Jainism in a Global Perspective - Collection of Jain papers of 1993 Parliament of World Religions, Chicago

SR No.: 014010
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sagarmal Jain, Shreeprakash Pandey
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 1998
Total Pages: 402
Language: English
Classification: Seminar & Articles
File Size: 23 MB

Page 134

Spiritual Resurgence - The Crying need of our Times
105
Ovid has pointed out in his immortal work "Metamorphoses'that God has given an uplifted face only to Man and bade him stand erect and turn his eyes to heven, while all other animals were prone to fix their gaze upon the Earth.
The Plus and the Minus Aspects of Materialism
It will he wrong and misleading to run down material progress. It has been a epoch-making achievement of humanity with the aid of science, reason and logic. Beginning with primitive tool and foing onto the birth of the whell, humans have not looked back. Industrial revolution has made continuous strides reinforced by revolution in communications. Humans have conquered distances and the world is fast becoming a global village. The creature comforts created by material progress have made life progressively more and more comfortable and enjoyable.
Resurgence of spirituality does not call for cancellation of material pleasures, but only the excess and abuses of them which distract the human beings from the rational and righteous path.
The virtue of simplicity will be wrongly defined if it condemns material progress, if it advocates denial of the use of benefits of sciencewhich make for better and more comfortable living, greater mobility and access, economy in use of time and conservation of human energy.
It is the weakness of human beings that while materialism has ushered in unparalleld prosperity it has not been evenly distributed.. 25% of world population living in highly developed countries of North enjoys 83% of world income, 70% of world's energy resources, 85% of wood, 75% of metals and 60% of fuel. North and South divide is reflected in the rate of growth in the North being 2.7 times greater than in the South.
Man's lust of power and blind capricious ambition has diverted science for producing weapons of mass annihilation. Today the turnover of military and drug industries alone of about US$ 1.8 trillion per year is three times the money spent on controlling of population and eradicating poverty. In a world where the science of health and medicine has made remarkable progress. 35000 children under the age of five die everyday due to malnutrition in India. In a world where millions can't go to schools and are deprived of paper and stationery, 50% of paper in USA is used
solely for packing purposes.