Auroville is not like any other city or community in the world. Its unique way of life is based on the principle of universal brotherhood and spiritual aspiration. Aurovilians are not considered citizens, but rather individuals who have chosen to serve the collective ideal of Auroville. This mindset encourages individuals to prioritize the needs of the community over their personal desires and aspirations, and to work towards the greater good of all.
Continue readingAuroville’s Open Source Philosophy: Why Sharing is Essential for Sustainable Living
Auroville’s open source philosophy is rooted in the principle of collective ownership, which emphasizes the importance of sharing resources and knowledge for sustainable living. This philosophy is based on the belief that resources and knowledge belong to everyone and should be freely available to all, without any restrictions or barriers. By adopting an open source approach, Auroville aims to create a culture of collaboration and cooperation, where everyone is encouraged to contribute to the collective well-being of the community.
Continue readingChallenges and Solutions for Achieving Collective Ownership in Auroville
Auroville’s guiding principle is that it belongs to nobody in particular and is intended to be a model for sustainable living and human unity. However, achieving collective ownership in such a diverse and dynamic community can be challenging. There are several factors that contribute to this challenge, including financial sustainability, cultural differences, and balancing individual freedom with collective responsibility. In this article, we will explore these challenges and potential solutions to achieving collective ownership in Auroville.
Continue readingExploring Auroville’s Guiding Principle: A Place for Universal Brotherhood and Spiritual Aspiration
Auroville’s guiding principle of “a place for universal brotherhood and spiritual aspiration” has been the foundation of the community since its inception in 1968. The community was envisioned as a place where people from all over the world could come together and live in harmony, without any discrimination of caste, creed, or religion. It was meant to be a place where people could realize their highest potential and work towards the betterment of humanity.
Continue readingCopyright should be left out of Auroville
The Auroville Charter
- Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But, to live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
- Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages.
- Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future realisations.
- Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual human unity.
If the above is what we abide by as committed Aurovilians, I think we need to seriously revisit Auroville’s ‘copyright’ doctrine. If Auroville belongs to nobody in particular, how can the ideas, insights, and innovations that come out of Auroville be with strings attached?
We need to declare outright openly that the outcomes, outputs, and outflows borne out of Auroville are selfless offerings towards humanity, and that we do not require royalties, commission, and dividends for our love.
Ethically, it also makes sense, as one cannot claim total ownership rights to anything in Auroville. Every effort in Auroville is built on previous efforts of Aurovilians, countless hours of volunteers, goodwill of the locals, funding of the donors, support of the governments, etc.
Auroville should adhere to the copyleft principle. Copyleft is the legal technique of granting certain freedoms over copies of copyrighted works with the requirement that the same rights be preserved in derivative works.
The ones who do not want to adhere to this collective commitment should voluntarily move out of Auroville, to perpetually profit from ‘their’ idea, insight, or innovation.