JAINA Convention 2009 07 Los Angeles

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 92

Ecology - The Jain Way
15th Biennial JAINA Convention 2009
THE ROOTS OF
poverty, violence, inequality, suffering and
exploitation on Earth: religion, government and ENVIRONMENTAL
property. DEGRADATION & THE PHILOSOPHY OF JAINISM
Blind faith, in the name of religion, has closed the
human mind. The narrowness of scope and Aakash Desai
irrational beliefs associated with many of the Aakash.desai@gmail.com
world's major religions have bound human
intellect and capacity for understanding. Aakash Desai will graduate with a
Government has allowed for the systematic B.Sc. degree from University of
exploitation of whole populations of people and of California, Irvine, in summer 2009.
the environment, resulting in creating deep He plans to pursue a M.Sc. degree in
economic inequalities and environmental disasters Environmental Engineering at
all over the world. Government and property go University of California, Berkeley.
hand in hand; the rich have instituted government Aakash is interested in solving world
to protect their rights to resources and the means environmental and human health issues. He is an
of production while exploiting the underprivileged. alumnus of Jain Center of Southern California
Emma Goldman wrote in Anarchism: What it
Emma G Pathshala.
Really Stands For, 'all forms of government rest
on violence, and are therefore wrong and harmful, In physics, potential energy is a function of mass,
as well as unnecessary.' Non-violence is the gravity and height. Any object that is held above
fundamental principle of Jain philosophy; a reference point has potential energy; the
therefore government policies must be examined greater the height from which the object can fall,
and challenged, if necessary, by its followers. the greater the energy potential. With human potential, it is not how far we can fall, but how
Property has bound the souls of humans and high we may climb. Philosophy is often a study in
thwarted their intellect and energy toward the human potential, and how it can be expanded and
accumulation and shallow love for mere material fulfilled. In Jain philosophy, human potential is obiects. The accumulation of property through limitless. The soul itself has infinite capacity for
means of unjust economic systems such as love, peace and harmony. However, instead of
capitalism, and the subsequent exploitation of exploiting the positive energy of our souls,
resources in pursuit of more property, has led the humans have instead exploited and destroyed the
world to the environmental catastrophe that it is rich natural resources of the Earth. Humans are
in right now. Jains must reevaluate these three the most destructive species on the planet;
institutions, for they have led much of the world Barbara Ward wrote in Only One Earth, 'We have
into vicious cycles of greed and violence. forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk
Sustainable survival of the human race depends lightly on the earth as its other creatures do.' In
on it. our tireless pursuit of comfort, convenience and entertainment, we have compromised the very
However, tugging at the roots of these three cycles, processes and resources that furnish life.
institutions would require a global transformation Our negligence has carried on to the point where
incorporating a complete restructuring of thinking we have endangered our future prospect for and lifestyles. So what can we do now? Starve survival as a species.
the beast. Make meaningful and progressive
lifestyle changes that reduce our rates of Current metrics of measuring the development' of
consumption and waste. Focus on needs, not a civilization are its technological prowess, the
wants. Henry David Thoreau states in Walden that level of scientific understanding and military
human needs are simply food, water, shelter, might. However, such metrics provide no insight
clothing and fuel (firewood, etc). Mohandas K. into whether the development' is sustainable. Our
Gandhi once said 'Earth provides enough to concept of achievement in society provides a
satisfy every man's need, but not every man's window into why we are so exploitive and
greed.' Material wants and commercial destructive. If one dares look through this
entertainment do little to enrich the mind or window, he or she will recognize infernal engines
quality of life. Finally, we need to start taking that have driven human societies to where they
control of our lives and stop relying on other are today. I propose that three institutions of
people to take care of our necessities. modern civilization have perpetuated much of the
the
Euter
Externalization of responsibility is a key 90