Baba
When science skews society
Note: In AM, we view the human race as one and indivisible. In some instances in this letter, the term “race” is used in the plural form to accommodate the current social milieu and common understanding. When in fact they are really so-called races as we do not subscribe to the notion that there are multiple races within our singular humanity.
Namaskar,
Many have deep faith that modern science, not religion, is based on the search for truth and that it is modern science which is the greatest tool of humanity. Science is often regarded as the god of modern day society, and that it is science which will solve all of our global problems.
However, science does not exist in a vacuum: the guiding force behind it is the human mind. And so long as a capitalist mentality, or racist mentality, or naive mind is pushing science forward, there are bound to be loopholes in scientific knowledge. So the way science is used today is far from this ideal. And one of the main problems is that in numerous cases science is manipulated to promote so-called in-born racial differences.
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Of course, as Ananda Margiis, we deeply respect the value of science. Baba guides us to advocate for more and more scientific research. So in our AM society, science is also highly honored—under one condition: so long as it is guided by the rational and benevolent intellect.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Science is also for service and blessedness. Science should always be utilized for the proper progress of human society." (1)
Cause of your skin color
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The greater the heat of the sun, the greater the amount of ultraviolet rays in the sunlight. A study of geography tells us why there are differences in the degree of heat of the sun’s rays. Where the sun’s rays fall on earth obliquely, there is less heat of the sun, and where the sun’s rays fall straight on the earth, the heat is greater. In very hot countries white-skinned people find it very hard to live, because their skin, having less of the chemical substance called melanin, is unable to stand much heat. Body skin with a great quantity of melanin in it turns jet black, and obviously a lesser quantity of melanin makes one’s skin white. If ever white people are forced for some reason to live long in a hot climate, their colour turns brown. In 1939-40, when British soldiers came to India for war purposes, their colour became brown due to the great heat. Naturally, as the skin of these soldiers had to adjust with the hot climate of India, there were some necessary changes in their skin to effect acclimatisation." (2)
A tool to promote racial exploitation
Unfortunately, often the way science is used today does not meet Baba's ideal. Much of science is used by war mongers for crude weaponry and many scientific findings are put forward which promote racial differences.
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There are innumerable studies released by scientists which give findings based on race alone such as: blacks do not live as long; blacks have higher cholesterol; blacks are less intelligent based on the shape of their head; Hispanics have more difficulty learning; lung diseases disproportionately affect minorities; whites have a higher IQ than blacks; etc.
Especially in the western world where "scientific studies" are used to measure each and every aspect of life, the idea often creeps in - in subtle and not so subtle ways - that there are inborn differences between the various races. That some races have a greater proclivity for certain endeavours. But such findings only promote racial divisiveness, impose an inferiority complex on a particular race, and give the idea that 'God' created one race better than another.
A few decades back, such types of blind studies were the absolute norm. They were trying to scientifically prove so-called racial superiority, especially of whites over blacks. Yet even today—in this modern 21st century—there are studies which point in this direction: As if there is an inborn qualitative difference between one race and another.
Socio-economic factors ignored
So even in today's modern era, studies might show that 'blacks have a 75% greater chance of being arrested and put in jail'. And all too often the how's and the why's are overlooked, or just given minor review.
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Because, in this era of capitalism, where the caucasian European races have distinct control, so many factors, from schooling to economic gain to social standing, play a distinct role in differences of human development. Those races that have less economic might, or less opportunity to attend university etc will surely be more prone to stealing and other crimes—not because of race, but due to social and economic factors.
So although science has shown some signs of breaking out of this slump—as compared with decades ago—still it is lagging far behind. And performing studies solely on the basis of race is bound to create more and more division. Saying that blacks are more prone toward teenage pregnancy and making it into a racial issue as a headline is as ridiculous as saying that white overseas Margiis have a longer lifespan than Margiis of Nairobi sector or that Indian born Margiis have a greater rate of becoming acaryas etc.
Here the whole point is that making conclusive statements based on race is the blindness of modern science. Social and economic and cultural conditions should only be taken into account, not so-called race. However, still today the differences found in socio-economic conditions are talked about in the small print, and the headlines of countless studies point towards inborn racial differences. Of course, in our AM way of life, we give no credence to such findings.
