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Welcome to episode fifteen of the Prout Consciousness series and our exploration of the fifth and last fundamental principle of the Progressive Utilisation Theory. This principles states that “The method of utilisation should vary in accordance with changes in time, space and person, and the utilisation should be of progressive nature.” Preceding fundamental principles inform us that utilisations of potentialities should be at a maximum, subject to rational distribution, and they should be properly adjusted with each other. This concluding principle informs us that utilisations should vary with changes in time, place and person, and should be progressive. A theme of this episode then is change and where it takes us.

Everything changes continuously and in the process our understanding of ourselves and of the world we live in is probably what changes most of all. Think about it, the technological jumps from one generation to the next, the insights and new understanding that just weren’t available to the previous generation. How about economic understanding? A new person is elected as president in some country and suddenly the whole world gets involved in fresh discussions on leadership, global trade and the entire world political order. Issues of localisation and globalisation, clashes and cohesions heat up and suddenly mean something different to everybody everywhere. Time, place and person never stand still, they always move on and bring us with them into the future.

What is the actual cause of radical change, such as what has been going on with women in many parts of the world for some time now? Only a few generations ago women did not even have voting rights, and most little girls were destined for a life of motherhood and domestic duties exclusively. The main reason for all those changes is women’s growing understanding of themselves, the expansion of their awareness and understanding of their potentialities. If it had not been for progressive-minded women and their belief in their sisters everywhere, most womenfolk would still have been tied down in narrow-mindedness and crude bondage.

Changing consciousness is the driving force behind change in the same way as thought is mother of action. It is when we think anew that we hit upon a better solution, better ways of using something, of something fresh and exiting that can yield better results in our life. This truth may seem simplistic to some but the fact remains that individuals and communities steeped in superstition and dogmas are liberated by new thinking and consciousness that allow for realities to be seen frankly for what they are.

What is thinking, and what is consciousness? Prout’s propounder, Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, observed that because everything has life, everything has feeling. Even stones and other so-called inanimate matter feel but they clearly do not have a nervous system with which they may express that feeling. Instead, they express environmental concerns by contraction and expansion. When a stone is heated up it expands, when it cools down it contracts. The respective increases and decreases of space between the stone’s particles and sub-particles produces feelings in the stone—closeness generate some types of feeling and distance other types of feeling. Whether there is somebody in the stone itself to register those feelings is not up to me to say, or whether that feeling entity resides in the nucleus of the entire creation. Life means to come in contact with or touch a reality, and feeling is the result of such touches with physical, psychic and spiritual realities. The more crude the entity, the cruder its feelings, and we humans are developed beings who can feel both physical, psychic and spiritual realities; we are able to connect in all of these three main spheres of existence.

Plants and animals do not have the advantage of a developed bio-psychological structure such as ours. They remain primitive, underdeveloped or a bit developed, and live for the most in the service of crude physical life. Humans, on the other hand, have developed, complex structures both subtle and strong, and we have large brains. In fact, the brains of living beings adapt to their level of development and will probably continue to do so. Our human bio-psychological structure has evolved to its present stage as a result of our continuously evolving consciousness interacting with its environment, and this process will clearly continue as long as human beings continue to progress in evolution. Living beings have overcome innumerable difficulties to arrive at the human stage. The expanded consciousness of the present-day humans, with its headquarters in the brain, realise that “others feel and long as I feel and long”. This expanded form of self-realisation, the sense of being beyond the purely selfish, this priceless spiritual realisation of relatedness and interconnection, now ought to shape our socioeconomic, political, cultural and other spheres of living, and not only remain the purview of idealist philosophy and romantic tales. The ongoing emancipation of women is a direct result of this larger human evolution, and we should all take note and move on accordingly in our realisation of universal truth.

Prout’s fifth fundamental principle states that “The method of utilisation should vary in accordance with changes in time, space and person, and the utilisation should be of progressive nature.” Being of vast comprehension, taking in everything from the crudest physical, the complex psychic to the most sublime spiritual, the socioeconomics of Prout has sufficient flexibility and elasticity to generate progress for all in all places and for all time. It is capable of adjustment with any temporal, spatial and personal crossroad and intersection whereas theories stuck in the mental inflexibility of dogmas will continue to collide and crash instead of providing constructive progress. Dogmas are narrow ideas bound by rigid boundaries that crack at the least push for change. The principles of Prout on the other hand will not crack at pressure because they allow for change, variety, and allows for adjustment with any temporal, spatial and personal change. As such, Prout will remain relevant and useful.

