July 26, 2012 – Reason Must Be the Master

When I hear of a righteous wrath,
I wonder at man’s capacity for self-deception.

Sri Aurobindo

(Thoughts and Aphorisms 52)

Reason Must Be the Master

It is a good thing to begin to learn at an early age that to lead an efficient life and obtain from one’s body the maximum it is able to give, reason must be the master of the house. And it is not a question of yoga or higher realisation, it is something which should be taught everywhere, in every school, every family, every home: man was made to be a mental being, and merely to be a man… life must be dominated by reason and not by vital impulses. This should be taught to all children from their infancy… The first thing which should be taught to every human being as soon as he is able to think, is that he should obey reason which is the super instinct of the species. Reason is the master of the nature of mankind. One must obey reason and absolutely refuse to be the slave of instincts… It is the basic wisdom of human life, purely human life: every human being who obeys anything other than reason is a kind of brute lower than the animals. That’s all.

The Mother

The Great Adventure P 11

All extracts and quotations from the written works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are copyright Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry -605002 India
This entry was posted in Weekly Messages. Bookmark the permalink.