EKAATMA MAANAVA DARSHAN - 1.

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This is an article I wrote recently for a souvenir of a National org. I share it with my frieds on the Net.

INTEGRATION and EXPANSION are the two words I remember whenever I think of Shri Deenadayal Upadhyaaya and Ekatma Manava Darshan.

"Materialistic thought dominates today's world". How does this affect the world? The first cognizable impact is that Man becomes 'A Bundle of Desires'. Hectic chase after desires reduces Man's world to 'Me, Me and Me alone'. Man becomes an island. If at all there are others in his world, they are only as competitors and the ones to be exploited in attaining his desires. Men, scattered and disjointed, are potent weapons to demolish family and Society. Similarly, a Family also remains an island, living in its own glory, busy in pursuing its own desires and demands, totally unconcerned towards social interests. Family sees society and other wider units only as entities to 'facilitate its own aspirations'. Communities, groups similarly exist, but as pressure groups to extract utmost benefits for themselves from governments and other communities. Nations, too are in similar state, disjointed, power-hungry, ready to exploit human resource and Natural wealth of other Nations, conspiring to weaken competitor Nations, etc.

There is a need for 'INTEGRATION' within each of the above mentioned units and EXPANSION of each to encompass the other units. Every individual needs to be integrated within, integration of Body, Mind and Intellect. Stronger and more efficient body, disciplined and nobler mind and sharper and more purposeful Intellect, all integrated into a better personality. Every individual needs to expand to encompass broader units, i.e. Family, Community, Nation, the entire Humanity and the whole Creation.

Every Family needs to be integrated within, all individuals in the family integrated into a more homogeneous Fanily. The Family needs to expand to encompass the social and National needs. Similarly, every community needs to be integrated within and expanded to include other communities and the needs of the Nation. Nations need to be integrated within and expanded to create Peaceful, mutually cooperative World.

There are individuals, weaker, less intelligent and with lower capabilities. Similarly, there are families, communities and Nations with lower capabilities and hence poorer and weaker. These can not survive in a world driven by Competition, 'Survival of the Fittest'. Laws enacted by Governments and resolutions by UN, projects organized by Governments and world bodies may not be potent enough, in themselves, to ensure availability of resources and opportunities for all, especially the weaker individuals, families and communities. Initiatives by better placed Individuals, Families and communities are essential and these add strength to Governmental initiatives. Similarly, weaker nations, Nations with poorer resources also need initiatives from other Nations.

Individual suffering from 'Disjoint' is susceptible to 'pulls of desires and glamours'; is selfish. Integration within and Expansion transform him into a better personality, more responsible towards other wider units like family, society, Nation, etc. with readiness to explore on ways and to contribute in efforts to make these better.

Family suffering from Disjoint indulges in blind Lavishness, while the ones with Integration and Expansion are sensitive to Social needs. Such families become Breeding center for 'Men with Universal Vision', 'Men with Capital M' in the words of Swami Vivekananda.

Education is the one instrument, rather the only instrument in this work of Integration and Expansion. The current educational system, unfortunately, falls too short in this direction. That needs to be re-tuned urgently. Pandit Deenadayalji's centenary celebration offers us a rare opportunity to start initiatives in this direction of Integration and Expansion.

The world, then will definitely become a better place to live in.