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harmful to life, or to the evolution and sustenance of life is also included in the Jain definition of violence.
Fire, water, earth, air, etc. in various combinations are the ultimate sources of life as we scientifically know. The abstinence from violence toward these elements is the most effective measure toward the prevention of pollution. Violence toward these factors includes the unrestricted consumption of natural resources, disturbing nature's ecological cycles, deforestation, industrial and other pollutions etc.. etc.
Natures working, as far as its individual components are concerned, is simple. But it is extremely complex in the overall combination. Ecological interdependence is almost absolute for every one of its components, for it is impossible to eliminate any one component without disturbing the delicately poised balance. To maintain a healthy community, each and every component must be present and functioning at its appointed level. With the increasing information about the intricacies of the dynamic balance of a biome, it becomes more and more evident that indiscriminately disturbing or destroying any component, for any short-term convenience or inconvenience, is futile, even fatal.
The ecology is like a large machine composed of so many gears meshed together. It is self-defeating to try to label any one of the gears as more or less beneficial or injurious to those using it. Yet, man continues to plunder nature and interfere with its components on one pretext or the other. The experts on ecology forecast that in all probability we are on the threshold of a biological tragedy. By the end of this century, we are likely to lose at least one million out of the earth's five to ten million surviving species, and the process is likely to accelerate itself exponentially within the
AHIMSA: THE SCIENCE OF PEACE 112 For Private & Personal Use Only
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