The true spirit of Auroville is collaboration and must be more and more so. True collaboration paves the way to divinity.
The Mother, 22 October 1972
If we regard collaboration as something growing, an evolving thing, then the above words of the Mother are relevant for us all – for those of us who live and work in Auroville, or are associated from a distance. Collaboration stands, deepens, and evolves on a number of essential pillars. Gratitude is one of them – gratitude for being able to serve a vision that leads to a better and nobler life for all. But when the fire of gratitude gets engulfed and pushed into background, another pillar is needed to sustain the collaboration. And that is patience. Wrote Sri Aurobindo: “I am weary of the childish impatience which cries & blasphemes and denies the ideal because the Golden Mountains cannot be reached in our little day or in a few momentary centuries.” (Sri Aurobindo – The Hour of God, Vol: 17, Page.116-Thoughts and Aphorisms, SABCL)
This aphorism of Sri Aurobindo gives us a perspective of time and teaches a lesson in patience while collaborating with Auroville. The aims of Auroville – human unity, a new creation, a new world – are akin to a golden mountain, something vast, glorious and enchanting. But we should not be disheartened or discouraged if it takes time to reach them. After all, in the panorama of evolution, a few groups of centuries are but momentary.
We can apply this perspective to our situation as well. Auroville is approaching 50 years. Still we have yet to secure a unified physical base. But we should be careful not to harbor feelings of weariness or discouragement for the delay. As a friend and donor to Auroville from New Zealand recently wrote to us, “Auroville has before her an eternity, while the (private) developers would at most have a lifetime or two.” With this understanding in the background, the spirit of collaboration attains a calm maturity and power of resilience while keeping the joyous flame of determination.
24th November is a major milestone on the path that Sri Aurobindo was carving out for the world to reach the Golden Mountain. At “Acres for Auroville” we regard this date as a “Goodwill Activation Point” for a unified City area and a unified Greenbelt.
