Let us look at industrialization in the light of environmental context. Main characteristics of highly developed nations would then be:
- High level of energy consumption
- High level of contribution to global warming
- High degradation of natural beauty and natural habitats
- High consumpion of natural resources
- High generation of non-recyclable waste, including highly toxic ones
- Accelerated rate of species extinction
- Intolerance of eco-diversity
The awareness on the ill-effects of industrial societies is quite widespread among many people in the developed countries, especially in recent years. Surprisingly everyone continues life-as-usual due to two reasons: either there is a high belief in science and technology or people don't know how to make alternate choices or both. A lot of people strongly believe that science and technlogy will "magically" solve the problems associated with industrialization. Majority people also feel helpless since they cannot see any alternatives. Most people are waiting for leaders and experts to show the way forward. However we have not seen or heard alternatives. Few people have raised their voices but they are not being heard.
Let us take up the issue of energy crisis. There is a strong hope that scientists and engineers will "soon" find excellent sources of green energies. Some of the green energies talked about are solar, wind, tidal and bio-gas. However what most people overlook is the fact that to harness these altrenate energy sources one needs enormous tracts of water, wind and land in order to meet the world's present requirements. Where will this land and water be available? What other effects can these in turn cause? How can high consumption of even green energies reverse global warming?
When looked closely, there are more changes happening in industrial societies which can all be linked up as contributors to impending environmental disasters. What is happening to family system? What is happening to marriages and communities? Why are people living as "partners" for years together and not marrying? What do people strive for in their lives? Why are people spending so much money, which in turn is proportional to consumption of energy and natural resources? Why do people produce, buy, use and throw so many things, everyday?
The simple answer seems to be selfishness! In the name of individual freedom and enjoyment, selfishness is glorified! Individualistic lifestyle is what is encouraged and fostered. Whatever is done to earn a lot of money is considered to be good and others as useless.
Let me start with marriage. Why don't people want to get married? When youngsters have the freedom to satisfy their sexual desires without any restrictions and commitments, why would anybody want to get into the complications of marriage, commitment and so on. In fact staying unmarried gives the freedom to walk away from the partner at any given instant in the name of indivual freedom and find another partner and continue the enjoyment. Hence why marry?
Most developed nations also have strong social security structures. An individual is no longer dependent on family structure for almost anything. Even when an individual retires there is sufficient funding and support structure to enable the individual to continue to lead the individualistic life unto the death. Of course, once a person retires, the society usually looks at him/her as a burden since the present working generation have to feed and provide for the "senior citizens". Even if a person at that age yearns for a family there is none available since the family structure is already eroded.
From an economic and industry point of view, people living as singles or as partners is much better than as families since they consume more and hence contribute more to the economic growth. Each person needs a car, a big house, each house filled to the brim with gadgets, most gadgets needing to be replaced once in a while, and so on and so forth. Hence the individualistic lifestyle is in strong harmony with economic growth and hence it is strongly supported!
Consider the opposite situation where family system is stronger. In those cases typically husband and wife have to stay committed, children stay with parents until they are married and usually grandparents inside the family. They just need one house with one unit each of most gadgets and since family structure provides sufficient chores to be busy with general level of consumption comes down. This is seen as restriction of individual freedom and of course, above all, not suitable for economic growth. Hence why should family system be encouraged?
Let us look at the utter disregard for the environment. None of the classical scientific knowledge, especially maths and physics, require that we need to have any regard for the environment. The beginning of this attitude can be seen in Rennaissance period. The attitude is glorified in the statement, "I think Therefore I am". This statement shows the arrogance of superiority of human rational mind and undermines everything that is supposedly not rational. As long as humans thrive and have a way to keep the nature "under control" it is seen as progress! Hence it doesn't matter if vast tracts of forests are destroyed, wild animals are slaughtered, non-industrialized societies are eliminated mercilessly, as long as the people in industrial societies lead comfortable lives, enjoy all aspects of life, get to travel to all corners of the world and are peaceful among each other!
Sadly, the supposedly great successes of industrialization have made us all blind believers in this system to continue to eternity whereas most environmental scientists are predicting almost no-future very soon.
Aren't there alternatives? Of course there are. In this connection I would like to pick the traditional Indian society and show how exemplary that is in connection with the environmental debate.