Take for instance the theory of the social cycle, which is part of Prout general theory. That theory is discussed in episode six in the series and explains how four distinct psycho-social classes take turn to dominate social development. In their respective eras, these classes are at first promising and benign but later tend to turn exploitative. The fifth fundamental principle of Prout is a guarantor for the healthy continuation of the rotation of the social cycle. Righteous people everywhere at all times will be able to apply this principle of continuous variation and progressive focus for the good and happiness of all.

Here we should note that religions are not the only ones plagued by dogmas. Any idea and trend that tends to stiffen and stagnate under the burden of its own interests tends to go dogmatic. In every area of life today dogmas raise their ugly narrow-minded faces to scare the innocent and uneducated into submission. Even the educated submit to dogmas. A particularly devastating dogma of capitalism, for instance, is that the personal freedom of a capitalist must prevail at the cost of all others; that unlimited private property is a law of nature. Classical liberalist economic theory claims that capitalist should profit freely from owning the means of production, trade and consummation of goods and services—which is as good as saying the fox must live in the henhouse, and that everybody and everything should be subjected to the tyranny of commercialisation; nothing in existence should be beyond commercialisation. Prout’s response to this dogma is that society ought to pay heed and employ conscious citizens in matters of common socioeconomic concern, and provide selfish greedy people with opportunities to practice selfless service and learn basic human social skills and behaviour.

We have all noticed how old habits and established patterns now and again are subjected to fresh scrutiny. We mentioned the long movement for women’s rights. Today, the ways we treat animals, plants and nature on the whole has come into public questioning. The reason for it is that our existential awareness is expanding fast. Earlier, farmers who lost animals due to negligence and bad care weren’t persecuted but today they are, not to speak of if somebody leave their dog in a car so that it suffers seriously from discomfort and even dies—such an unfortunate incident will be a police matter in most countries today. It wasn’t always like that. Even some countries have enacted laws to protect their wild flowers and other such undeveloped innocent living beings. The new ways in which we perceive of the existential value of plants and animals will certainly aid us in the discovery and exploration of innumerable subtle and sublime realities beyond the merely physical. The way we look at most issues today will be drastically changed to the better only a generation from now, and due to its openness, flexibility and most broad existential base Prout will still be the relevant socioeconomic theory to follow up on that.

What is the real relevance of socioeconomic theory? It informs us about who we were, how we view ourselves, and how we want to be. It is the theory off where we come from, where we are and where we want to go applied in our common world. It is through work, productive activity and constructive effort that we living beings realise ourselves. Growth and development is our natural dynamics. In the case of developed human beings, growth and development take place in all spheres of existence, and not only in the physical or psychic or the spiritual. At the current stage of human evolution, continuous education of all and large-scale comprehensive efforts for the development of a proper comprehensive outlook is therefore essential. Without the crude, nothing can be done. On the other hand, to the poor and needy, subtle and sublime treasures remain irrelevant and pure abstracts. At the first step, people require minimum necessities in the form of food, clothing, housing, medical care and education. At the next step we shall be properly able to look at further prospects of life and learn why human beings and their communities are not external objects of particular utilitarian value to others and to be discarded as soon as their apparent utility value is exhausted. No country is a business, no person is a throwaway article. Everything and everybody are first and foremost the common property of universal humanity. Every part of creation is an expression of Supreme Being and every creature, plant, animal and human are part of that household and therefore has usufructuary rights and indeed the potential to properly embody and realise that supreme opportunity if given half a chance.

