It is a common sense almost in Spirituality that Politics is disdainful. All kinds of Politics are about self-interest and hence not to be pursued by a spiritual seeker. I somewhat even agree to this proposition, but I think not all politics is alike. Some Politics is grounded in Well-thought-out Philosophical notions and are grounded on reality as compared to others that are not and are just power-seeking tactics.
I consider Feminism to be one such Philosophy that grounds a very legitimate politics. A long historical tradition of thinkers from Simone De Beuavoir to Judith Butler, we find a very theoretically rigorous tradition of diagnosis of societal problems on gender lines and then prescription of a better world through the analysis.
But seldom does anyone talk about the Eastern traditions of spirituality and how Politics and usually patriarchal Politics has shaped much of our spiritual common sense here in the East and How Feminism, a worldly Philosophy can actually enrich the Spiritual tradition with its insights about human desire, Male Gaze and moreover to the Feminine sensibility at large.
For Instance, The criteria of a Sanyasi, the Renunciator, the whole logic of a renunciator is that of a person done with his Human desires and not dwelling in them. And since most of the people are not done with their desires, and they are dishonest, they claim that they are Sannyasi and the performative action a he performs is that of a feminine aversion.
Feminine aversion is considered a trait of a focused man in the Patriarchal world. Spirituality is no exception in this. Seldom women find a man, who behaves friendly with them without having a deep desire to consume them. Almost all men (If not every) still have a consumption imagination about Sex.
Sex is not an act for the patriarchal man. Its equivalence is not found in an art form, like A couple dance, or a song duet, rather a solitary dinner. Patriarchal man has sex like he eats food. It is audible in the Patriarchal lyrics of various songs of Bollywood, Like "Mai Tandoori Murgi hun yaar, Paka le saiya...and so on".
So, Spirituality is not a Politics free space. It is also influenced by Politics. Since, the practitioner of Spirituality is human and Who according to Aristotle, is Zoon Politicon or a Political animal.
As long as Man is animal, there is scope of Spirituality. And as long as Man is Political animal, there is scope of Patriarchy.
In fact, a normal animal is better than a political animal, since he does not do organized actions for self-interest. It remains worried, if at all, for his sustenance. Human is the only species whose Self-interest is driven by Politics.
Feminism can contribute to Adhyatman more by changing all of his Epistemological underpinnings. TO give a Feminine twist to all the Sayings, Sermons, And Mantras. Feminism can contribute by changing the fundamental aspect with which the Patriarchal Masculine Gaze sees a woman, and in turn, constructs an identity of the woman, rather forces the identity onto a woman to be a woman.
When a Man looks at a woman, however literate and sensible he is, his first glance checks for sexual wants. In that swift 2 seconds, every man is a normal Animal. The real deal begins when this Normal animal starts acting on his instincts and does conscious effort to turn every encounter with a woman as a potential sexual encounter. There begins, rapes, Eve-teasings and even Sexual violence. All conscious attempts like these is not an attempt of a normal animal, but a Zoon Politicon.
Feminine sexuality is under-discussed. Because Man fears Feminine sexuality. Every man has a latent urge to become a woman. As I counter-declare to What Aristotle said, "Man is a failed Woman".
Feminine sexuality is looked like a disdain. Menstruation is tabooed. Why so? Why is it considered disgusting? It is because the Feminine sexuality remains an enigma even on a Philosophical level to man. The Potential world inside the ovum of a woman comes out with blood from a woman every month, and the cycle repeats. As if the world is destroyed every month. Man fears death and hence fears women's periods.
Man cannot fathom that nature trusts Woman with a biological responsibility more than him. He cannot for his life, understand that Nature, why does it Favour the Feminine. Freud calls what as "Penis envy" in woman can be counter envy in men as "Vagina Envy" or "Womb envy". Man, envies woman because they cannot get pregnant.
Sexual love is mostly tabooed in Spirituality. Even if love is mentioned in Spirituality, it is mostly some or the other stupid perversions of the sexual love that man fears a lot. He fears the fact that Pleasure can exist without consumption of the other, rather as a co-existing exercise. Sex is literally when two people try to become one person. Man tries to enter woman's body. The primal, very primal urge to compensate for the loss. The loss that he is just a man, and not a woman.
Platonic love is what Spirituality dears a lot. And Platonic love is the most perverted nonsense I have ever heard. It is performed by scarred people who either fear that they are impotent or they are too traumatized by the act of sex and think that they might not be able to control themselves and turn into animals. Plato is secretly an animal in bed.
Fear drives mostly all of so called spiritual love. One sided love and all other bullshit, Love for divine, seeing the divine in your beloved, all of these are masked forms of fear. Man is scared to confront some basic truths of life.
One such basic truth is, Sex is the way to love. Without sex, Love is like a vase with no flowers. And what good is a vase with no flowers? It is an existential question mark. Why does it even exist?
I am not saying sex is the sole reason for love. I am saying, Love is the sole reason for Sex. Sex, any form, other than the consumption imagination of sex, that is prevalent in this patriarchal age, is due to Love.
Man wishes to be a woman. That is why he is in love with the woman's body. The sexual act is literally an attempt to enter a woman's body. Woman represents the maximum extent of man's possibility. Women is the Übermensch that Nietzsche always mentioned.
As Feminism can enrich spirituality, Spirituality can also enrich Feminism.
I have seen many men, who usually are gender equality promoters, usually are found saying, "Women should be allowed to do all the right things that men do, But not the bad things that men do. They should not be allowed to have cigarettes, to drink, to cheat etc.
Here, Spirituality can enrich feminism. If you are saying Freedom to all irrespective of their gender, Freedom includes freedom to decide which task she considers good and which task as bad, and choose what to do or what not to do. Free herself and let her have agency to decide what is right. If she does anything legally wrong, Law is there to decide. But why men should decide on behalf of women what is right for them.
So spirituality can come in handy when it comes to issues like Freedom in Feminism. Men should free women from the Judgement that they think is their birthright.
