The Psychic Being and the Management of the External Being and Its Action

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There are a number of different
management strategies we see in

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the world today.
They range from attempts at

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total control, what we can call
micromanagement, to total

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laissez faire release to permit
individuals to do whatever they

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decide at each moment.
Both of these extremes have

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their limitations.
Micromanagement tends towards

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inflexibility and eventually
fails to address changing facts

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and situations as they occur,
while it also reduces initiative

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for the individual participants.
Laissez faire freedom tends to a

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somewhat chaotic implementation
without the central guiding

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principle or focus to Orient the
action towards the intended

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goal.
In a complex interaction.

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One can see the failure of the
laissez faire approach in the

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idea of simply turning a
Symphony Orchestra over to that

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method and hearing the
mismatched sounds and timing

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that inevitably occur on the
other side.

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Micromanagement suppresses the
free will so entirely that those

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subjected to it tend to act
mechanically and without

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thought, insight or
consideration, as these have

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been taken away from them by the
central manager.

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It is interesting to note that
the Berlin Philharmonic

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Orchestra, one of the world's
premier elite Symphony

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orchestras, is known for its
unique and powerful

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performances.
Because they have, through their

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intimate knowledge of the other
members and their long rapport

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with each other, gone beyond
being purely dominated by the

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strict control of the conductor
and have found a way to blend

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their individual expression and
personality into their

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orchestral performances.
Management theories continue to

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work toward achieving something
of an ideal balance between a

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central organizing and guiding
principle and the flexibility

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needed in the implementation to
address facts on the ground.

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One can see this play out in
various military organizations.

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Some are extremely rigid and
hold command and control within

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a centralized team.
If communication is broken down,

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or if unexpected things occur in
the operation, things can go

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wrong very quickly, leading in
some cases to absolute disaster.

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One of the attempts to overcome
this limitation is to have the

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leadership set specific
objectives and goals, Set

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general boundaries and
guidelines such as rules of

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engagement, but train the team
that has to actually implement

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the plan to be resourceful and
free within those boundaries.

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Some of the most elite military
units in the world utilize this

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general approach.
The balance between free will

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and destiny also partakes of a
similar concern when applied to

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spiritual development.
Some people hold that everything

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has been predestined down to the
individual detail level in what

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is called the block universe
theory.

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In this approach, free will is
purely an illusion.

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If, however, the universal
consciousness is evolving within

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a general framework, free will
and destiny could actually

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coexist.
The question about the guidance

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of the external being and its
development in life to fulfill

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the spiritual aspiration of the
psychic being revolves around

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these issues.
If we assume that there is a

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complete control over every
detail, we find that the

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external being, the body, the
life energy and the mind tend to

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lose their initiative and in
some cases actually rebel or go

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on strike when they feel like
their needs and expectations are

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not being met.
On the other hand, a flexible

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approach focused on a central
aspiration and framework, but

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leaving the details to be worked
out by the external instruments

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allows them a measure of
development and growth that both

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makes them more effective over
the long term and ensures that

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the acceptance is not grudging
or withheld by the external

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being.
This approach may take longer

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and may lead to divergences,
errors or failures along the

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way, but in the end it brings
about a stronger, more stable

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change in the consciousness and
action of the external being

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that is supporting and aligned
with the psychic beings intended

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direction.
A disciple inquires Mother, is

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the orientation of an
individual's life directed by

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the psychic?
The mother responds, quote Yes,

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absolutely unconsciously for the
individual most of the time, but

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it is the psychic which
organizes his existence only in

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what may be called the main
lines.

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Because for intervening in the
details they would have to be a

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conscious union between the
outer being, that is, the vital

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and physical being, and the
psychic being.

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But usually this does not exist
so externally in the details.

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For example, there was someone
who in deep perplexity said to

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me, Well, if it is the psychic
being or rather the divine in

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the psychic who directs our
life, is it he who decides the

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number of pieces of sugar I put
in my teacup?

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That was the question verbatim.
So the answer had to be no,

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because it is not a detailed
intervention of this kind.

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End Quote reference Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother, the

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psychic being soul, its nature,
mission and evolution.

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Section 2.
Role, function and Action of the

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Psychic.
Pages 60 to 62.