All races have equal merits & demerits
In all these following quotations, Baba clearly advances the notion that the existential value of all human beings is the same. And surely all in AM hold this ideal in our heart. Yet this remains one point of serious division in the general society. And until modern science wholly adopts this idea, racist theories on the point of health, wealth, intelligence, longevity etc will continue to pollute scientific findings, to some or more degree.
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Here then are the neo-humanistic ideals that must enter into the thinking and vision of today's scientists—then and only then can we consider that science has entered the modern age. Till then it will still be hounded by racial and social blindness.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Let us consider the case of race. Many people identify themselves with a particular race. If we look deeply into the subject we come to the conclusion that the human race is one. Some people have black skin, some people have yellow skin, and some people have white skin. Does it make any difference to the inner human being? No, none whatsoever." (3)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "In our Ananda Marga the first step that a person takes is to forget their race or sect and to no longer identify with their race, caste, or sect. … Racial prejudices are very predominant...In our Ma'rga there are no such considerations: these petty differences among human beings are not given any importance.” (4)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Tantra does not recognize any racial, [or] genealogical...differences among human beings." (5)
By all His above teachings, Baba clearly guides us that there are no differences between human and human—all are one.
So until scientists—and those capitalists funding scientists—stop looking for trends in racial qualities and instead look entirely at social and economic factors, modern science will continue to suffer from a certain degree of blindness—thereby promoting divisiveness in today's global society.
The solution lies in lifestyle—not race
The reason why there is a tendency for the US black population to be prone towards hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, obesity, and other related illnesses has nothing to do with their race / colour etc, and everything to do with their lifestyle and living conditions. Due to a lack of education, lower economic standing, unemployment, lack of access to medical care, and other socio-economic factors, a greater percentage of black Americans tended towards eating junk food, using alcohol / drugs, and living a stressful, unhealthy existence etc. And this led to their decline in health. Indeed, if those factors improved then their overall condition would radically improve.
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So race was and is not the cause. Those who blame race only wish to perpetuate the problem and extend the ongoing exploitation of the black American community. Such researchers are shirking their responsibility. Just as caste should not be mentioned as a cause, so too race should not be mentioned. All are human and when one’s lifestyle choices are positively enhanced, their state of health undergoes marked improvement. So there is no question of blaming any particular so-called racial community in this overall equation. If common, uneducated people resort to stereotyping that can be passed off as ignorance, and if high-level, powerful academics resort to stereotyping in the name of research that is an inexcusable and shocking breach of their responsibility.
Namaskar,
in Him,
Sundar
(Sam Owens)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Although according to perfect logic the culture of all humanity is one and indivisible, the exponents of isms do not understand this. They prefer to assert that the different sets of script and language, behaviour and habit, and local variations in expression, are actually the constituents of human culture.” (6)
Why some have jet black skin
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The greater the heat of the sun, the greater the amount of ultraviolet rays in the sunlight. A study of geography tells us why there are differences in the degree of heat of the sun’s rays. Where the sun’s rays fall on earth obliquely, there is less heat of the sun, and where the sun’s rays fall straight on the earth, the heat is greater. In very hot countries white-skinned people find it very hard to live, because their skin, having less of the chemical substance called melanin, is unable to stand much heat. Body skin with a great quantity of melanin in it turns jet black, and obviously a lesser quantity of melanin makes one’s skin white. If ever white people are forced for some reason to live long in a hot climate, their colour turns brown. In 1939-40, when British soldiers came to India for war purposes, their colour became brown due to the great heat. Naturally, as the skin of these soldiers had to adjust with the hot climate of India, there were some necessary changes in their skin to effect acclimatisation." (7)
Because of their inferiority complex, many around the globe want to whiten their skin. They do not know that one's skin colour is for the wellbeing and safety of their body. God has specially designed and protected them in this way. In hot climate areas, melanin is a natural chemical in the skin that makes the skin dark. And that dark skin tone protects them. But due to their imposed inferiority complex, some people want to become white. They do not know that they are destroying themselves and may die a premature death due to skin cancer. Because dark skin is good for health in those hot regions. The solution is that those with dark skin suffering from an imposed inferiority complex should understand that dark skin has specific benefits. Even in colder areas, it gets warm for a few months each year, so in that case also those with dark skin get direct medical benefits—e.g. protected from getting skin cancer etc. This is especially the case when involved in outdoor activities. While white-skinned people do not get those benefits. So dark skin is a plus.
