Social Gatheka Number 12

Now looking at the question from a philosophical point of view. What is construction, what is reconstruction? A construction is that which is made already. A child born is a construction. But after a disorder in the health or in mind, there comes again a need of reconstruction. In the English language there is an expression: 'To pull oneself together.' The reconstruction of the world today means for the world to pull itself together. The education, the political, the social condition, the financial condition, religion, all those things which made civilization, seem to have scattered and in order for these things to come together there must be a secret of life to be studied. What is the secret of healing power? The secret is to make oneself strong enough to pull oneself together. And that is the secret of the life of the mystic. The world has lost its health, and when one can picture the world as an individual, one can see what it is to lose one's health. It is just like illness in the life of an individual. And as for every illness here is a remedy, so for every disaster there is a reconstruction.

But now there are different ideas that people have. There is the pessimist, he says: 'Well, if the world has got to this state of destruction, who can help it, how can it be helped? It is like an ill person who says, 'Well, I have been so ill, I have suffered so much, I do not care. How can I be well now? It is almost too late.' In that way he holds his disease and he keeps it, he cherishes it, although he does not like it. And then there is a curious person, who is very much astonished to see the newspaper and see that this money has gone up and that money has gone down, and to see that there is the probability of a war, there may be another war, and he will excite his friends about it.

Then there is another person who says: 'Some committees must be formed, there must be some societies, some leagues, some congresses must be formed, we must do something definite.' And in this way there are now so many societies and congresses formed and discussing, and so many more meetings, so many more discussions. But there seems to be no end to the discussions and disputes in order to find out the ways and means how the condition must be bettered.

I do not mean to say that any effort in whatever form made towards the reconstruction or towards the betterment of conditions is not worthwhile, however small. But what is most needed for us is to understand that religion of religions and that philosophy of philosophies which is self knowledge. We shall not understand the life outside if we do not understand ourselves. It is the knowledge of the self that gives the knowledge of the world. The politician, the statesman, however qualified, will dispute about things for years and years, he will never come to a satisfactory conclusion unless he understands the psychology of life and the psychology of the situation. And so the educationist will try a new scheme and will never come to a satisfactory conclusion, unless he has the psychological knowledge of life, which will teach him the psychology of human nature, what is the manner to solve the problem?

What is today called psychology is not what I mean. I do not mean by the word psychology what they call psychoanalysis. I call psychology the understanding of the self, the understanding of the nature and character of the mind and the body. Friends, what is health? Health is order. And what is order? Order is music. Where there is harmony, rhythm, regularity, cooperation, there is harmony, there is sympathy. The health of mind, therefore, and the health of body depend upon the preserving of that harmony, upon keeping intact that sympathy which is going on in mind and body.

And remember that life in the world, and especially as we live it amidst the crowd, will test and try our patience every moment of the day, and it will be most difficult to preserve that harmony and peace which is all happiness. For what is the definition of life? Life means struggle with friends and battle with foes. It is all the time giving and taking, and it is most difficult in this to keep the sympathy, to keep the harmony which is health and happiness.

Now you will ask: Where are we to learn it?' My friends, all education and learning and knowledge is acquired, but this one art is a divine art, and man has inherited it. But, absorbed in the outer learning, he has forgotten it, but it is an art which is known to the soul, but it is his own being, it is the deepest knowledge that he has in his heart. No progress in whatever line that man will make will give him that satisfaction which his soul is craving for, except this one, which is the art of life, the art of being, which is the pursuit of the soul.

In order to serve the reconstruction of the world the only thing possible and the only thing necessary is to learn the art of being, the art of life for oneself and to be an example oneself, before trying to serve humanity.

What is the Sufi Movement? What is Sufism? It is that art of which I have just spoken, the art by which that music and symphony of life can be preserved, and by that man can enable himself to become the proper servant of God and humanity.