What Prevails
November 7, 1999
There is a hierarchy of planes or structures in the society. Each plane has its own laws and its own power. The individual has a corresponding inner constitution. An Act is the result of interaction of the individual and social power structures. Its maximum is usually determined by the social structure, minimum by the individual's ability. The individuals who fall below the social minimum, socially perish. Rare instances are there when individuals try to outreach the society and the society offers resistance.
Each act lies in a sphere of its own circumstances. Its effectivity - success or failure - is determined by the highest power available within its own sphere. Some principles and some examples:
- A rich man wins his unjust case in a local court by his money power.
- A politician in power escapes punishment when caught.
- Promotion to a high post comes to one for his sterling character.
- A good child gets rewards of life in spite of the discrimination of parents.
- Mother gets a devotee his due, which others get by wealth or power or character or even goodness. She acts through what is there in the devotee.
Mother gets the devotee what is not his due in spite of the absence of any of these endowments.
Faith and Grace prevail.
- What prevails is what the individual chooses to avail of from the existing endowments of the environment. The double endorsement of the inner and the outer prevails.
- Society in its march of civilisation makes available greater powers.
- The individual in his growth comes to avail of the social opportunities.
- Availability of social opportunities and the ability of the individual to avail of them combine to determine the ultimate outcome.
- The sanction of the Supreme and the Individual is necessary for any act.
Examples from Pride and Prejudice
- Character prevailed in Eliza's marriage. In an earlier period, Eliza dare not fall in love with Darcy or vice versa. She could be a concubine to him, not a wife. There was no question of invitation to her for the ball. As the society ceased to punish physically, there arose an opportunity for those of character.
- Lydia would not have run away. Had she run away, she would have ended up on the street. Here, in the changed social context, money prevails.
- Mrs. Bennett would have compelled Eliza to accept Collins even as Charlotte voluntarily does in the absence of money, youth or character.
- Lady Catherine's presence would have frightened Lizzy into never meeting Darcy again. She would have summoned Lizzy to her place and threatened her on pain of social liquidation.
- Wickham would have been killed by Bennett's people or even the public.
- As the society was accepting wider values where the individual has greater scope, the physical liquidation or vital ostracism were relegated. Those with goodness - Jane, -- character - Eliza, good person - Wickham - are rewarded by the society and accepted by their immediate families.
- All our situations are ones in which social opportunities and individual endowments constantly expand.
- What prevails as far as an act is concerned is the judicious choice of the individual, choice of his social goal. An unconscious combination makes for the minimum results - Lydia - and conscious endeavour allows for the maximum - Lizzy.
- Mother has extended the social maximum far beyond the borders of the present social achievement. She ardently supports the individual aspiration to rise to any level.
- Human choice, not external determinants, prevails, but it is a series of choices of skills, attitudes, understandings and motives, all based on values. In other words, any one can achieve what he consciously chooses.
- There is a determinism - rather a sub-determinism - that circumscribes his choices as we see in Miss Lucas choosing Mr. Collins or Mr. Collins going in for Miss Lucas. Mr. Collins relies on the entail when he proposes first and fails against formed character. In an earlier society, Mr. Collins would have been happily accepted by any of the Bennett daughters. Suppose Miss Lucas has known ‘Mother', she would have married Bingley or Darcy or anyone of her choice.
- Opportunities arise when the society or any of its aspects progress. Education, communication, government, law, technology, freedom, structure, etc. constantly change. The inner individual too is constantly changing. Their combination, the CHOICE exerted by the human individual to combine them ultimately prevails.
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