Swanwick Star Issue No. 2 (2009)

Krishnamurti - A Twentieth Century Phenomenon?

There is something in K’s writing that seems to be missing – at times, there is an unbearable heaviness or depression about him which weighs one down and seems to go contrary to his message of joy and freedom…I can see it turning young people off…it is very twentieth century…it is very Existentialist and shares certain commonalities with other famous writers of this period. Perhaps, it was the devastation and tyranny of that century which weighed so heavily upon his shoulders like a great mantle of sadness he could never quite shake off. There can be no doubt that the last century was the bloodiest and most brutal in all of human history and anyone having experienced both World Wars (as K. did) must have had their faith in humanity completely shattered…

But, now, the relevant question seems to be “Can we move on in a more positive direction in the 21st century, or, is there no hope for humanity?” I think those of us who knew K, personally, are convinced that he had touched the source of joy and freedom of which he spoke and that he had partaken of that new way of living despite this “weightiness” he displayed upon occasion. So, it seems it is that living legacy of his that we must carry forward if humankind is to survive, while dropping the cloak of sadness of the past century. We must stop living in the shadow of two world wars and myriads more and reject war altogether; we can do this as one world, for wars need funding and sponsors. If a generation arises who negates all this, we have the capacity to end the madness we have inherited…it has happened before during Golden Ages the globe over.

However, as K points out, we need to go even further this time. We must leave behind violence as a possible solution to our problems and renounce our self-destructive ways in order to ensure the future of the planet. We must create a new culture that is constructive for everyone and drop our airs of superiority and feelings of division once and for all…this may be our only chance of survival as a species.