Pristine Jainism

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 63

(60) : Pristine Jainism agriculture also when forests started shrinking the people in succeeding periods turned to wiser people known as Manus for advice and demarcation of areas for groups of people or villages was done to avoid and mitigate feuds. Increasing emphasis on agriculture gave a serious set back to maintenance of natural resources as common property. People were more concerned with their individual fields with resultant feuds, wars for extending, protecting the properties and territories.
The present era is Dukhama with grim scenario. The increasing population and rising consumerism with more and more pressure on natural resources is depleting them fast to the extent of eventual annihilation. The increasing frequency of droughts, famines, floods, climatic vagaries, diseases, feuds, crimes, miseries are direct consequences of human greed and erroneous concept of development, which is based on rising index of consumerism. The exploitation of natural resources is so high and rapid that most of forests, minerals, oil etc. will soon be exhausted and with it will crumble down the whole edifice of so-called civilisation. To meet the increasing consumerist needs, there is more and more industrialisation, throwing out poisonous gases in air, chemicals on land and water, polluting irretrievably these basic life support systems Water is already scarce. The modern high-tech agriculture with increasing dose of chemical fertilisers and poisonous pesticides is accelerating the serious problem of environmental pollution of land, water and air, endangering even the fertility of land. Our edibles have residual poisonous pesticides and are slowly poisoning the entire biome including man, fish, birds, cattle and other animals. History will judge the present generation as most cruel and criminal, as it will exhaust most of natural resources leaving nothing or very little for future generations. Morality demands that the present generation should limit its size and requirements to the carrying capacity and rejuvenatability of natural resources. There is much talk of sustainability but there is no concrete effort. The prescribed code of conduct in Jainism stressing frugality of wants etc can only ensure it as will be illustrated in later chapters.