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Note: About skin cancer if anyone lives in hot countries then their skin becomes darker and they develop an immunity towards skin cancer. So this also is not a factor of race. For black Americans, their blood, heart, and lungs are no different from anyone else’s. And their skin colour is different due to climatic conditions. But if anyone moves to a warm climate then slowly their body will adapt—over generations—to living in that region and develop a resistance to skin cancer etc.
Dangerous pseudo scientists
~ Courtesy of Wikipedia ~
Charles White (1728–1813), an English physician and surgeon, believed that races occupied different stations in the "Great Chain of Being", and he tried to scientifically prove that human races have distinct origins from each other. He believed that whites and Negroes were two different species. White was a believer in polygeny, the idea that different races had been created separately. His Account of the Regular Gradation in Man (1799) provided an empirical basis for this idea. [courtesy of Wikipedia]
Christoph Meiners (1747–1810) was a German polygenist and believed that each race had a separate origin. Meiner studied the physical, mental and moral characteristics of each race, and built a race hierarchy based on his findings. Meiners split mankind into two divisions, which he labelled the "beautiful white race" and the "ugly black race". In Meiners' book The Outline of History of Mankind, he said that a main characteristic of race is either beauty or ugliness. He thought only the white race to be beautiful. He considered ugly races to be inferior, immoral and animal-like. He said that the dark, ugly peoples were distinct from the white, beautiful peoples by their "sad" lack of virtue and their "terrible vices".
Meiners said the Negro felt less pain than any other race and lacked in emotions. Meiners wrote that the Negro had thick nerves and thus was not sensitive like the other races. He went as far as to say that the Negro has "no human, barely any animal, feeling". He described a story where a Negro was condemned to death by being burned alive. Halfway through the burning, the Negro asked to smoke a pipe and smoked it like nothing was happening while he continued to be burned alive. Meiners studied the anatomy of the Negro and came to the conclusion that the Negro have bigger teeth and jaws than any other race, as Negroes are all carnivores. Meiners claimed the skull of the Negro was larger but the brain of the Negro was smaller than any other race. Meiners claimed the Negro was the most unhealthy race on Earth because of its poor diet, mode of living and lack of morals.
In Meiners' large work entitled Researches on the Variations in Human Nature (1815), he studied also the sexology of each race. He claimed that the African Negroids have unduly strong and perverted sex drives, whilst only the white Europeans have it just right. [courtesy of Wikipedia]
So-called superior Aryan race
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Members of a particular race who consider themselves [so-called] superior to others also very frequently inflict injustices on other sections of society. The expulsion (see note *) of the Jews from Germany by Hitler’s so-called superior Aryan race is a glaring example of racial injustice in society. In this country, also, injustices on Harijans by the so-called superior races have caused a tremendous amount of disruption in society. To obviate this type of social injustice, the first attempt should be to do away with racial distinctions in society. In Ananda Marga the first step that one takes is to forget one’s race or sect – to no longer identify oneself with one’s race, caste or sect.” (8)
(*) “Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.” (Wikipedia)
References
1. A Few Problems Solved - 7, Renaissance in All the Strata of Life
2. A Few Problems Solved —2, Human Society Is One and Indivisible – 1
3. A Few Problems Solved - 3, Human Society Is One and Indivisible – 3
4. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell Part 3, Social Psychology
5. Discourses on Tantra - 2, Tantra and Its Effect on Society
6. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress
7. A Few Problems Solved —2, Human Society Is One and Indivisible – 1
8. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell Part 3, Social Psychology
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stands on their own as points of interest.
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stands on their own as points of interest.
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== Section: Important Teaching ==
The basics for sadhaka life
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Every object of the world is dominated by one of the three principles – sentient, mutative, and static. Food is no exception, and according to its intrinsic nature, is divided into the same three categories."
"Sentient food: Food which produces sentient cells and is thus conducive to physical and mental well-being is sentient. Examples of sentient food are rice, wheat, barley, all kinds of pulses, fruit, milk and milk products."
"Mutative food: Food which is good for the body and may or may not be good for the mind, but certainly not harmful for the mind, is mutative."
"Static food: Food which is harmful for the mind and may or may not be good for the body is static. Onion, garlic, wine, stale and rotten food, meat of large animals such as cows and buffaloes, fish, eggs, etc., are static." (1)
Reference
1. Yoga Psychology, Food, Cells, Physical and Mental Development
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