International Jain Conference 1985 3rd Conference

Author(s): Satish Jain, Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Ahimsa International

Page 210

to survive, to evolve, to become more life-affirming. We must cease listening only to our analytic, rational left hemisphere's proclamations that simply another technological fix can pull us through these current global straits or for believing that lower-animals (so-called) must continue to die to provide non-essential goods to human population who are unwilling to accept the responsibility for having grown beyond the carrying capacity of the environment. We must attend to the intuitive, creative vision of what even a slight shift in moral consciousness could achieve. We must move from an egorentric world view to an ecocentric one, from an I-relationship with others to an I-thou’, for we are all members of one family with one shared future and that future can only be assured if we give up our seperateness and egocentric attitude and commit to the revolution of life and revere it. Animals should no longer be considered things' but should receive a special status of sympathy and compassion.
What is man without the beasts'. If all the beasts were gone, man would also die from a great lonliness of spirit and ecological imbalance. For whatever happens to the animal kingdom soon happens to man. All things are interconnected
Alas ! whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand to it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
Nishit" St. Xaviers Coliege Road Navrangpura Ahmedabad-380009
Men who acquire wealth by evil deeds, By adhering to principles which are wrong, Fall into trap (of their own passions) With Karma fetters, they go further down.
Uttaradhyayana, Chap. IV 2.
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