Essays

The world is in a sorry and sad state as we pass from the festivities of the holidays to the hard realities of our working and daily lives. We find divisions and strife - between continents, between countries, between cultures, and between different ethnic or racial groups. There is separation and conflict between the rich and the poor, between the powerful and the powerless, between religions, between ideologies, between classes, between families and even between members of the same family or group. Perhaps it was ever thus' or perhaps it is, as it appears, even more dire and dreadful than ever before. What is certainly true is that what applies to continents, and countries, and groups, and families, also applies within the individual's own self. So many people feel tom and divided within. they are not at peace with themselves or with their surroundings. They feel anxiety, stress and strain. They are in a state of war within themselves. At every turn it seems they face difficult decisions - they want inward peace but they want the conveniences and toys of the modern market place. They want happiness - but also the excitement of a hectic world and busy life. They want traditional values - but they also want modern 'freedoms'. They want an

ordered society, but they also want to be free to do what they want regardless of others. Integration implies something of a very different nature. It implies the reconciliation of opposing elements - not by taking one in favour of another, or by fusing all the elements into one mixture, but by bringing all the different threads into a single harmonious or integrated whole that does not exclude the independent uniqueness of its elements. As a rope contains many separate strands which nevertheless work together without losing their identity. It may surprise you to know that Shah Wali Ullah of Delhi, one of the greatest Sufi saints and thinkers of his own, or any time, recognised that, even at the astonishing heights of spiritual development that he reached, there still remained choices between diverging tendencies of the soul to be made. He wanted to reach such a spiritual situation that those divergent tendencies were reconciled. In traditional thinking you may know that there is a process for resolving theoretically conflict between opposites - in philosophy it is called 'dialectics' - but a short reflection will enable you to see it is a common experience. It means that the difference between two opposites are resolved by transcending them both – however this transcendence then forms a new entity which by the nature of things is then found to have its own opposite. The process is then repeated again and again. Each time transcending opposites creates a new set of opposites. It appears that there is no end to this process, and it is in itself a valuable thing to enable the mind to move ever upwards in its search forever higher levels of understanding. The period prior to

finding the new level is often fraught with confusion of mind and doubt so perseverance is required. Good managers (whether they be housewives or business executives) will understand this - it means recognising that all situations have a dynamic - a number of competing but interrelated factors. Decisions must be made on the basis of what emerges from these factors as the best option. The good manager does not identify with one set of factors but rises above them to observe how they interact one upon another. The quality of the emerging decision depending, apparently, on the relative value the individual accords to each factor. Thus a person who values moral factors more than political or financial expediency will make a different decision from one who does not give genuine emphasis to moral values. In both cases however the resulting decision will change the balance of factors and create a new dynamic, which will again require resolution and decision. Integration, although it has a linguistic opposite, actually implies finding a way of arranging divergent tendencies together so that the effect is to allow the coexistence of opposing tendencies without transcending them (and thus creating a new set of divergent forces).

At the level of the individual's spiritual development this implies finding a correct relationship between the aspiration towards a process of fusion or unification, and the legitimate separate rights, responsibilities and needs of the intellect, heart, and bodily souls of which a man is constituted.

This is achieved in the case of the one who is 'integrated' by a I permanent unification at the core 6f his being which spreads throughout but is enfolded within the layers of his souls. This integration no longer leaves a dichotomy between the 'saintly way' in which the adept is constantly driven towards seeking the fusion or unification of his souls through one or another of them; and the alternative deep rooted desire to follow the 'prophetic route' suspending his desire for unification in favour of conveying the divine inspiration to change society for its own benefit. At another level it resolves the dichotomy between 'spiritual intoxication' and 'sobriety' often met in Sufi literature. Effectively it allows 'sobriety' and 'intoxication' to coexist successfully. To restate it slightly differently: what integration achieves is the illumination of all the functions of the separate souls – which allows the individual to act upon society - whilst fulfilling the need for unification otherwise achieved through the fusing of the souls initiated by the most dominant of them. Thus religion has its particular layer that incorporates different religious communities and practices within it. So does science and its many manifestations. The practical needs, such as acquiring a means of living, have their own field of influence. The moral, legal, financial and ethical layers also function within their own parameters. The family or other social relationships equally function within the layers appropriate to them. And so on - layer after layer surrounding the illuminating and unifying core that pervades their legitimate domains. It simply infuses them with a unifying spirit that permeates through them in such a way that their contradictions and conflicts tends to dissolve without affecting their independent functions, roles and values. Thus,

rather than a specific religious interpretation or set of beliefs or practices, important as these are for their followers, it is the ever expanding essence, which can be called spiritual love, or truth, or beauty, or light, or unity, that emanates from its core, that radiates through the many layers of society. It resolves difficulties and conflicts, removes anxiety and fear, and. allows man and society to become what they were meant to become, integrated.