Sublime Ideology
By Ac Shambhushivananda Avt
Life is indeed a bundle of misunderstandings. It is not uncommon to face conflicts during one’s life. Whether it is within a family, an organization, a business-relationship or among nation-states, it is almost inevitable that there will be conflict of some proportion. Conflicts are a double-edged sword. Some are an opportunity for growth and some could be devastating and destructive. Some conflicts strengthen us, while others may totally mar our motivation to move ahead. Some could leave a scar for a lifetime while others get healed through conscious endeavors. It is important, therefore, to realize the source of conflicts and attempt to find a pathway to go beyond them.
First Step
Dialogues and Communications
The first victim of a confrontation is the obstacles or even a closure of communication channels. The absence of dialogues can make it more difficult to find the solutions to problems emanating from diverse points of view. Hence, there is a need of conflict-resolution modalities. Some conflicts end up in the courts of law causing much expense while other get resolved through mediation or an initiative of a well wisher. In any case, ‘empathy’ is the corner stone of any resolution-modality. It is not uncommon that conflicts create a permanent division or breakdown in relationships and that could lead to further on-going misunderstandings. From the yardstick of sublime ideology, one has to nurture those points of view that can bring the greatest welfare. There is never a magic formula to deal with unpleasant situations created by any confrontation yet awareness and awakening of greatest need of all species could give us the needed strength to transform negativities into positivity. Since all living being search for peace–knowingly or unknowingly, let one and all contribute to the global goal of peace at all levels. Peace that is driven by love is the surest way to help achieve resolutions to conflict at every level.
Second Step
Collaboration and Competition
Since we do not live forever, the continuity of any institution or structure can only be accomplished through a conscious endeavor to build in systems of collaboration. While healthy competition helps to breakdown the sloth that results from centralized control, collaboration ensures that we tap the hidden potential of diverse elements of any system or structure. Collaborations demand respect and tolerance; freedom and governance; sense of responsibility & faith. To work together requires mental discipline, maturity and patience. It is so easy to walk away from one another but we also lose the opportunity to tap the hidden potentials among us. The yardstick of sublime ideology offers a healthy mix of benevolent competition and cooperative institutions as a way to create lasting collaborative mechanisms. Nature shows us that collaborations have given rise to numerous life forms. Collaboration is built in in our bodies; it could also be engineered in the social institutions that we may create. ‘Collaboration’ is a necessary second step towards building a harmonious society.
Third Step
Exchanges among Sustainable Communities
There was a time when the individuals and small businesses used to become bankrupt. Now it is not uncommon to see the entire set of countries facing the same fate of collapse. It is high time that we realize that the sustainable future can be built only on the principles of self-sustaining decentralized economy. Building sustainable communities at the earliest is the greatest challenge of our times. However, it is even more important to build systems of supportive exchanges among these sustainable communities lest these well intentioned community building efforts fall into the abyss of old competitive–paradigms devoid of highest social consciousness. The umbrella of Universal Harmony is the necessary third step to ensure that we keep our intellects free from the dogma of narrow ’isms’ and matter or self-centered ideologies. The yardstick of sublime ideology goads us to explore the avenue of ‘universalism’ in all things- big and small.
The various differences which split society must be removed in the interest of collective welfare. In order to do that, one must look for the common link, the points of affinity, in the multifarious lifestyles and diverse expressions of life. The points of affinity have got to be encouraged by all means and the differences must be discouraged.