Restoring the Human Connection: The First Step to ... - SGI-USA

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they urge us are the same, the moral order will tend to do this in thelanguage of duty and obligation. In contrast, the order of love is propelledalong the vectors of joy and satisfaction.Comte-Sponville’s argument is indeed penetrating in its analysis of afinance-driven global capitalism coldly and solely concerned about what ispossible, what is profitable—and what is not. As we trace his line ofthought, we can gain new insight into what Gandhi must have had in mindwhen he asserted: “Those who say that religion has nothing to do withpolitics do not know what religion means.” 20Reclaiming our humanityComte-Sponville’s argument offers an approach for thinking about theideal of humanism in action I described earlier. An embracing sense ofconnectedness, for example, is something that would clearly issue from histhird and fourth orders. But it is quite difficult to put this directly intoaction when engaged in the trials that are the struggle against evil. We mustrecognize that the legal-political order can provide a far more effectiverestraint on “technically competent wretches” than dialogue orpersuasion—at least in the short term.This is illustrated by the following statements made by some of Japan’sleading intellectuals at a 1983 seminar on the challenges of living in thenuclear era: “The problems facing humanity cannot be tackled on a purelyethical level; they require the rational decisions of policymakers.” (ShuichiKato); “While individual conscience and awareness are critical, even moreso at the present time is the question of how to apply ethics to the task ofchanging the policies of states.” (Toshiyuki Toyoda). 21The universal virtue of solidarity with humanity functions more effectivelyin undergirding the second order than in directly intervening in the first.20
I would also like to note Comte-Sponville’s unwavering emphasis on thecentrality of the individual in the creation of a more humane social order.He ranks these orders from the first to the fourth in an ascending sequenceof priority and states that it is only the individual who can make this ascent.His expectations are focused on the individual in persevering through thisprogression.What I would emphasize is the importance of human awakening as the keyto this ascent through the different orders. With each upward movement theimportance of the human being grows. This process is one of individualsand humanity reclaiming their rightful place from a dehumanizedtechnological-economic-scientific order.Without the qualitative elevation of individual human beings, neither socialtransformation nor the creation of a more positive society is possible. Whilethis may seem obvious, reliance on organizations and the submersion of theindividual into the group is a failing all too common in human history. AsCarl Jung (1875–1961) warned: “Totalitarian demons are called forth,instead of the realization that all that can really be accomplished is aninfinitesimal step forward in the moral nature of the individual.” 22As the genealogy of totalitarianism demonstrates, the more gaping theabsence of humanity, the more vulnerable people are to its demonic allure.Contemporary mass society, with its high degree of scientific developmentand communications technologies, provides ample opportunity for the darkactivities of demagogues and their dangerous appeals.The “infinitesimal steps” Jung refers to are in fact utterly essential, forwithout them any positive change will be fragile and easily destroyed.Jung’s insight is deeply resonant with the SGI’s enduring challenge ofhuman revolution: “A great human revolution in just a single individual21
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Page 48 and 49: NOTES1 Toda, Toda, vol. 4, 565.2 Bo
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Restoring the Human Connection: The First Step to ... - SGI-USA

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