Silo is the pseudonym of Mario Luis Rodríguez Cobos. He was born in 1938 near Mendoza, located between Argentina and Chile. He was an Argentine writer and founder of the Humanist Movement. An active speaker, he wrote books, short stories, articles and studies related to politics, society, psychology, spirituality and other topics. Although he described himself simply as a writer, many see him as a thinker and philosopher, based on the diversity of issues about which he has written.
Silo was born into a middle-class family in Argentina. He undertook primary and secondary education with the Maristas Brotherhood, achieving excellent grades, while practising gymnastic. He was involved in various youth organizations and lead a very active social and intellectual life. He carried out special studies, in languages including French and Italian, and philosophy. He also published articles in cultural magazines.
Silo studied law and at the university he began to organize research groups on human beings and their existential and social problems.
Silo travelled around Argentina, South America and Europe and undertook various jobs. By 1960 he began to present his proposals, while still forming study groups in Argentina and Chile. With members of these groups he organized a public talk, which was initially banned by the military government but later was permitted in the mountains, away from the centres of population.
On 4 May 1969, Silo spoke to some two hundred people gathered in the high Andes mountains near Mount Aconcagua, and gave his first public exposition of the ideas, that in time, would form the basis of the Humanist Movement. In this talk, known as "The Healing of Suffering", he explained themes such as the overcoming of pain and suffering, the meaning of life, violence, desire and pleasure.
Silo married Ana Luisa Cremaschi, whom he knew from his youth, and had two sons, Alejandro and Federico, with whom he lived in his hometown.
In 1972 he published The Inner Look and created the current of thought now known as New Humanism. He founded the Humanist Movement, an organized group that sought to translate this thought into practice. It can be said that this thinking encompasses the whole of human existence, not only social but also personal.
Since the eighties, and under his orientation, the Humanist Movement began a period of expansion in the world with the creation of organisms and fronts of action as follows:
- The Humanist Party with a presence in more than 30 countries
- The Community for Human Development (a cultural association)
- Convergence of Cultures (a civil association)
- World Without Wars (an anti-armament association)
- The World Centre of Humanist Studies.
During 1981 he was invited to express his proposals in various public rallies in European and Asian cities, visiting Madrid, Rome, Barcelona, and later Mumbai (India) and Colombo (Sri Lanka), before returning to Paris, and later San Francisco (California) and Mexico City. He explained with particular force the position of nonviolence, manifested in the overcoming of suffering, the human treatment of others and the attitude of not searching for those to blame. Aspects of these talks relevant to his thought were published in the book "Silo Speaks".
In early 2002, Silo announced his retirement from the Humanist Movement, after being its driving force for 32 years. In mid-2002 he launched Silo's Message understood as a book, an experience and a path.
During the first decade of the 21st century he returned to speak at Punta de Vacas on several occasions with proposals of reconciliation, access to the profound and the sacred of human being, accepting invitations to speak about his Message and going to various places.
He died at his home on 16 September 2010, after suffering for more than a year with renal disease.
I recommend all of you to read his works. All of his works are available online for free on his official website www.silo.net .
Intellectuals, highly educated people, businessmen, corporate professionals will find his writings deeply appealing and thought provoking. Readers will surely feel their minds transformed after reading his books. Silo just doesn't deal with all matters in theory. There are tools that can be used to transform the individual and the society to achieve meaningful purpose of existence and establish harmony in body, mind and spirit. Silo never propagated any religion. His concepts are universal based on the theme of humanism. Explore his writings available for free on www.silo.net
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