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Our Future: Consumerism or
Humanism
The writer belongs to that select group. He is appalled by the havoc caused by unabashed consumerism. To his mind, it is the worst thing to happen to the world. The situation is particularly bad for a country like India whose values are in direct confrontation with a market-driven economy. What rankles the publisher and Editor-in-Chief of World Affairs Journal the most is that consumerism should be thriving in a country which has a far better model of governance of its own. According to him, violence let loose by colonial and imperial policies is leading to the Earth’s segregation from cosmic orderliness. He not only denigrates this regression but also presents a new vision for the future. The book contains many of his writings, speeches and presentations at international conferences. One section is devoted to India and the other to the larger human and the world context. According to him, transnational corporations are instruments to siphon off the world’s wealth to a few points within a few countries. For him, the India of today is nothing more than an ‘Island Republic of the Indian Elite.’ He considers the 1974 a watershed year in the country’s history when it too embarked on a consumerist journey. Surprisingly, the author sees an either-or relationship between production and employment and forwards the thesis that our society will have to take a decision whether it wants production or employment, because the process of aggregating capital investment and technologies often contributes more to productivity than would a number of people working with less sophisticated tools. Talking of the world scenario, he claims that under the cover of globalisation, an anarchical situation is developing. Most countries of the world, particularly the developing world, are being threatened or overwhelmed by some of the effects of this paradigm, especially its ecological consequences. On the one hand, there is worldwide breakdown of the ethical and moral orders across the entire spectrum of human activity. On the other, major environmental factors are creating momentous disruptions in the planet’s climate. The situation can be remedied only if the world moves from cultural conquests and confrontations to a dialogue of civilisations. In this process, the author lays store by Panchsheel (even if it has failed to keep peace even between India and China). The writer is of the view that we must recognise that our planet is an insignificant part of the larger cosmic reality which is supreme and as such must condition our lives. Any reconnection with cosmic orderliness can only be at the higher cultural and spiritual plane, beyond individual and societal interests – which are largely material. |
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