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Subject: [neo-humanism] Neo-humanism - 01

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Society must be built on a foundation of morality and must move
progressively forward in order to establish itself in universal humanism.
From that vantage point of that universal humanism, education, social
justice, and the judicial system must turn and practitioners of various
professions participate on the social body as whole, with the benefits to
humanity depending on the expansiveness of their minds and the vision to
build a society in the true sense of the word.

Social progress is the concerted effort to bridge the gap between the first
expression of morality and establishment in universal humanism. And the
collective body of those who are engaged in the concerted effort to conquer
this gap is called `society'.

Today. general humanism is founded on certain socio-sentiments.
Socio-sentiments are mere loyalties to a particular social group to the
exclusion of other groups. Groups may be racial, religious, caste-based,
national, etc.

"Socio-sentiment minimitis" means loyalty to one's family only.

"Socio-sentiment maximitis" or "socio-sentiment excellencio" means loyalty
to all humanity, but to the exclusion of and at the expense of
less-developed creatures (also a confinement to "general humanism").

Neo-humanism is a world-view characterized by love for the Consciousness
that is Infinite which overflows onto all objects created by the
Consciousness of the Universe. Adoption of the neo-humanistic outlook in
turn safeguards and enhances the development of one's devotion and love.

In the early stages of developing one's spiritual devotion, the adoption of
neo-humanistic principles -- that is, abjuring all prejudices against other
races, groups, religions, and less-evolved creatures -- will safeguard and
enhance the development of that devotion.

And once, in turn, a person comes to feel devotion or love for the Universal
Consciousness, that devotion or love will ultimately overflow onto all
objects created by the Consciousness pervading the known and unknown
Universe. One will come spontaneously to love all beings and objects as one
loves the Supreme Consciousness, free from any discrimination.

So devotion expands one's world-view, and the more expansive the world-view,
the more one finds the ecstasy and peace of devotion.

When Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar expounded his Neohumanist philosophy, he
explained that the highest sentiment of all is the devotional sentiment.

Now, what is the role of devotional sentiment, the most valuable treasure of
humanity? It is to transform the sense of worldly existence into the supreme
spiritual stance. (Sarkar)

And those who possess the inner asset of devotion within their hearts and
follow the path of rationality in dealing with the external world, must be
victorious. They alone can accomplish worthy deeds in this world. (Sarkar)

Yet in the course of fighting for a neohumanistic society, one will have to
use all one's rational faculties and all the resources of information at
one's command. One will have to take a courageous and also a very
hard-headed approach in identifying and combating forces of selfishness and
vested interest.

Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar first focused the attention of his students and
disciples on the concept of  neohumanism in 1981, with the series of
discourses that came to  be published as The Liberation of Intellect:
Neohumanism. But in fact he had already been using the term Naya'
Ma'navata'va'd or Navyama'navata'va'd ("Neohumanism") for at least ten years
prior to that. Six years after the publication of The Liberation of
Intellect: Neohumanism, he authorized the start of a series designed to
contain his other neohumanism-related discourses: those that had come before
The Liberation of Intellect, those that had come after The Liberation of
Intellect, and those that might still come in the future (as of 1987). Two
parts of that series -- Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 1 and Part 2 -- were
published during the author's lifetime, and at least one more part, Part 3,
is expected to come soon.

In The Liberation of Intellect: Neohumanism, Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar has
laid the foundations of this sublime yet uncompromising philosophy. The
eleven chapters of this book were delivered as discourses, mostly as Sunday
discourses, between December 31st 1981 and March 29th 1982.  The overcoming
of social dogmas and the movement to Neohumanism are clearly covered.

The author was clearly conscious of the latent global impact of this series
of discourses, and perhaps more than in any other of his Bengali discourses,
was careful to provide equivalents for key terms and phrases in the global
language, English.

In his work Sarkar gives a new perspective to the integration of theories of
social and spiritual liberation. He described the development of the
embryonic spiritual longing in human beings - `proto-psycho-spirituality' as
essential to materializing the `principle of social equality' - the vision
of society moving and progressing in unison. He stresses the importance of
consistency between the internal and external rhythms of life, describing
the process of expanding each form of human ideology or `sentiment' until
they match the magnanimity of neo-humanism.

Neo-humanism he describes as the sentiment which fully unites spiritual with
social idealism. While humanism is broader than geo-centric, cultural or
socio-centric sentiments or ideologies, neo-humanism is the state in which
"the underlying spirit of humanism is extended to everything, animate or
inanimate, in this universe". It will "elevate humanism to universalism, the
cult of love for all created beings of this universe". Thus neo-humanism
could also be termed spiritual or universal humanism, a concept which
underlies the progressive socialism of PROUT (PROgressive Utilisation
Theory) also propounded by PR Sarkar.

Sarkar's dedication to his work on neo-humanism (The Liberation of
Intellect: Neohumanism) is as follows:

To those who think for all
Who offer others seats of honour and respect
Who venerate others, instead of waiting to be venerated
To them I dedicate this book with humble esteem and deepest salutations.

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