From the booklet PROUT, What It Stands For

The method of utilization should vary in accordance with the changes in time, place and person and the utilizations should be of progressive nature.

Method of Utilization

The world is a changing phenomenon. Nothing here is stationary. What is pretty today may become ugly tomorrow. The little baby of today grows into a handsome youth tomorrow and what is inert now becomes dynamic the next moment. As such nothing in this world can be permanently relied upon. One day it is sure to pass away. Changes occur within the realm of time, space and person. Time without human beings is just meaningless because time is but a mental measurement of action. In the absence of human mind the question of measurement does not arise.

All theories, whether political, economic or social are meant for enhancing human welfare. But the same theory while failing to adapt itself with changed circumstances, is thrown into waste paper baskets while society is moving ahead. And the people who want to remain clinging to the skeletons of the past are discarded in the society of living beings.

Thus at every transitional period, clashes between the old and the new are inevitable. Hence Christ was crucified, Socrates had to lay down his life by drinking hemlock, Galileo was severely penalized. The so-called brahmins perpetrated outrageous crimes on Buddha, the man of that age. Far-sighted, penetrating intellectuals were always opposed by the conservatives who applied all their might to crush liberation in the bud. But at last the contribution of the new thinkers, their progressive ideas came off with flying colors. Society got new life as a result of their sustained efforts. And the conservatives were forced to recede into the background and were lost in oblivion. The theories advanced by many undoubtedly struck at the roots of conservative mentality of a particular age but later when that age changed the old theory clashed and contrasted with newer ones and finally proved themselves outdated. Marxism is a case in point, in its day it managed to focus attention on the plights and suffering of the working classes and received heavy opposition and much criticism from conservatives. Later on the same Marxism, though temporarily recognized in some countries, underwent drastic changes due to changes in its environment and conceived circumstances. In the later stages of Marxism that theory was clearly conservative and outlived itself and ended up being discarded and thrown onto history’s scrap heap. The enthusiasm that once rose wherever its message of workers’ paradise were heralded had turned to bitter disillusionment and disbelief in any form of social liberation.

At this critical juncture the advent of PROUT promises a fresh vision of a third way beyond capitalist individualism and communist egalitarianism. With a view to eliminate the chances of getting stuck in a particular mindset of a particular age, PROUT has enunciated its fifth principle that aims at adjustments with all relative factors of the universe. In this adjustment the fundamental principle need not be changed; if at all change is to be effected it will be a change of policy only. Change of principle would mean change of the original theory. A river while passing through different countries maintains adjustment with the different banks and coasts. In the same manner the theory will remain as it is but for the sake of adjustment certain policies may have to be changed.

PROUT differs between principle and policy as follows: The spirit of a theory is called principle, which aims at tracing the nature and goal of the mode of life of the individual as well as of society. Without a fixed goal and nature of its movements society will let loose a reign of anarchy and chaos. All principles evolved so far have come out of analytical viewpoints. Whenever human beings proceed to do anything with the analytical instinct, they cannot but be partial with something or other, thus giving rise to various “isms”. The principles must be unprejudiced. Hence not only the intellect but the intuition has to be utilized. Principles dipped in the confluence of intellect and intuition alone can lead toward a proper and progressive direction. PROUT can claim to be principled of this character. Like former theoreticians, PROUT does not want to lead society to the utopias of idealism nor does it want to close the path of human evolution and progress by making society thoroughly materialistc. The theme of PROUT is “subjective approach through objective adjustment”. Quite appropriately, the thought of human welfare and spiritual ideation should go side by side.

Policy is something altogether different. It is the sum total of the ways and means needed for materializing the principle. While principle aims at a higher ideology, policy comes to the help of the principle, materializing it.

If revolution is the principle then its nature — a world conflagration or a movement on limited scale — will have to be decided as a matter of policy against the various backgrounds of their respective ages. Utilization is the principle but the time and method of utilization depend on the characteristics of different ages. As for example, human physical potential has got to be utilized at an optimum. For that to happen, the strength that is utilized at present for painting a house will in future, with the development of new technology, have to be deployed in other ways. Provisions of minimum necessities of life will have to be ensured but whether it will be for one hundred dollars or two hundred is to be decided against the prevailing social conditions. According to the first principle the right of accumulation has to be regulated but how much wealth an individual may be allowed to accumulate is to be decided taking into consideration the prevalent socioeconomic and political factors. Thus the method of utilization will vary in accordance with changes in time, place and person. PROUT is the panacea not only for the problems of the present world but will continue to be so for future problems as well. Hence PROUT has the least possibility of being ever stigmatized.

In the second portion of the fifth principle it is said: “The utilization should be of progressive nature”. That is to say, all the existing potentials will not only have to be utilized but attempts should also be made to make better use of them in scientific ways. By maximum utilization of anything both quantitative and qualitative improvements will be possible. It will not serve any useful purpose if a strong man hammers stone for 16 hours with a simple sledgehammer instead of taking the help of a more powerful tool and doing the job in 8 hours. It is highly regressive to revert to earlier technology for sentimental reasons; proper social awareness should be generated by utilizing the latest technology. The fifth principle of PROUT unequivocally assures the welfare of all countries in all ages as it is free from all types of narrowism and partialities for any particular individual or community.

Copyright Proutist Universal 2011