Aparigraha the Humane Solution

Author(s): Kamla Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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APARIGRAHA - THE HUMANE SOLUTION
grabbing the news items. These items incur such heavy expenses that the resource (funds) for these expenses are to be generated from very high-fi advertisements on the electronic media of such simple items of necessities like atta and salt. The source of this huge expenditure on advertisements is the pockets of poor consumers. Simple news items, budget bulletins or election analyses have become such big consumer items that different news agencies on the electronic media, specially television, buy them at whatever cost they deem fit, since they know that the product would sell with its full colourfulness and variety. Objectively speaking, if these news items reach the public a few hours later, what difference would it make? But, still, in our present set-up in the age of speed and glamour it has become imperative to get it as early as possible, with a great deal of fanfare. Essentially, this urgency originated with our very first social or political right, i.e. the right to information. This right to information has however been changed to 'the race to information' with our most modern technology. The agencies spend so much and work so hard to grab the news and systematise it. The question for us to ponder is : is it worth so much money and effort?
These same features are noticed in other programmes of the electronic media. All television channels are flooded with innumerable serials attracting a large number of viewers, with somewhat similar themes trying to feed or over-feed human emotions. Too much material is being served to the viewers, playing with their emotions, and as such may later lead to either a form of emotional disturbance, or emotional immunity or emotional bankruptcy; these are the negative consequences of excessive material. Horror, Terror, Suspense thrillers in bulk supply are readily available to the impressionable minds, that are in need of emotional stimuli. But such material goes far beyond satisfying their emotional hunger and becomes finally a need in itself. The needs for these stimuli are created rather than actual as they are created by the fashion industry. Psychological disorders and crimes of all kinds are well-known consequences of 'too much' in this field. So 'human hearthandle with care' is changing into 'mechanical heart-handle with