Rely upon the power of the pure purpose

As democracy favors numbers, politics in India has turned a competitive game of keeping people under the spell of diverse brands. The bliss of belongingness is so great that not only it binds the masses, but also the academicians and analysts. Naomi Klein, of No Logo fame, herself became a brand. Recent books like The Myth of the Rational Voter and The Myth of the Rational Markets are pointers to such a pervasive phenomenon. But the question is whether playing by the same rules is at all desirable and if rationality has any meaning or use. For the lovers of philosophy and the followers of Sri Aurobindo, however, the answer is not very difficult. 


The rational zone, as we know, is sandwiched between the vital and the supra-rational. And hence what we confront as the irrational and unpredictable is actually a confusing admixture of intimations emanating from both the higher and lower sources. “Heaven's wiser love rejects the mortal's prayer” is a common instance of the unexpected squatting. In that sense, rationality rarely fails. The secret, however, is to discern the limitations of vital diktats and rely upon the power of the pure purpose. When translated to political strategy, the slow and steady recourse promises to be rewarding. In fact, that itself is a brand and its following can’t strictly be categorized as irrational. Certain things can verily be rational, as Ridley's The Rational Optimist seems to scream. [TNM]