It’s a misconception that only political and economic success can bring happiness to life. Other spiritual realities and values are important too, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj Ji

Most of the world believes that with the advancement of science and technology, humans have been liberated from blind faith and superstition. They have now been enabled to understand the difference between the truth and the myth. But when one observes things more closely, one finds that, even in this era of high tech and scientific sophistication, there are quite a number of current beliefs that belong to the category of myths, yet the intellectuals are committed to them. One of these beliefs that is savoured as truth is that the good of the society is defined by democratic and political processes and not by the maturity of the spiritual aspect of the personalities involved. Even though one can easily see that there are thousands of social and political problems in countries, where democratic and other political processes are at work, yet one overlooks these afflictions and continues to enjoy this current myth as truth.

It is an open secret that the countries which are considered as genuinely democratic, both constitutionally and practically, are also suffering badly from fear psychosis and a tearing sense of insecurity. There are a large number of people there who are victims of mental issues such as depression, paranoia, broken marriages, fragmented families, drug habits, child abuse, increasing tendency to indulge in violence, suicides and much more. Yet the myth prevails that full democratic processes and latest economic theories create conditions of heaven, so spirituality can take a back seat. This new kind of economic and political myth makes people conveniently forget that a mentally disturbed person, who is facing inner turmoil, creates disturbance in the whole society. The truth, therefore, is that the disorder, turmoil and violence that prevail in the society are a reflection of the war that is there in the minds of people. Hence, peace in the society cannot be restored by political science or economics, but by practices that bring solace to the tormented spirit.

Let us not overlook the fact that consciously or unconsciously, every person is seeking some form of self realisation so that s/he can express his or her own potentialities. It would, therefore, amount to denying the undeniable truth that there is a spiritual dimension of man’s existence and we can overlook it at our own peril. Undoubtedly, the right type of political and economic processes are necessary but to think that these can bring happiness to life without enriching the spiritual aspect of man’s personality is like considering a myth as truth.

It is an irrefutable fact of life that man has a physical and also a spiritual dimension of his life. Therefore, one cannot continue to live happily in a state of separation from an important part of himself. It is a pity that in this era of science and technology, man always talks only about the social, economic and political realities in an empirical and utilitarian language. He forgets other realities and values which are spiritual in their nature. But the time has come when man must wake up once again to the truth that he has a social dimension. Hence, the myth that man is merely a physical being with only economic and political dimension has to be broken. Only when we have this holistic perspective of life, we will be able to have a self-realisation ethic. Only then, we will be able to have development of the full human potential.