Spirituality
can help in Sustainable Development
(Published as an editorial article
in Times
of India (Speaking Tree) on 25 August, 2002)
E-mail: anilrajvanshi@gmail.com
Next week there
is going to be a world conference on Sustainable Development in
Spirituality is
the state of mind, which understands that the Truth is beyond the barriers of
worldliness, caste, creed, race or geographical boundaries. It is universal in
nature and a great spiritual thought is a cause of celebration for the whole
mankind. It connects us to universal Consciousness and gives a certain
perspective in life.
Spirituality
helps in keeping our greed for materials and resources in check and sustainable
development can only take place when we use the resources for our needs and not
for our greed as Mahatma Gandhi once said. Spirituality also helps us have a
compassionate view of nature. This prevents us from over exploiting it. As we
evolve spiritually we become more tuned to things around us and that includes
nature. We start enjoying the beauty of nature, appreciating it and this helps
us in preserving it as much as possible and hence is a step towards sustainable
living. In all religions of the world the respect for nature is preached and
the maxim of simple living and high thinking is ingrained.
As a person
progresses on the path of spirituality his or her priorities in life also
change. The focus of life shifts towards getting personal happiness through
mental peace and less on material needs and desires. A sense of Vairagya or detachment comes and hence a
person becomes less interested in materialistic life. This is the beginning of
sustainable development since his or her needs are reduced. Recent examples of
Mahatma Gandhi and Einstein have shown that with very few needs and living very
simply they were able to produce the highest quality of thought. This has also
been the tradition of our great saints.
However the clock
on technology cannot be turned back. It is an evolutionary process and as we
advance technologically we also become more spiritual (Speaking
Tree article of January 25, 2002). Besides, technology also helps us in
doing things more efficiently and thus our needs are satisfied with less
quantity of materials and energy. This helps in conservation of resources and
in sustainable development. Large numbers of examples abound all over the world
where technological advances have helped reduce water and materials consumption
in production of steel, aluminum and other products, and now there are also
automobiles, which go to longer distances in less fuel. Eventually we will
follow nature where all the processes are carried out extremely efficiently
with few materials and the system remains in equilibrium for a long time with
the surroundings.
Sustainable
development therefore can be defined as a process in which we use recyclable
materials, resources and energy extremely efficiently for our needs in an
environmentally sound manner. This process can be facilitated by advancement in
technology and we, as mankind should actively work towards this to achieve
sustainable development.
Spirituality also
helps us live in harmony with each other and this enables everybody to work
together for common good. This can also put a check on people's greed and can
help in sustainable living. If by magic we can see into the future then it is
very possible that we will find a rural based sustainable society which will be
driven by very advanced technologies so that it will be able to create for
itself goods and services from the raw materials available to it in its
geographical area. Its citizens will be able to live in a harmonious, spiritual
and happy way. With the availability of Internet, desktop manufacturing, small
renewable energy power packs and other advanced technologies being researched
in laboratories all around the world, and which will have the ability to
produce multiple products from the same raw materials, this dream and vision is
not far fetched.
How do we teach
the values of spirituality and sustainable development to our citizens? The
knowledge and information about it should be imparted to children at an early
age through schools, books and mass media. School curricula therefore should
introduce these subjects in all grades. The introduction of the seed of these
ideas in the minds of children can flower and blossom later in their lives.
Though we human
beings have changed the tapestry of nature through our intervention and have
produced the problems facing our planet earth, yet we have this innate ability
to take corrective actions once the information and knowledge is available to
us. Overall people are decent and they do understand the damages caused to the
planet because of living beyond their means. The upsurge of movements around
the world in the renewable energy and environmental fields and now the
establishment of world forum on sustainability attest to this fact. Hence it is
the responsibility of all of us especially the mass media to inform the
citizens about these issues in a sustained and responsible manner.
A video on this theme is
available here.
Another article
similar to this is entitled. Spirituality
+ Nature conservation = Sustainability
August 20, 2002