Aparigraha the Humane Solution

Author(s): Kamla Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 66

58
APARIGRAHA - THE HUMANE SOLUTION
now, were not realised and understood as grave then. But his prophetic vision did notice the alarm signal, and he was very clear in his approach to the future which he did not ignore for the present, the future was not secondary for him. He was convinced that not to worry about the health of future generations was a form of violence. He not only preached this philosophy but also lived the life of a person who valued humans as well as non-humans.
Gandhiji's respect for nature was evident from the argument he used to give that tree worship would serve as a symbol of true reverence for the entire vegetable kingdom. He could have, as a man of reason, ignored the poetic beauty in tree worship, even though he did not believe in idol-worship. His reverence for nature and the prevalent customs came from his Vaisnava philosophy, which was his way of life. He could see the positive side of customs and traditions of the masses rather than just condemn them as futile. Similarly, he respected cow-worship and cow-protection as it respresented the entire sub-human and animal world. It was not just cow-worship for the 'sacred cow', it meant much more than this. In fact for Gandhiji theory and practice coincided so strongly that he would say 'A man is ethical only when life as such is sacred to him,' and 'The life in animals and even in plants is like that of his fellow man.' In that sense he was more than a humanist. Environment for Gandhiji also meant love for the poor and destitute.
Gandhiji was not against machines, but he was against the craze for machines, since, he believed that machines may dehumanise and depersonalise human and institutional relationships. He could sense that human greed would increase and multiply by machines. His philosophy was visionary, and was essentially rural-based. Thus he believed in sustainable development much earlier than the term became popular with the environmentalists. His emphasis on simplicity on the avoidance of a luxurious life style, and his views against the 'throw away' attitude or consumerism and his reliance on simple food, vegetarianism, etc. are all indicators of his eco-friendliness and conviction of sustainable development. His simple mathematics was the less you consume from your stock more will it last'.