After considering art and its connection with aspects of spirituality, here, here and here, Hazrat Inayat Khan now gives some thought to the relationship of art to evolution.

It is most interesting to notice that East and West have a different, or perhaps contrary, opinion on the subject of the world’s evolution. While in the West man thinks that we are becoming more evolved, that we have progressed and are going forward compared to our forefathers, in the East man believes that compared with our forefathers we are going backward and downward, that we are worse.

What is the truth about this? From one point of view, there have never been such good communications in the world as nowadays. The telegraph and telephone, ships like palaces floating on the water, airplanes, the gramophone, and the radio can unite mankind in one moment at any distance. Besides the development that is taking place in every branch of science and of art, there are also the modern systems, organizations, and classifications. When one looks at all of this, one cannot doubt for one moment that according to modern opinion the world is evolving. But when we come to delicate thoughts and sentiments, good manners, knightly chivalry, kingly attitude, nobleness of spirit, generosity of heart, the tendency to sacrifice, depth of feeling and keenness of insight, we are equally certain that what the man of the East says is true.

We learn from this that both opinions are right. In certain things we are evolving, and in certain things we are going backward. This brings us to the philosophical conception that it is not only the world which is round, but that everything is round – that everything moves in circles. For instance, the early dawn is not very different from the late evening. Old age is not very different from infancy, when we realize how innocence develops as one grows old – and one arrives at a stage where one shows the same expression of the angelic spheres that one had as an infant. It is just like the octave: seven notes, and then the keynote comes again. It is not going upward or downward, it is going in a circle. But we are accustomed to say of everything that it is either going upward or downward. We may agree with those who say that we are going upward, or we may agree with those who hold that we are going downward, but in reality progress does not mean continually going upward. Progress means going upward and downward at the same time. Progress should be described by a circle and not a straight line. If we look at if from this point of view, everything in the world has a circular aspect, for the real picture of motion, of movement, is a circle.

There are three aspects of knowledge: self-knowledge, the knowledge of another person, and the knowledge of the collectivity. Also, there are three ways of looking at the world: its past, its present, and its future. By ‘yesterday’ is meant the past; by ‘today’ is meant the present; and by ‘tomorrow’ is meant the future. The knowledge of the past gives wisdom; the knowledge of the present gives power; and the knowledge of the future gives peace. The one who is anxious to acquire knowledge must consider all these three aspects to be equally important.

To be continued…