Traditional Indian society is family centric. Families have such a strong root and base that the bonds are held strong even when the family members travel far and wide. People cling on to each other as if there is a magical force, which is not tied to money or any other force that physics has discovered so far! Family system builds a sense of community and doesn't encourage and foster individualism. Each individual is expected to make small sacrifices for the bigger family and this sacrifice is glorified. This attitude of glorifying selflessness can be seen in what most people consider as heroes and leaders or even gods in India. Whether it is Lord Rama or Gandhi or Buddha or Abdul Kalam; typically it is the people who have made biggest sacrifices, who are heroes than those who demonstrated ruthless courage and intelligence.
Second strong aspect of Indian society is the attitude towards environment in general and animals in particular. Everything that is surrounding man is considered to be an aspect of God. It is also strongly believed that every object in the universe has the ability to invoke God. This builds up strong reverence towards nature and people offer prayers to earth, river, wind, fire, forests, trees, wild animals, domestic animals and so on. Every peice of creation on earth has a purpose and we don't have to know exactly what the purpose is. It is sufficient to allow each object to function on its own and discharge its duty in this grand scheme of universe, which itself is considered as embodiment of God. Much of the western society ridiculed this attitude as "superstition". However this superstition is a life-sustaining one compared to the superstition on science and technology.
Third aspect is the principle of Non-violence. This is a unique concept that has been preached and practised to various degrees throughout the ages in India. Of course, Gandhi, demonstrated it to the world in an extremely emphatic manner. Even today, in the age of communal riots, terrorism and rising crime rates in India, non-violence is what appeals to the majority of Indians compared to violence. Typically violence is perpetrated by money-minded people, who find financial gains in fostering such acts. However quickly the Indian majority asserts its belief in non-violence and helps in peace taking over violence.
Non-violence is not limited towards people alone. It extends to animals as well. One of the unique concepts of extreme non-violence is a strict vegetarian diet. While for many people in the west it is fashionable to be vegetarian, for millions in India it is a natural way of living. Even if we look at the so-called non-vegetarians in India, one has to define them as "Indian non-vegetarian" since the choice of non-vegetarian food is limited to chicken, lamb, goat and easily available fish. Eating anything else is considered to be bad or sinful! It is this attitude that has saved all the animals in the Indian wildnerness and also amusingly animals in Indian cities and towns!
Fourth aspect and also the biggest aspect is the attitude towards life which is seen as composed of 4 stages or shelters. The childhood and the youth (Brahmacharya), The Married (Grihasta), The Retired (Vanaprasta) and The Renunciated (Sanyasa). A person discharging his duties well in each of these four stages is considered to have fulfilled his life's tasks well and is believed to be rewarded in his future lives. One might debate and argue about the ethical and rational aspects of this approach. However one just cannot refute the fact that it gives a solid purpose for life and helps the man and woman to get strongly rooted in the community. Having such an ethereal purpose makes one feel the satisfaction and sense of natural accomplishment. Contrast this to a person in the industrialized society, where the purpose of life is to acquire and enjoy material life at all costs. It is only very late that one would realize the futility of such a search for material enjoyment and happiness. Only thing that is guaranteed to have happened in such a journey is wide-spread damage to the environment. Of course, the aspect of live-in relationship doesn't exist at all in traditional Indian society!
Fifth aspect of India that is, of late, slowly recognised is the multi-religious, multi-cultural fabric of Indian society. It is an extremely complex societal fabric. However the beauty of it is that it works and has stood the test of time. It is a demonstration to the world on the importance of diversity and how it is not just theory but it is in everyday practise. There are hardly cities or villages in the countries outside India that can boost the common situation of temples, churches, mosques, etc. located on a single street, common to most Indian cities and towns and the major population feeling and celebrating festivals belonging to different faiths and religions. Although one can point out communal riots and the underlying societal tensions, at the same time, one can point out the way it works succesfully across the length and breadth of the country. Statistically the successes override the failures of this multi-religious country.
Sadly the self-realization of the potencity of traditional values in India is fast eroding especially among the educated and the rich Indians. What could be the reason? Maybe, it has much to do with Indian education system. Indian education system was started by the British and was continued by mostly copying things from Europe and the US. Through out British rule and later much of the educated class has grown up with great admiration for the western systems or to be more precise to the industrialized institutions and neglected or overlooked core Indian values. It is the villages, small towns and the vast masses of poor and "uneducated" Indians who have clinged on to the value system almost ignorantly!
Isn't there a strong and urgent case for restoration of a sense of high value for these traditional values and integrate these into the general enviornmental debate across the world. Doesn't it provide a non-violent answer to the climate and the energy crisis?
