“Nationalist thinkers have always urged the necessity of realizing our separateness from other nations and living to ourselves for the present, not in order to shut out humanity, but that we may get that individual strength, unity and wholeness which will help us to live as a nation for humanity. A man must be strong and free in himself before he can live usefully for others, so must a nation.”
— Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo saw Ceylonese metaphysician and philosopher Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy, who is credited for playing a large role for introducing Indian art to the West, as an ardent Nationalist.
Dr. Coomaraswamy often lamented how the lesser aesthetic ideas and tastes of the West had ruptured the superior beauty and grandeur of Indian culture. Sri Aurobindo agreed, adding that for India revert to being a great nation, she had go to beyond imitating English politics and commerce, and carry her own civilization, purified of the weakness that beset it.
You can replace ‘nation’ with ‘individual’ and the idea remains the same. Schools and universities have murdered our originality, aspirations, and the energy to fulfill our dreams. Now, it’s up to us to revive those dreams by engaging in creative pursuits that connect us with our real selves.
If we keep imitating others for the sake of money and fame, we will add more of what there already is. Then how will we be useful? How will we grow stronger? And how will progress occur?
Only when you discover your uniqueness can you create things that people need that don’t exist yet. Only then are you useful.