Ideal of Simple Living And High Thinking

Oct 2, 2004, 12.00am IST

India needs eco-friendly development. Mahatma Gandhi said that economic development becomes relevant only when it is based on principles of environmental conservation and harmony, and equity with social justice.


Equity has an ethical content in the real world: It would involve sacrifice on the part of the privileged in favour of the less privileged.

Gandhi conceded that a certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary, but above a certain level, it becomes more of a hindrance.


So the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a snare that lures us away from the pursuit of the ideal of plain living and high thinking.

Our happiness really lies in contentment. Gandhi often said that an ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of preaching.

Industrial countries on the fast track will eventually become ecological security risks, because they will not easily give up their present-day unsustainable lifestyles.

In his essay The economic possibilities for our grandchildren, Lord Keynes said in 1930: "For at least another hundred years we must pretend to everyone that fair is foul and foul is fair; for foul is useful and fair is not. Avarice, usury and precaution must be our gods for a little longer still. For only they can lead us out of the tunnel of economic necessity and into daylight."

We need to usher in environmental education with regard to long-range ecological security. Natural, agro and industrial economic systems have to be both conserved and used in a sustainable manner.

There has to be a healthy blend of environmental, social, developmental and economic imperatives.

A sustainable society has faith in science and technology as an instrument of environment-friendly social and economic change - because economic growth should not be at the expense of ecological assets.

We should work in partnership with nature and conserve non-renewable resources and energy and reduce wastage.


We must believe that the earth's resources have to be protected and sustained not only for humankind, but for other species, too, for present and future generations.
We need to share our resources across species as we are all inter-connected as one giant living orga-nism. The guiding principle of economics has to be the meeting of needs, and not greed.


Gandhi said: "The earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed."


This age of consumerism can lead to over-extraction and over-consumption, resulting in pollution and eco-degradation, with serious environmental impact.


Market economy must include both the present and future costs of pollution and eco-degradation to help conserve our collective home.


Using the polluter-pays-principle, the costs must be met by the manu-facturer and/or country concerned for failing to use enviro-friendly technology.


Gandhi said: "Whenever you are in doubt or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test: Recall the face of the poorest and weakest man you may have seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj (self-rule) for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melting away."

( Abridged from TERI's 'Mahatma Gandhi: An Apostle of Applied Human Ecology'. )
T N Khoshoo