Aspiration makes us Sapiens

“There are two powers that alone can effect in their conjunction the great and difficult thing which is the aim of our endeavour, a fixed and unfailing aspiration that calls from below and a supreme Grace from above that answers.”1

There is nothing wrong in aspiring for something. We seldom aspire to become great like a good parent, good student, doctor, engineer or a musician. The choice of our aspirations indicates our tastes and capabilities.

In order to accomplish our aspirations, we need to break them into micro goals. Goals are much more tangible leading us to achievable targets. For instance, if I want to become a great engineer, I have to do well in science and then clear the required examinations to secure a rank in a premier engineer college in the country. This is the first step. Then I have to clear the Engineering exams and secure a decent grade. Finally, I will have to undertake a great deal of field work to showcase my engineering skills. My approach to work will slowly and gradually take me to the fulfilment of my aspirations. 

Note the world “slowly” in the last sentence. This is an unavoidable hurdle for every aspirant born on this Earth. We can’t remove the element of time from the workings of Nature. Rather, nature does not spare us but deliberately presents us with obstacles. They reveal to us pain, falsehood, loss of relationships, death, etc. But as Sri Aurobindo says in The Life Divine that we have to make a comeback “after every banishment” and restore a higher harmony to resolve this cosmic puzzle in the name of failures or roadblocks.

Aspirations have enabled us to walk in an upright posture with a sophisticated brain which in turn has given birth to spectacular discoveries of science or genesis of artwork over the last centuries. No pandemic could stop us simply because we never stopped aspiring and we should not.

According to Sri Aurobindo, we should not be discouraged by the nature of the problem and run for quick results. This is nothing but going against the Leela of The Cosmic Mother. We should aspire with unadulterated faith and total surrender minus any demands or scepticism. The Grace will certainly manifest and mankind will progress to its next stage in the evolutionary timescale.

Thus, it is fair to conclude that aspiration is a singular force that has made us who we are today and the journey still continues. Let’s progress with utmost optimism and do our work with passion and sincerity. This is our only way which will lead us to God, Light, Freedom and Immortality – the nascent wisdom equation as reinforced by Sri Aurobindo.

- Abhishek Ghosh (India)

 1 From “The Mother” by Sri Aurobindo