Honoring the Souls of Nations

On February 24th, Matthew was invited to be a panelist for a conversation about the souls of nations. His talk on the topic begins with the premise that a soul, whether of a person or a nation, cannot be understood by thinking about it. It has to be touched directly. It has to be felt.

Sri Aurobindo wrote, “The soul…is greater than its instruments and cannot be shut up in a physical, a vital, a mental, or a temperamental formula.”

The heart can know a soul in a way that the mind cannot. The heart can directly reach through ideas and touch the essence. This is the difference between the yogic terms jñana and vijñana. 

Paramahamsa Ramakrishna famously said, “The man who knows that God exists is called a jñani. A jñani is like one who knows beyond a doubt that a log of wood contains fire. But a vijñani is he who lights the log, cooks over the fire, and is nourished by the food.” And he said, "Some have heard of milk, some have seen it, and some have drunk it. The vijñani has drunk milk, enjoyed it, and been nourished by it."

To feel another soul, I must be able to go inside, beyond words, ideas, and emotions, and experience essence. I have to reach through my heart's love to the place of honoring, reverence, and awe. It is only through love that we can know the soul of a nation. The talk expands on this theme and includes examples of artifacts through which specific nations' soul seek to express in the world.