The Social Value of Commerce
By Karmayogi
Sri Aurobindo says that
the earliest preoccupation of man is the search for God, Freedom, Light and
Immortality. That is man's spiritual quest. This is reflected in his
social life as the quest for equality in Knowledge, Power, Status and Capacity.
The first visible sign was Martin Luther's break with the Church by which
he proclaimed to the world that every man born is equal in the eyes of God. The
priest's special right to represent God to others was denied. Man, the
Individual, was thus emancipated from the thraldom of Church, the organisation.
Kings ruled the nations.
The divine right theory sanctioned their right to rule. Democracy was ushered
in and every citizen was accorded the right to choose the ruler as well as
become the ruler if he is chosen. The granting of the right is great, but the
right becomes meaningful only when it carries the commensurate Power, Knowledge
and Capacity. Universal education disseminates knowledge, while Power remains
the close preserve of the throne as well as the elite. As science advances,
technology develops, resulting in various modern products that make life
elegant and enjoyable. Equality as a right is intangible and nebulous. Palatial
buildings, status symbols like car, capacity to contact VIPs, etc. are symptoms
of power, even symbols of power. These were the exclusive possession of the
elite and the royalty. Advancing technology enables the common man to possess
and enjoy what only the elite and royalty possessed so far. In that sense,
technology brings the exclusive power of the elite to be distributed among all.
Technology alone cannot do it. Someone has to convert that technology into a
product such as a car so that it reaches all. Thus, commerce is the economic
equivalent of democracy in politics. Commerce is the social ideal of equality.
We in India crave for education of quality to all. The
government is unable to provide it. We rely on a few charitable persons. It
does not reach all. Recently people found out that education is commercially
viable as well as profitable. Quality education is spreading far and wide. It
is not nice to see people coming to education to make profits. We see man is
not ideal. Idealistic people are incapable of giving themselves a strong
foundation of money, which is essential for service. Man is selfish, will work
only for a profit. In today's human climate, unless some good service
becomes commercially viable, it cannot reach the entire population. This is the
social value of commerce. All great values were developed in England by commerce.