Higher loves in Human Evolution

Human evolution means the health, strength and growth of the human personality, and this is not possible without another. It is not possible in isolation or disjunction from the natural and the social worlds. It is possible in certain forms of relationship with others. All such forms of relationship with others which build up the health, strength and growth of a personality constitute the spheres of human evolution.

Out of the three spheres of powers, mental, aesthetic, and altruistic that define our evolution, it is altruistic feelings that are pivotal in the philosophy of Devatma. Intellectual and aesthetic powers can be employed in the service of low-loves and low-hates. When they are so employed they do great harm all around. We know how intellectual gifts can be used for destructive purposes. Such employment of intellectual powers which involve injury and ruin of others is a prostitution of these powers. We know how intellectual powers are exploited in daily life in inventing ways of lying and cheating others. Further, intellectual powers are misused in the religious world to support or rationalize myths, false-beliefs and dogmas of super-natural. In the same way artistic gifts can be harnessed for satisfaction of low-love of sex. Such misuse is perversion of these powers – intellectual and aesthetic – are not in the hands of low-loves and low-hates but work for higher values that their activities are conducive to the health, strength and growth of the soul.

However, intellectual and aesthetic powers have their own specific good to achieve for human personality. Intellectual powers, when they take to the scientific method, illumine the events of the universe and no other power can discharge this function. Aesthetic sensibilities yields us ineffable joy of appreciation and creation of beauty. Nothing else can play their role in the appreciation and creation of beauty. But their intellectual and aesthetic powers can play their benign role when they remain untouched by low-loves and low-hates and remain untouched by low-loves and low-hates and remain within the bounds of altruistic feelings.

Devatma, therefore, emphasizes the value of altruism in his philosophy. for it helps the healthy and blessed functioning of intellectual and aesthetic powers and contribute their vital role in knowledge and conduct in relation to other existences and thus in strengthening the soul.

He defines some of the major altruistic feelings in man as under :

The basic altruistic feeling is gratitude. . .

The second major altruistic feeling is compassion or mercy. It is sensitive to the pain of others and desires to remove it. . .

the third major altruistic feeling is responsiveness to the needs of others. . .

The fourth major altruistic feeling is reverence. It is a feeling of appreciation. . .

Where there is appreciation of certain skills or knowledge of some persons, it is a case of admiration, not of reverence. Reverence is appreciation of altruistic feelings in others.

Devatma recognizes a fifth group of altruistic feelings which concern the man of religion in relation to his Guru. The study of these feelings falls outside the scope of this chapter.

Devatma recognizes a separate group of altruistic feelings of justice. These feelings are concerned to establish the rights of others. . .

So the trinity of the feelings of scientific discovery, appreciation and creation of beauty and service of others inspired by reverence, gratitude, sympathy, justice and love of the good of the other, constitutes human evolution or Vikas in the sphere of the good.