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Welcome to episode fourteen of the Prout Consciousness series and an exploration of the fourth fundamental principle of the Progressive Utilisation Theory, which reads: “There should be proper adjustment amongst these physical, metaphysical, mundane, supramundane and spiritual utilisations.”
The two preceding episodes discussed maximum utilisation of environmental, individual and collective potentialities as well as universal fulfilment of minimum necessities and rational distribution of various categories of amenities. It was mentioned that those two principles identify main areas of human concern and therefore of Prout’s socioeconomic endeavour—the physical, psychic and the spiritual. At this point, we have arrived at the necessity of adjusting all such utilisations properly with each other.
As is commonly known, and discussed in this series, people, being diverse, are of varying resources and talents. While securing everybody’s basic requirements first of all, in the interest of maximum utilisation, Prout promotes the policy of giving preference to subtler resources over cruder ones. Rather, if society does not secure such universal progress, then even basic requirements will remain castles in the air as the values needed for their materialisation would not be in operation. As observed by Prout’s propounder, Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, quote:
“While promoting individual and collective welfare there should be proper adjustment amongst the physical, mental and spiritual spheres and the crude, subtle and causal worlds. For example, society has the responsibility of meeting the minimum necessities of every individual but if society arranges food and builds a house for everyone under the impetus of this responsibility, individual initiative becomes retarded. People will gradually become lethargic. Therefore society has to make such arrangements so that people, in exchange for their labour according to their capacity, can earn the money they require to purchase the minimum necessities. In order to raise the level of minimum necessities of people the best policy is to enhance their purchasing capacity.
“The law of adjustment further stipulates that while taking services from a person who is physically, mentally and spiritually developed, society should follow a balanced policy of adjustment. If only one of these three capacities – physical, mental or spiritual – is developed in a person, society should take the one that is developed. If both physical and intellectual capacities are sufficiently developed in a person, society should adopt the policy of adjustment, which takes more intellectual service and less physical service, because intellectual power is comparatively subtle and rare. If all three capacities – physical, mental and spiritual – are found in one person, society should make greatest use of their spiritual service and least of their physical service.
“The greatest service to the cause of social welfare can be rendered by those who have acquired spiritual power, and the next service by those having intellectual power. Those having physical power, though not negligible, cannot do anything by themselves. Whatever they do is done under the instructions of those with intellectual and spiritual power. Hence the responsibility of social control should not be in the hands of those who have great physical capacity, or in the hands of those endowed with courage, or in the hands of those who are intellectually developed, or in the hands of those with worldly skills. Social control should be in the hands of those who are spiritual aspirants, intelligent and brave all at the same time.” Quote ended.
Evidently, this is the stuff of leadership theory. It simultaneously holds up the powerful social idea of moving together while taking care of all, as well as the idea of morally and spiritually developed personalities forming collective leadership under the auspices of their apexed consciousness. Shrii Sarkar commented, quote:
“The success of the revolution depends on the leadership. Loss of life and property will be minimised to the extent to which the leadership is free from defects. Ideal leadership is the wealth of the society as well as of the revolution. It will not only lead to a successful revolution, but will also fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the people in the post-revolutionary phase of society.
“In many countries a well-knit and prosperous society could not be built in the post-revolutionary phase due to the defective leadership. Concepts such as Platoʼs philosopher king, Confuciusʼ sage, Nietzscheʼs superman, Marxʼs proletariat dictatorship, etc., were propounded to develop ideal leadership, but all these concepts have failed. There is a vast difference between a theory of leadership and the practical, human qualities of a leader. Due to intelligence, acumen, social awareness, oratory skill and some other qualities, a few leaders were successful in launching revolution, but later on they became the objects of slander because they were unable to guide society along the path of real progress. They were unable to solve the pressing problems confronting the people or eradicate exploitation.
“Morally and spiritually enlightened leadership is the ideal form of leadership. Such leaders will be physically fit, mentally developed and spiritually elevated. With their help and guidance, revolution will be materialised … Leadership is not imposed from above, rather it establishes itself through dedication, sincerity, ideological zeal, fighting spirit and all-round capacity. Leaders gradually acquire such capabilities – step by step.” Quote ended.
As mentioned in episode 5, at the mundane level, two main problems continue to plague humanity: affluence and shortages. Most of the developed countries suffer from physical bountifulness. Their health services are beleaguered by lifestyle diseases. According to the World Health Organisation, non-essential and luxurious commodities such as ultra-processed foods, tobacco and alcohol are instrumental in killing nearly 3 million Europeans every year. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Africa more than 1 billion people in Africa struggle to afford a healthy diet. 30% of its children suffer from acute malnutrition and 20% of households face extreme food shortages. Obviously, such gross imbalances in our world today are the result of unsound thinking, of materialism and selfishness.
According to Prout, if the flow of material affluence is regulated to embrace all and not only some, then physical shortages and psychic deficiencies may be minimised before they become chronic problems. In most countries of the world there is a tendency towards this type of adjustment. For instance, many have woken up to the importance of healthy diet, exercise, etc., and there is talk of adjusting work hours with technological advances, so that working less allow for all to work some.
The second fundamental serious problem of the capitalist world is shortage of proper psychic nourishment. Both capitalism and materialist socialism encourage crude thinking. Capitalism does so because instinctual or impulsive behaviour is the cheapest and most effective way to get people to purchase and consume whatever is supplied to them. Under capitalism, never-ending human urge is let lose on limited physical resources. Even subtler resources, such as education and human development, are commercialised and thereby subjected to crude thinking. This madness, the crucification of the collective mind due to a few super-rich hogging a maximum of wealth, throws the hopes and aspirations of the majority of people, the glorious future progress, into the wastebasket.
The insanity of capitalism reflects differently on the mental state of different people. The rich have to live with their increasingly bad conscious and the natural reactions to their evil deeds and their further consequences that one day will lead to popular uprising against the privileged class. The commercially enslaved middle classes, by virtue of their education and developed social awareness, have to live with their lucid understanding of the causes of the wrongness of it all without being able to do anything substantially about it, tied up in capitalism’s spider web as they are. Indeed, capitalism render people helpless as far as radical social engagement is concerned. Educated, relatively well-off persons may contribute time and money to good causes and still at the end of the day feel helpless and worthless because all sorts of indicators keep moving in wrong directions apparently beyond anybody’s control. The uneducated and poor for their part are prone to go seriously wrong under capitalism as their often uninformed lifestyle choices and comprehension by force of their economic and other poverty are directed by the ideals placed before them by the ruling commercial system.
Last but not the least, Prout’s fundamental principle of adjustment promotes diversity. By adjusting with others we learn that diversity is significant and important to our further growth and development. We learn that each individual is unique and complex, and recognise both the socioeconomic and existential value of every individual. All represent the same fundamental value, the same right to exist, evolve and attain fullness of life. Prout recognises both this universal existential value and particular uniqueness of all. As a society, we learn to see the value and significance of bringing together ethnic, national, regional and other relative distinctions in one integral humanity. This universal development obviously affects productivity and performance. With a wider input comes improved skillsets and greater, more complex and more mature expertise. In one word it is called synthesis. This increasingly competent, synthesised humanity emerging all over the world today grows increasingly creative and innovative.
In this episode of Prout Consciousness we have examined the fourth fundamental principle of Prout: “There should be proper adjustment amongst these physical, metaphysical, mundane, supramundane and spiritual utilisations.” Episode five in the series explores Prout’s call for the method of utilisation to vary with changes in time, space and person, and for utilisations to be of progressive nature. That is all for this episode, thank you and goodbye for now.