“Nobody is ever right against anybody” Collective working and what The Mother said
Letter to the EditorsBy Anand K Bachhawat, PhD
Keywords: Letters
References: MP Pandit and The Mother
Dear Auroville Community,
I am an avid follower of the Auroville community and its developments, and am a well-wisher for its success, even though I have never lived in Auroville. I have been a subscriber to the Auroville Today for about 10-15 years and every month I read, almost entirely from cover to cover, each issue. Indeed, Auroville being an incredible experiment with all of you a part of it, the world outside Auroville looks forward to, and prays for the success of the Auroville experiment. Every step forward you take, augurs well for the rest of us, for humanity.
I have been following the discussion on the ‘Right of Way of the Crown’ and the Auroville Master Plan. While it was clear to see the deep differences and the schism that has temporarily formed in the community, it was nevertheless heartening to see the balanced presentation of both points of view in Auroville Today, and the attempts at looking within, seeing the larger meaning, the lessons to learn and already to see the efforts at the way forward .
At these critical junctures it helps to remember what The Mother said on what should be our approach to collective efforts and on working together. There was a wonderful piece that was narrated by MP Pandit in his talk on ‘The Psychic Being’, that many might not have heard, or have forgotten, and I felt that it would be a good reminder for each of us.
I have transcribed the part of the talk that I felt was relevant, and could be important for the community to hasten the healing and forward movement.
I quote below from the speech of MP Pandit:
“When working with somebody on a project or solving any problems on any level, mainly the physical; and the little guiding voice or light, the psychic being, points the way: How should one proceed when the other party will not listen to another way of doing it some other way. Until now I only waited, and quietly and persistently kept pushing until accepted. It is difficult to explain, and more difficult to do. How can one do it otherwise? Now, this is a question that faces many of us who are involved in a collective effort, a collective working. It is always flattering to believe that I am always right. I thought I should refer the question to Mother. And I read it out last week. And The Mother said very empathetically:
‘Nobody is ever right against anybody. One can never impose one’s own conviction, one’s opinion, one’s feeling on another. The right way for a seeker or for a worker in such a situation where there is difference of opinion is not to believe that he is right, and the other one is wrong but to submit the problem to the Divine in a spirit of surrender and trust. He can submit his own conviction. He can submit the whole problem and wait for the answer. In the measure of his sincerity, whether the other one is aware of it or not, the response does come and things do work out in the way they should, not necessarily as I believe to be right.’
That disposes of the question. We can never be sure that we are right. We can never be right against anybody. Naturally when one works by oneself, one works for the best of one’s lights. There is a growing perfection there is a growing light. And what I felt yesterday to be right I may not feel to be as much right tomorrow. But in a collective endeavour the right attitude is to concede the freedom of others to follow their own convictions. Where there is conflict, where there is difference to submit it to an overseeing power and await silently with trust on its guidance.”
With warm regards,