Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

We are witnessing a resurgence of right-wing movements worldwide. Many believe this is a natural consequence of left wing having overplayed its hand in previous decades. The result? An oscillation from one political extreme to another.

In past, many felt they had made an intelligent and empowering choice when they moved left, away from stifling sectarian orthodoxies and superstitions. Liberal left-wing ideologies can certainly satisfy intellect and conscience with their emphasis on justice, equality and change. However, life can feel barren, and human brilliance and vitality throttled by a rigid and mechanical approach to human welfare. Movement to extreme right is not an answer either: after a while, people will struggle when conservatism stifles capacity for independent thought. And so, political affiliation swings like a pendulum between left and right.

Ironically, each side believes it is more liberal than the other. Both extremes, however, often turn authoritarian and exclusionary. One can uncritically endorse hierarchy and tradition, while the other can endorse its own brand of ideological dogmatism. Absolutism of any kind is never the answer to the human quest for well-being and freedom.

Real liberalism means holding space for multiple points of view. Most people’s minds are so hijacked by self-righteous ideas of right and wrong that they have lost the ability to listen to conflicting perspectives. What we often see around us is mere prejudice disguised as independent opinion.

Shankaran Pillai’s little grandson wanted to show him his archery skills. He took him to the barn and showed him eleven targets. He had hit them all — bullseye, dead-centre. Shankaran Pillai was amazed. He asked the boy from what distance he shot. “70 metres,” the boy replied. Shankaran Pillai was overjoyed. He congratulated himself on his superior DNA and started dreaming of Olympic gold medals for his gifted grandson. He asked the boy how he had attained such expertise. “Simple,” said the grandson. “First i shoot, then i paint the target.”

That’s what most people are doing with their lives. They have already fixed their lives, religiously, ideologically, socially, culturally, nationally. The arrow is stuck; they simply paint the target around it. This is not liberalism. This is habit, rigidity and compulsion masquerading as freedom.

In next few decades, human intellect will fire like never before. Right now, almost 29% of the people in US write ‘no religion’ in their application forms. In UK, more than 37% do the same. In the next 30 years, 80% of the world will follow suit.

But will they be free of questions? Will they be free of the thirst to know? Will they be free of the need to identify with something? No. And still, their thirst cannot be addressed by narrow religious or political identities. Belonging to camps of any kind will never be the answer. The only solution for a fast-changing world is to raise human consciousness.

The way ahead is not turning right or left, but within. Unchecked freedom is anarchy. Enforced freedom is absolutism. But when human consciousness rises, every individual determines their own truth without conflicting with anyone else. This spiritual culture has long encouraged the freedom to question, worship multiple gods, or none at all, within the same household. It is time to stop confusing liberalism with allegiance to politics of left or right. It takes two wings to fly.

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