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THE FAMILY AND THE NATION
of appeasement but only for a while. In a world where wealth and objects are important, desire continues to stretch like a rubber band. As the demand increases, the problem of supply gets complicated. The panacea to this malady lies in contentment (santosha). The view of contentment as a sop is erroneous. Contentment is indeed the highest form of bliss.
DEFEATING DISPARITY
The two questions-How far? How long?-have a special significance but these have been belittled. That is why the concept of development is also being totally misinterpreted. The human propensity for earning money by felling trees is the result of ignoring the question 'How long?"
Affluence and prosperity have become the measuring rods of development. Without discarding these measures, Nature cannot remain healthy, and without a healthy environment, how can an individual hope to be healthy? The concept of development formulated on the basis of mere physical and economic growth needs to be recast, taking into consideration the concept of complete health.
Ayurveda has a very well articulated criteria of complete health. A healthy person is one who has the following: (1) spiritual blissfulness; (2) gracious sense organs; (3) gracious mind; (4) cheerful sleeping and waking states; (5) wholesome food; (6) salutary movements and manners; (7) ability to act after a critical examination; (8) detachment towards sensual passions; (9) balance in every situation; (10) truthfulness; and (11) forgiveness.
It is imperative that we develop a new outlook towards health for which mental equipoise is as essential as a balanced and nourishing diet, if not more. At a deeper level, complete health is intimately connected with education. Though health education is included in curricula, character
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