Individual and Social Liberation

 INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL LIBERATION

The ultimate liberation of the human being is a collective task. Except for the Robinsons Crusoes, who suffer their own eslavement, most human beings are by nature social beings. The Bodhisatttvas Buddhist ideal proposes liberation as a common goal for all beings, without exception.

Social progress depends fundamentally on knowledge, education and its dissemination, which does not bring directly liberation, but may facilitate it. In ancient Athens, only those who freed themselves from common necessities of daily life could devote their time to philosophizing. The gap between the most powerful and the most humble may be narrower and precisely thanks to the expansion of knowledge and the participation in its development and dissemination.

For this reason, in order to free oneself from the pressing burden of extreme poverty, which does not even allow one to lift one's head to look at the sky, teaching and learning is the most revolutionary task for those who want to dedicate themselves to other's welfare. Sharing and exchanging it is the most human attitude.

Virtue and nobility of character does not consist in having a lordly pose, but in sincere and true action, without barriers of class, race, gender or social condition. Abstract service to humankind consists of concrete individual service to our fellow men, this being a necessary step in the learning of this task, since it is not possible to serve humankind without first serving our fellow men and women around us.

A piece of bread, a coin, a word, an uplifting idea, delivered directly, is worth more than anonymous checks donated to fashion NGOs. But serving in this way is not enough either, since the final objective is the whole humankind, a previous and necessary step to find God in nature.

The Patricians, the Lords of war, the Nobles, the Hierarchs, in short, the self-illuminated Leaders, who have no more light than what they assign to themselves, are the children of separatism, individualism and pride, always worried about being recognized, imposing for this purpose to the others visible "signs of submission", typical of courtiers.

Likewise, its opposite, false modesty, self-flagellation, and after that feeling a redeemed sinner, are hidden forms of excessive ambition, a sort of "investment" to obtain benefits in the other world, in exchange for giving up this one. Whoever seeks liberation in this way will never find it.

My immediate liberation does not consist in the search for unattainable goals, baits placed in the way of my ambition, but in the perfect communion and deep feeling that recognizes the divinity in Nature, in myself, in my brothers, in my little brothers, the animals, and in all the extension of this wonderful universe suffering in heroic evolution. Undoubtedly a very difficult task, but one that produces innumerable personal and community fruits, as in the old parable of the sower. 

Instead of lamenting my many shortcomings and my hundred defects, and beating myself in the chest, what I have to do is simply to work on reforming myself, because selfishness, self-centeredness and ignorance attached to this conditioned self is the source of millions of mistakes. Therefore, I will focus only on defeating the Real Destroyer, the Selfish Ego, and then the entire enemy army of my faults will be destroyed.

My liberation from the tyranny of the self is achieved without looking for it, without mental concentration efforts, without mantramatic repetitions, without Byzantine analysis of philosophical concepts. It is achieved by putting my hands to work and bending my back in the task of freeing others from mine and their own ignorance. There is no liberation in the high towers of pride of those who only see themselves.

Liberation is a serene and inner joy that makes the kingdom of heaven begin here on earth. You don't have to die to see heaven.