Jain Spirit 2001 06 No 08

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 42

YOUTH
A New Economics
A NEW ECONOMICS?
Maya Gudka examines a CD which challenges conventional wisdom in economics. Burn your
textbooks and learn about this new
revolution
creates systems of inequality". It cannot fully empower us unless we believe in its purpose." (Fritjof Capra)
brave new economy
ET SEEMS THAT ECONOMICS AND THE
environment are always played off
against one another. Economic growth versus environmental stability. Production and pollution versus protection of nature. There is something frustrating about this conflict since it makes our current way of life appear totally incompatible with the environment. Even the views that “poverty is necessary for development" and "the market is king" seem absurd. I think that in many of us the source of indifference towards the environment is the bleakness of the situation we are presented with. It all seems so grim that it is easier to switch off and get back to our personal concerns.
There is something magnetic about the tone of this CD guide that turns this hopelessness into inspiration. It looks at fair traders, organic farmers and ethical businesses, all examples of an emerging sustainability sector called the "New Economy". Technology is also a part of this. It can be harnessed to serve the people and the environment, not just big business. It can deliver information and sustainable energy for a more flexible economy that makes people less dependent on large institutions.
The CD reminds us how much we are capable of achieving as human beings. We only need to look back a century when racism was rampant, when there was barely democracy and there were few rights for women. Change was achieved because people took action against what they deemed inappropriate. They followed their natural instincts. As human beings, it is our natural instinct to cooperate and be involved in the world around us. This is also what caring for people and the environment is about.
I was also stirred by the CD's discussion on the concepts of wealth and the cycle of wanting, accumulating and wasting
When work is really satisfying, work itself becomes the reward. This sense of contentment may curb our needs for the extra indulgent gratification that is at the heart of our consumer society today. This is not to say that we have to disregard the material world around us. As Satish Kumar explained in his article "Mahavir lived by Example", we can have a spiritual relationship with our material possessions when we care for them and appreciate their value. If we really take time to do this, we will want less since we are content with what we have. Maya V. Gudka is 18 years old. She is pursuing her gap year teaching in Nepal and travelling. The CD Guide "Brave New Economy", is produced by the New Economics Foundation, priced £12 and can be ordered from Tel: UK. 02074077447 or www.neweconomies.org
prevalent in our world today. After all, it is our desire to have more and be more successful. This is causing us to work harder, demand more and pollute more. A number of questions emerge here: do we spend more time wanting than being satisfied? Are we substituting an inability to be fundamentally contented with a constant state of wanting? Have the definitions of success been too narrow for too long? Has this resulted in us working too hard for the wrong reasons? I am particularly interested in these questions, having just had my first taste of working life during my gap year. I have keenly observed those around me and was distressed to see how many people were not passionate about their work I saw it as a means to an end, a sort of necessary evil.
We need to make sure our definition of wealth and success encompasses love and fulfillment. We should consider why exactly we are working at our current jobs. Do we believe in the purpose of the work we do? If we truly do, I think we are automatically wealthy because we experience fulfillment on a daily basis. The CD contained some excellent quotes - I have listed a couple below:
ROBERT RIDIN
“Without work, all life goes rotten. But when work is soulless, life stifles and dies" (Albert Camus) “We cannot be empowered by work that destroys the environment around us or
When work is really satisfying, the work
itself becomes the reward
June - August 2001. Jain Spirit
41
Jain Education Interational 2010_03