. Once we understand the inherent
character of life it becomes obvious that any individual, group, or society
which considers only its own interest, and blocks the progress of others,
invites its own downfall. Exploitation of this nature is in direct conflict
with the entire evolutionary momentum of the universe and ultimately is no
different than trying to hold back a
tidal wave. As a case in point, the once imposing edifice of Soviet power
was swept aside contemptuously in perhaps the fastest collapse of any
empire in history. The message is simple, "That which does not genuinely
serve the collective interest can never endure".
Once we understand this it is not difficult to see that the one-sided
"successes" of capitalism, creating rich people and poor, rich countries
and poor countries, can also never last. They will always be short term
and end up in depressions, wars, ecological disasters and other such
symptoms of fundamental wrongness.
Conversely, the powerful laws of nature will also ensure that any
individual, group or society which seeks to promote the progress of all its
creatures will, like a raft swept along by a wave, be supported and carried
along by the wave of Universalism and universal values and will inevitably
establish itself and endure.
Ethics therefore, should form the foundation of good economics. And this
is where Prout begins. Prout has 16 principles but P. R. Sarkar, the
propounder of Prout highlighted 5 of them as the :Five Fundamental
Principles". The first (by which we can infer, the most important) of
these Fundamental Principles is an uncompromising ethical statement, "No
individual shall be allowed to accumulate any physical wealth without the
clear permission of the collective body of the society."
We are so trained to think in the laissez-faire mode of capitalist
self-centred
thinking that such a principle sounds like an imposition on our freedom.
If, however, for a short moment, we put our heads into "family mode",
considering society as our very own family, then we can accept this
principle as completely normal, indeed compulsory. For what family allows
a few to accumulate huge wealth while others starve? The key, therefore,
is thinking like a family.
Rational distribution
This principle of non-accumulation forms the first part of Prout's
"Rational Distribution" policy. Two more principles make up the complete
understanding. The first is, "The minimum requirements in any age should be
guaranteed to all." This principle means that basic necessities such as
food, clothing, medical-care, housing and education should be guaranteed to
every member of the society. In fact, in a Prout Constitution, guaranteed
minimum requirements would be set down as a fundamental human right. The
words, "in any age", allow for changes in what we consider to be basic
needs. Prout recommends that the proper way to fulfil this principle is to
guarantee work and purchasing capacity to everyone (rather than through
welfare payments).
Once again, if we think about family management it makes perfect sense.
Even in a family however, individuals need reward, encouragement and
recognition. Sometimes an older brother or sister may be given their own
room or the use of the family car. According to the value of their
contribution to the well-being of the family certain members are given
facilities that will make it easier for them to carry out and express their
larger talents and responsibilities. To meet this need
the third principle of Prout states, "The surplus, after distribution of
the minimum requirements, shall be given according to the social value of
the individual's production." This principle ensures that the individual,
as well as the collective, is recognised and treated fairly, thus avoiding
the great blunder of communism, that of trying to reduce everyone to the
same common level.
Putting these three principles together we see a distribution system which
has a minimum, a maximum, and a fair gap in between. The maximum level can
steadily be raised but the minimum will come along with it, then both will
be the measure of all round increase in social wealth rather than one group
appropriating more than its share. Prout's system of rational
distribution carefully balances the needs of both the collective and the
individual. Until such basic principles are accepted humanity will not
have evolved the consciousness it needs to pass successfully into the third
millennium.
By A'c. Krs'n'aseva'nanda Avt.
--
'The main characteristic of PROUT-based socioeconomic movements
is that they aim to guarantee the comprehensive, multifarious
liberation of humanity.' P R Sarkar
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