The glue of shared worldly purpose

The usual human association is built upon shared purpose. Shared purposes need not be spiritually glorious to bond individuals together -- virtually ANY shared purpose can create the appearance of unity. Two people can enjoy an association on the basis of comfort and convenience alone -- at least for a while. But to bond a larger group takes a larger purpose. Shared purposes large enough for community building include a common cause, a shared philosophy, or an ideal structure.

Unity of PURPOSE is
not the same as
unity of HEART.

Recognizing unity of heart

People may COME together on the basis of shared purposes, but it is very difficult to HOLD egos together without the glue of higher consciousness and higher love. When people have joined together for reasons of worldly purpose, they will not necessarily experience unity of HEART. Unity of heart comes from common spiritual values, recognition of spiritual fellowship, and true desire to serve and do the will of God. People may experience unity of heart even though they do not think alike or see things similarly. That's why common spiritual values are vastly superior, qualitatively, to any OTHER value that could otherwise SEEM to bond man to man.

Let's look at how the difference between unity of PURPOSE and unity of HEART affects the success or failure of communities.

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Good causes are not enough. For a society
to be transformed, its individual members must be transformed.

However, for a society to be transformed, its individual members must be transformed. We all need to remember that our individual orientation is the big world problem. Ecological disasters and social upheaval are due to the insensitivities of man to his God-given environment and his fellow man. And so are these: the failures of relationships; the difficulties that communities have in making decisions; and the mental and emotional difficulties that human beings have getting through each day. That is why the solution to outer problems begins with ourselves, in our interior life.

Consider a fellow who could be called a "toxic environmentalist." He labors heroically to correct the harm done to the physical environment by greed and selfishness. But at the same time, he toxifies the emotional environment by expressing his negative attitudes and feelings, his own personal egotism, and his destructive reactions. Locally, that pollutes the minds and hearts in the immediate environment -- offending his friends, house mates, other volunteers, etc. Globally, it lowers the planetary vibration and depletes planetary supplies of goodwill. This is not a net improvement!

Regardless of the agendas around which communities are built, we need generous minds and hearts, compassionate and constructive attitudes, and proper orientation. To the extent that egotism still flourishes within any group, division and discord will weaken it. The key to group success lies in the self-transcending virtue of its members.

Philosophy-based communities

Unity of thought can create lasting fellowship only if it is surrendered to and directed by Divine thought.

Many groups have a great philosophy as their calling card, and for good reason: a group of people who are of one mind can have enormous spiritual power. And the more brilliant and idealistic the group's philosophy seems, the more people tend to rely on it for the community's success. But unity of thought can create lasting fellowship ONLY if that thought is directed by spiritual principles and surrender to Divine guidance.

When we see a child crying, we respond without thinking. If a mother had to intellectually understand the source of her child's discomfort BEFORE she responded, her child would get poor care. God's promptings evoke that same quality of human response in everyone. The true understanding which God provides is intuitively and emotionally comprehensive and responsive. Comparatively, mere intellectual understanding and philosophic ideals are both ineffectual and insufficient.

Structure-based communities

Fascination with utopian lifestyles is another purpose that brings people together. It is popular to blame human problems on external forms, such as economic systems and social orders. Having vilified prevailing social structures, the critics contrive an alternative -- a miniature "ideal society" organized by principles which, IN THEORY, should work splendidly.

IN PRACTICE, however, true cooperation can manifest or fail within practically any structure. We've known monasteries that were hellish, and businesses that were, by comparison, heaven on earth. What makes any group work is NOT the way it is structured -- it's the way the members treat each other, the way they cooperate. So groups should beware of emphasizing structure too much.

Group success comes not from group structure, but from its members' willingness
to cheerfully transcend themselves.

Social relationship is both a joy and an excellent challenge -- a WONDERFUL discipline. The functionality of any group depends not on its form but on its emotional integration -- the willingness of the individual members to cheerfully embrace the challenge and discipline of self-transcending cooperation.

Ego is the problem

Too much focus on cause, philosophy, or structure diverts attention from the
real culprit: EGO.

Noble causes and high philosophy notwithstanding, no group of egotistical people can get along. They may blame their troubles on lack of a unifying cause, wrong philosophy, or faulty structure. But most likely, the failure to get along is the result of the self-centered and blaming disposition, which is then projected on external factors. Too much focus on cause, philosophy, or structure perpetuates the core problem of egotism by diverting attention from it. It makes people less responsible at the emotional-spiritual level, rather than more so. Ego problems then surface as divisive "sub-agendas."

If utopian groups are to survive, much less thrive, ego needs to be directly and thoroughly addressed. Be cautious about putting yourself through emotionally difficult experiences with people simply because you believe in a common purpose. Negative social experiences discourage the development of social skills, and may set a person back in terms of social evolution.

Groups can succeed if members support each other in transcending their egos.

However, to the extent that the ego itself can be openly addressed and consciously minimized, something truly beautiful can unfold. Individual actions no longer express random forms of isolated logic. Instead, personal energies harmonically resonate with the collective intention. Together, individuals become truly integral and functional parts of a single, colorful, well-ordered, and happy mandala.

How to handle ego

Surrender to Divine guidance replaces cause, philosophy, and structure as the goal and inspiration of successful spiritual fellowship.

People who are Divinely directed are walking together up the real spiritual path. They enjoy a real spiritual love, based on deep recognition and deep understanding. The spiritual fellowship of men under God is a profoundly elegant, beautiful enterprise. Such associations fulfill the Divine design for lasting spiritual companionship.

by David Truman

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