An amazing worthwhile place

Leaving Auroville was not easy, but important to me personally. I wanted to leave not only for university-level studying but also for my own personal development. I felt like I needed to distance myself from the happenings in Auroville to properly learn to appreciate it better. It was also important to me to experience leaving and finally returning through my own process and out of my own volition. It seemed essential to enable a smoother transition into adulthood.

There are many reasons for me to come back to Auroville. Auroville is both my actual and my true home where I feel free and can find expression. My roots go deep and I can feel their presence even when I am abroad. Then there is, of course, the factor of Auroville being this amazing experiment in inner and outer consciousness that I want to be a part of.

But I am not actually in Auroville right now. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, I have not completed my university education. Beyond that, however, there are also reasons to do with the community itself. For example, the need of a house or flat to be independent, which is something that requires money I do not have. Other than that there is my own ambivalence and uncertainty. Returning seems to be a process of putting trust both in myself and in the community.

My time abroad has also brought me other skills and experiences that might help me in my process. Learning to think analytically; meeting new cultures and ways of thinking during my travels; nurturing a growing sense of responsibility, self-confidence and trust are some examples. I find that when I encounter new ideas and perspectives, I automatically apply them to Auroville and think about how they could be of benefit to the experiment. I find that Auroville is, in a sense, ever present in my life and in my thoughts.

I often ask myself what I would do in Auroville, which niche I would fit into and how to integrate myself into the community. I feel I have many things to bring back, yet how can I find the common thread and contribute in a meaningful way? These things will probably work themselves out when the time comes, yet these questions pose themselves during my time abroad.

When I encounter criticism of Auroville, I actively feel the need to defend my home. This is because I know that in spite of all the complications, it is an amazing place that is worthwhile and has a value that cannot be expressed in words. However long it might take, I know that something beautiful is and will arise in Auroville and I am looking forward to being a part of it.