This fifth fundamental principle of Prout says “The method of utilisation should vary in accordance with changes in time, space and person…” In fact, in order to stay relevant we need to keep changing. If something changes, it means we are changing. If we do not change, we are as good as dead and irrelevant to life. Apart from the fact that we humans live in a wonderful physical world, it is becoming increasingly apparent that we should bring the rationality and wisdom of subtler and causal consciousness into our day-to-day affairs. Nobody can afford to live mostly or exclusively in either the physical, psychic or the spiritual. Those who deny the subtle and sublime suffer, and those who keep such priceless treasures to themselves and do not actively work for the welfare of others as well are the rightful owners of the title super-egoist. Denying ourselves of a full life, of a complete existence, will neither make us happy and fulfilled, nor will it make for proper society. The present age of planetary humanity requires each one of us to come out of physical, psychic and spiritual isolation to join in universal existential integration.

This means that Prout recognises not only personal and technological advances but even fundamental systems transitions, such as moving from individualist capitalism to a wholesome system of individual-collective understanding of what human progress may be. When Shrii Sarkar commented on this fifth principle in 1961, he stated:

“The proper use of any object changes in accordance with the changes in time, place and person. Those who cannot understand this simple reality want to cling to the skeleton of the past and are consequently rejected by contemporary, living society. Sentiments based on narrow national outlook, regional outlook or caste pride etc., tend to keep people away from rudimental facts and original ideas. Those influenced by such sentiments cannot openly accept the simple truth. Consequently they are compelled to slink away to the back stage after having done indescribable damage to their country and fellow citizens.

“Changes in the use of every object inevitably occur according to changes in time, place and person. After recognising this fact people will have to progressively utilise every object and every idea. For example, scientific research must be applied so that a person, instead of wielding one huge hammer today, will be able to wield many hammers simultaneously, using the same strength. In other words, scientific research, guided by progressive ideas, should extract greater and greater service from the same human potential. It is not a sign of progress to use outdated scientific technology in an age of developed science.

“Human beings will have to bravely face whatever large and small obstacles that may arise due to the use of various resources and materials created by progressive ideas and developed technology. Human beings have to march forward to victory on the path of all-round fulfilment in life.” 

“Time and space are changing and Prout will also have to adjust with that change. The principles of Prout will not change, rather the application of Prout will adjust with the changing circumstances. Human beings will have to move forward by recognising and adjusting with changes in time and space. Adjustment and flexibility are essentials for human progress.” Quote ended.

If a theory, or a philosophy, or the general outlook of some people deny, reject and even condemn perfectly legitimate and real facts of life, those attitudes and sentiments, usually embodied by the laws and social norms of such communities, only serve to hold the individuals and the collective from progressing properly. In fact, they run a serious risk of lagging behind because of their inability to avail themselves of the opportunities offered to them by their environment. Shrii Sarkar commented:

“In one holy scripture it is written that to lend money on interest is a sin. If people follow this religious principle strictly, there cannot be any banking system and the whole society will suffer. To run the government properly either the leaders of society will have to either violate this principle or knowingly undermine society by following their religious dogma. If they take the latter path we can say they have been goaded by dogma but if they follow their dogma strictly they will be rejected by the modern age. This type of dilemma is confronting almost all the so-called religions in the world today. 

“If Hindus follow the caste system they will also undermine society. In the past Hindu widows used to wear a thick white cotton sari and cut their hair very short, but now widows do not follow such a practice. Today if you try to convince a widow to follow such a practice, you will be insulted. 

“So for the continued welfare of human beings and all of creation, we must adopt such a theory which has flexibility and elasticity. When the elastic band in a piece of clothing is no longer flexible, the clothing is discarded. In the same way, if any theory loses its flexibility, it will not be able to adjust with time, space and person and it will also be discarded. Policies will differ according to changes in time, space and person, but principles will remain the same because they are all pervading and because their cognitive faculty is omniscient.” Quote ended.

Innumerable past achievements are by now obsolete and forgotten. And if some among us were able to describe actual future achievements they would probably be dismissed as impossible dreamers. Prout, however, does not care about narrow-minded dismissals and disapprovals. It marches on through time, from place to place, from people to people, allowing all to express properly and progressively according to their particular circumstances and the especial era that they live in. This is what makes Prout the theory for all time, places and people to come.

In this episode of Prout Consciousness we have examined the fifth fundamental principle of Prout: “The method of utilisation should vary in accordance with changes in time, space and person, and the utilisation should be of progressive nature.” And here this series on the fundamentals of Prout has reached its end. Thank you for listening and goodbye for now.