Views on the International Zone

Dear Auroville Today,

I would like to ask if clusters have souls?

I think it´s safe to say that almost nobody in Auroville wants to support narrow nationalistic tendencies. But this is a challenge when there are national pavilions envisioned on a place which is meant for Human Unity. Therefore it is understandable when the IZ group decides to support mainly greater groupings and cultural neighborhoods, for example European, North-east Asian, Eastern European Brotherhood, All-Americas and other clusters.

But does this concept match the specific point that the IZ is meant for?

Mother´s vision refers to the soul of nations, not to the soul of continents, clusters or regional neighborhoods. In Sri Aurobindo´s view, it is firstly in nations and not in tribes, clans and cultural or racial families and groups, that free will and rational orientation get a chance. It replaces mostly unconscious tribal, genetic and cultural bondings and loyalties. Therefore, the nation is the evolutionary level where we can and have to make the decision if we want to depart towards transnational unions like the EU or eventually towards a world federation.

The present world situation is proof of Sri Aurobindo´s words of 80 years ago. How can we uphold the present vision of a growing EU when important members leave because they feel that their national exclusivity is not yet exhausted? What is the meaning of a revival of an “International Brotherhood” club, when ex-members like Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries are still struggling towards a new national identity? And what is the truth of an Asian Northwest cluster when China does not respect Taiwan´s sovereignity, when Japan still has not convincingly processed its war atrocities in China and Korea, and when North Korea is not represented at all?

All of these are mutual understanding processes, but first and foremost it needs each single country to do its homework. Therefore, I am sorry but I see this cluster concept mainly as yesterday´s pipe-dream internationalism.

In my opinion, as a first step the IZ should help, like Mother said, to bring the true genius of each nation forward. In the light of these soul qualities, then we can and we must work with the unhealed shadow sides of our countries.

The design and functional manifestation of the pavilions (or their representative monuments, as Andrea rightly proposes) should not only reveal the national genius, but also inspire the healing work with the national ego. Integrating the national genius with work upon the national shadow could be the missing link and the precondition for lasting transnational unifications. And last, but not least, to the realization of the International Zone.

This part of the City with its unique approach will attract the participation of the “better part of humanity”. There will be no mass tourism (which is bad for Auroville anyway) but enough participation and interest to fund the pavilions and their processes.

Wolfgang J. Aurose (Schmidt-Reinecke)

Dear Auroville Today,

I tend to agree with Wolfgang, but in part only. I believe it may be a little premature for Auroville to focus on continental collectivities – I prefer that term to ‘clusters’ – rather than national souls for Pavilions.

If one refers to Sri Aurobindo in CWSA Vol. 25, Chapter 4, The Discovery of the Nation-Soul, one sees that he speaks of a society, community or nation which can develop a group soul. I have emphasised the relevant sections.

The primal law and purpose of the individual life is to seek its own self-development. Consciously or half-consciously or with an obscure unconscious groping it strives always and rightly strives at self-formulation, – to find itself, to discover within itself the law and power of its own being and to fulfil it. This aim in it is fundamental, right, inevitable because, even after all qualifications have been made and caveats entered, the individual is not merely the ephemeral physical creature, a form of mind and body that aggregates and dissolves, but a being, a living power of the eternal Truth, a self-manifesting spirit. In the same way the primal law and purpose of a society, community or nation is to seek its own self-fulfilment; it strives rightly to find itself, to become aware within itself of the law and power of its own being and to fulfil it as perfectly as possible, to realise all its potentialities, to live its own self-revealing life. The reason is the same; for this too is a being, a living power of the eternal Truth, a self-manifestation of the cosmic Spirit, and it is there to express and fulfil in its own way and to the degree of its capacities the special truth and power and meaning of the cosmic Spirit that is within it. The nation or society, like the individual, has a body, an organic life, a moral and aesthetic temperament, a developing mind and a soul behind all these signs and powers for the sake of which they exist. One may say even that, like the individual, it essentially is a soul rather than has one; it is a group-soul that, once having attained to a separate distinctness, must become more and more self-conscious and find itself more and more fully as it develops its corporate action and mentality and its organic self-expressive life.

Indeed, as elsewhere mentioned by him, the nation – as opposed to a State or country – has so far proven to be the most stable unit. Not all States may have their own group soul. e.g. We gather from what They have said that it is the collectivity of several countries within South Asia which is the true nation. These various countries, though independent States today, are not different nations. There is a long shared history and culture which makes it one despite being separated now as different countries. Perhaps that realisation will come one day from within these countries, even perhaps through SAARC.

Similarly, in Europe, there has been a shared history and culture from the UK in the west to Russia in the east for centuries. Maybe that group soul will also be recognised one day and develop, perhaps through the European Union – as differentiated from the European Commission. For now, I see a clearer differentiation between the collectivities of Western and Eastern Europe. Perhaps some States within Europe are not even nations but sub-nations within a larger psychological grouping, maybe like the Balkan states, maybe like the Slavic type and so on. It is for these countries to find out for themselves whether they are a true nation or a sub-nation, notwithstanding their Statehood. e.g. In India, most states are sub-nations within the larger context of the Indian nation which includes civilisation and culture.

I also believe that the African and American continents in parts may be large nations with several existing countries within. And possibly that may be realised some day and expressed through one of their groupings like the African Union etc.

One can similarly point out that Auroville is not a nation and yet as a collectivity – though not yet self-conscious – it has or is a soul which will one day be discovered and manifested. So essentially my understanding from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother is that not just nations, but various collectivities can have souls. However, in the context of Auroville, my feeling is that there are not enough people from each nation to search for and discover their national souls. There is also not enough money going around to create all those pavilions that the Mother spoke of. So like many other things in Auroville, people do what they can rather than what they should.

In my view, temporary umbrella units are fine to hold and help nations to discover themselves for now. But to concretise them into pavilions may be jumping several steps in between and putting aside the hard work involved in searching for and manifesting the soul of each nation. Further, the purpose of this inner search is to realise the relationship between nations, somewhat like between different instruments in an orchestra, each knowing their own contribution to a beautiful harmony and appreciating the contribution of others. This is also how we could see human unity in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and Auroville has the opportunity – even the mandate – to find it and present it to the world.