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Eternity
Eternity

Table of Contents
Preface


ARE WE ON THE RIGHT PATH?
Introduction
Fear And Favour
Urge of Dominance
Faith
Middle Eastern Mythology
Revelation


SEMITIC RELIGIONS
Introduction
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Horrors of Fundamentalism


ORIGIN & DESTINATION
Introduction
Epistemology
The Creative Principle
Mind and Matter
Life After Death
Summary


THE WAY
Introduction
Harmony
Free Will
Ethics
Psychology
Sociology
Law
Politics
Taxation
Economics
Mysticism


Postscript
Glossary
Bibliography

Eternity

 
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ETERNITY

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

SOCIOLOGY

Sociology is the study of the structure and functioning of society. Though a vast subject, it basically concerns the origin of mankind, that is, association of man and woman which brings a human baby into existence and eventually develops into families and clans. Therefore, it is natural for man to associate with fellow-beings and seek companionship. This enlarged fellowship is called society which is as much an extension of the ego as is individuality. This chapter seeks to concentrate on the societal aspect without discussing details of customs, structures and institutions or the various processes which preserve social continuity and produce changes.

Nature of society

Society is not the result of what is called the herding instinct. Man seeks companionship because it is his nature. The one who does not want to live amongst fellow-beings becomes a recluse or hermit. He is, in fact, a social reject but conceals his shame under the cover of such grand titles as "saint" or "sage". Ascetecism may not be a vice, but it is certainly not a virtue because individuality despite being an end in itself, is neither conceivable without association (of the opposite sexes) nor can it develop without enlarging itself into a society. Again, individuality is an integrated entity: it consists of many parts as a rose consists of numerous petals and a glass of water comprises countless drops. According to the Theory of Collaboration, it is the law of nature that all small things merge into large wholes and become fewer in numbers. Therefore, society is the natural evolution of individuality, and being the fountain of social environment, it acts as the major source of moral sense and cultural and spiritual values. An isolated individual is likely to be an insane animal. It is social intercourse which provides man with the opportunities to become man. Without it, the concepts of harmony or discord have no meaning. However, a human society cannot be treated as a compound where each component loses its identity. It is a mixture where every individual retains his distinction because this is the demand of individuality which is an end in itself.

Significance of society

In a previous chapter, I stated that the universe is a symposium of interrelationships which hold it together and serve as the evolutionary principle through the tendency of self-improvement. It equally applies to an individual. He is driven by this tendency to seek social relationships with others; the relationship between man and woman leads to the emergence of a family which blossoms into clans, tribes, nations and mankind. There is hardly any need to say that the mirth or misery of man depends upon the maintenance of these interrelationships Thus society is the medium of instructions and the sole Opportunity of creating interrelationships and practicing them. The attitudes involved in discharging one's obligations and securing rights, emerge as rules, customs, conventions and superstitions, thus determining the quality of the society. A good society is the one which is morally ascendant; it helps man to realise his spiritual goal but a bad society leads to circumstances which reduce the chances of souls coming into being.

Moral sense and society

Since salvation, that is, becoming a part of Godhead, is a matter of action and not faith, society provides the opportunity of realising this goal through practicing interrelationships. It is because moral sense, which is the fountain of virtue and the hope of soul, cannot come into existence without interrelationships. Morality simply means honouring these interrelationships in a sincere and honourable manner. In fact, not only the concept of morality rests on proper execution of interrelationships but the existence of the universe depends upon it. For example, the forces that hold atoms together in groups must have certain peculiarities which determine the rules of combination. The manner of combination denotes the underlying relationship of existence. Again, the forces that govern the molecular patterns regulate their interrelationships with a great precision; these forces though attractive at longer distances, become repulsive at shorter distances. If this were not true, matter would go on condensing in ever-increasing densities, thus causing implosion. It is the consciousness of maintaining interrelationships that enables the interatomic forces to be attractive at longer range and repulsive at shorter range for the purpose of securing equilibrium at intermediate distances where the net force becomes zero.

Imagine yourself to be the only person alive on earth. Will your life have any meaning? Will you find it enjoyable? Will it develop to the stage called "culture"? No, not at all. Such a solitary life will be one hell of misery, completely isolated form culture. Obviously, man without society is less than a mammal because even animals herd together. Society is the natural demand, and goal of healthy individuality I am an individualist but my individuality exists in relation to other individuals If others do not exist nor can I, because existence is a strictly relative business. As one tree does not make a forest, one gust does not constitute wind and one soldier does not count as an army, completely separate and independent individuals do not make a society. The society which consists of totally self-centred individuals is regressive: instead of marching towards enlightenment, it slides into wilderness.

Of course, an individual is an end in himself, and all individuals are morally equal. These are certainly sacred goals but they cannot be realised in isolation. Take the economic concept of division of labour, for instance. Can I grow all the food I need? Can I raise a herd of sheep for woollen clothing? Can I spin, weave and tailor my garments? Can I build a modern house all by myself? Can I be my own doctor and surgeon? Supposing that being "the greatest genius", I can do all these things myself and thus sing the songs of individuality without paying attention to harmony, yet economic needs are not my only concern. What about my sexual needs which are equally urgent? Should I seek celebacy or resort to perversion? In either case, it will put a stop to reproduction, thus announcing the end of mankind. This type of individuality which denies other individuals the chance of coming into being is a symptom of madness and fatal to the interest of individuality. The only way I can satisfy my sexual needs are by seeking a mate. This simple partnership is the foundation of society; each partner has rights and duties, and the stability of their relationship, and happiness depends upon how they react to each other for discharging their mutual obligations. There is no fulfillment but the voluntary discharge of duties to one's associates or fellow-beings. It is this voluntariness which is the cornerstone of individuality, and it thrives on discharging one's moral obligations to one's fellow-beings: this is what makes individuality, sacred, sweet and supreme and enables it to be the forerunner of a soul, the guarantee of eternity. Arrogance, malevolence and usurpation are the aggressive exhibitions of individuality and proof of its march in the opposite direction to eternity.

The society which consists of individuals who respect their fellow-beings and discharge their social obligations without fear of external force or greed of a secular reward, is a paradise on earth whose inhabitants become immune to extinction. Death to them is nothing but sloughing which gives them a new brilliant coat of life. On the contrary, the society riddled with sophistication, slyness and avarice is a living hell whose roaring flames roast the potential of soul.

However, human society is not herding because it usually produces results which are totally opposed to what is expected of a society; crowded rats exhibit cannibalism, homosexually and hypersexuality. A society is society only when it promotes individuality through the operation of free will, that is, people are free to choose and act as they desire but their choices are based on moral conscience.

Spacing

Society is the natural goal of individuality because it comes into being spontaneously. However, spontaniety is not an haphazard affair; it is something which leads to a principled organisation. One would have thought that society is all about mixing. On the contrary, spacing also happens to be one of its basic rules. This fact is well illustrated by what is called territoriality. Birds and animals are known to keep their distance from fellow birds and animals by occupying a separate territory which they treat as exclusive to themselves and guard it against the intruders jealously. This mutual repulsion is well contrasted by mutual attraction as exhibited by mating swarms of midges and fireflies. This, in fact, is a demonstration of the opposite attributes such as love and loathing. Thus society is both a congregation of friends and an arena of competitors; it requires a system of rules to regulate it.

Altruism

However, altruism or care for fellow-beings remains its fulcrum. It implies selflessness because an altruistic animal promotes the cause of fellow-beings without any benefit to itself; the vigilance of a mother bear against the hungry father bear who may devour their cubs or an alarm call of a bird that warns neighbours of a falcon, are some of the examples of the altruistic behaviour. According to Charles Darwin, when an animal protects its offspring, it enables its own kind to survive the process of natural selection. In the case of humans, this principle is the most sacred and significant because care of the fellow-beings without self-interest raises the spiritual status of ego which begins to look upon other members of the society as an extension of itself. Since concept of self-care is better promoted through mutual care, society begins to rank as the guardian of individuals. However, the society which seeks to become itself as the eventual goal of the individuals, is the most sordid entity because it adopts deterministic attitude to tell people how to walk, how to talk, what to eat and what to drink. This totalitarian role destroys people's free will which is the foundation of humanity, and serves as the tool of a dictator or despot who strengthens himself by weakening the fellow individuals.

Unity in diversity

Diversity is the zest of life but unity is its essence. In other words, unity in diversity is the secret of success and happiness. Unity does not mean bringing everybody down to the same level. Such an attitude is against the law of nature which preserves hierarchy and creates differentiation through the evolutionary process; it is natural for the sun to be bigger than the earth; it is natural for a hawk to be a high flier compared to a sparrow and it is natural for a rose to be free from the stench of a sewer. All beings are entitled to hold their station and rise still higher. There is nothing wrong with it. Mischievious behaviour comes into being when people try to gain ascendancy at the expense of others. This triggers off the process of usurpation, deceit and callousness. As a result, tension rises gradually making strife the way of life. This is deplorable because man's spiritual development as well as secular peace and happiness depend upon harmony; strife is its exact antithesis booming with discord, deviation and destruction. Harmony among the high and low, tall and dwarf, pretty and ugly Is as likely as is the coexistence between rose and thorns or positive and negative electric charges. Alternatively, take a family of, say, four brothers who are endowed with different attitudes of love and loathing and possess varying physical and psychological calibres to achieve their goals. Each may want to adopt an inimical approach to attain his aim, yet it is rare for brothers to follow a mutually destructive line of action to gain what they want. It is the feeling of brotherhood which restrains their spirit of strife and converts it into harmony, proving that love is superior to loathing. Brotherhood of man is as much a reality as is the brotherhood based on parental ties. It is just a matter of arousing their moral conscience to make them believe that they are members of a much greater circle of brotherhood.

Marxist vision of society

Unfortunately, such a moral awakening is inhibited by the lovers of golden theories. For projecting themselves a cut above the rest, they seek to destroy social harmony which bestows an equal moral status on all and sundry. They advocate class-consciousness and religious sectarianism for creating a body of followers to perpetuate their own glory. Take for example, the Marxist theory. According to Karl Marx, it is the political economy that determines the nature of society. The distinction between one society and another is, chiefly, its mode of production as expressed by the advancement or primitiveness of its technology and division of labour; each mode of production leads to the emergence of a distinctive class system. Each class becomes antagonistic and enters into a conflict with other classes to appropriate what is produced. The dominant class not only controls the material production but also comes to possess the monopoly of the production of ideas Thus, it begins to rule the society through a cultural style and a political doctrine

Dialectical materialism

Marx adopted the Hegelian theory which came to be known as dialectical materialism. This view of history propounds a conflict between two opposing forces, namely thesis and antithesis, which is resolved by the forming of a new force called synthesis. He emphasised that the present conditions prevailed owing to a class struggle between the capitalists and the workers; the former lived for private profit and the latter resisted exploitation. Thus according to Marx, society is nothing but a perpetually-moving balance of antithetical forces: social conflict is the fountain of history because it is the creator of everything social.

Religious ideology

The marxist class doctrine equally applies to all believers who think of other religious groups as blasphemous. Thus they advocate extermination or subjugation of all those who disagree with them. What in Marxist ideology is class-struggle, in religious terminology appears as sectarian hatred and active denial of tolerance to infidels.

Religious sectarianism and economic class-consciousness are the enemies of harmony which is the fountain of moral conscience. The men who are driven by hatred are bound to be mean, malevolent and murderous and, thus lack respect for the rights of fellow-beings. It is the acknowledgement of other people's rights to a fair living which creates the sense of reciprocal existence, and its realisation can be brought about through harmony only. This is what social stability requires; strife strikes at its very roots.

The purpose of society

Society is a phenomenon of companionship. Therefore, it is the natural association of fellow-beings, and is engendered by the hope of peace and prosperity. The basic association of man and woman is a search for security and happiness through harmony. As this association expands into a family, the parents pray and strive for harmony amongst their children for the same reason. The natural desire

for harmony remains unabated at national and international levels, yet this dream has shown no sign of realization over the millenia; instead it has become a nightmare Why? Because man has not as yet realised that philanthropy i.e. love of mankind through voluntary and active mutual help is the consummation of human conscience which is the fountain of godliness. It is only the deeds of a moral man that may guarantee eternity because men forced to be good are not really good for lacking free will. Of course, morality is a subjective doctrine but in action, it becomes objective because an actor can be judged in relation to other people only. Again, it is not always possible to act correctly because of man's basic tendency to err, suspect, falter, misjudge, and misunderstand. Thus man needs objective rules of judgement seeking to determine, in relation to others, what is morally considered just or unjust and right or wrong. The set of such objective rules is called "law".

Ingredients of law

However, to qualify as law, these rules ought to be minimal and must not inhibit the moral conscience of the citizens. Secondly, law cannot change the nature of things, that is, it cannot declare the right as wrong and vice versa. Thirdly, the purpose of the law is to promote justice at the expense of injustice for creating harmony. Lastly, the law ought to be an extension of morality and not a substitute for it. After all, it is the moral excellence, that is, the operation of man's free will that gives him the human dignity. Compulsion being the enemy of free will, destroys the dignity of free choice and action, reducing the human stature to that of a mammal.

Is it all that law is? No. It is a very vast subject. Having discussed it at length in "Taxation and Liberty", I shall describe it here in an outline only.

To remove any misunderstanding. I ought to add the following:

1. I have stated that individuality is an end in itself. It refers to the ultimate end, that is, capability of an individual becoming a soul. It should be noted that conversion from physical to spiritual is a social process, and thus denotes the significance of society.

2. Men are not born equal owing to their varying tendencies and potentials. Yet they are morally equal because they are entitled to equal opportunities in exercising their free will improving their lot and demanding natural justice.
 
 
 

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