Introduction - Present Economic Systems
In last two centuries we have practiced and experienced the different models of capitalist economics, social economics, mixed economics, neo-classical or liberal economics in different forms at different places and different times, but rather than solving the problems of the people and meeting their desires and expectations they have created more problems. The discontent and conflicts are increasing day by day in all parts of the world. Resources of the world in terms of water, pure air, forests, minerals etc. are getting depleted at a terrific rate and even the basic necessities of food, clothes and shelter of all people on the planet are not met in a proper way. The problems of economic disparity and inequality between rich and poor, social injustice at different levels, social unhappiness and tensions in the life of people have increased in all part of the world inspite of all the efforts of socio economic transformations. These gaps and situations prevailing today are not only irritants in society but are giving rise to conflicts, tensions, terrorism and violence’s.
All the economic policies and systems are created for development and reducing the gap between the haves and the have-notes, the rich and the poor, the urban areas and rural areas, the literates and the illiterates, traditional and modern technologies, agriculture and industrialization and so on and so forth. But it has not catered to the needs of the present generation and as our natural resources are depleting at a much faster rate, it will not cater to the needs of the future generation also. We are moving towards a zero state of natural resources. A cursory glance on the present global situation clearly reveals that terrorism, extremism, separatism, fundamentalism and fanaticism are spreading and are giving rise to hatred, violence, murders, social conflicts and wars in the various parts of the world. Everybody has unlimited wants and desires. The concept of development is production based. More consumption, more production, more comforts and luxuries have become the parameters of development. In this fast moving, technologically advanced world, morality, ethics, human values and environmental consciousness have no place. Prosperity is not related to peace and happiness but to more production and more consumption. The man made economic policies are not human centric. It also does not protect the environment and natural resources. Unlimited wants for limited resources has created disparity, dissatisfaction and disobedience of the law, creating reactionary violence, terrorism and extremism.
H.H. Acharya Mahapragya, the spiritual Guru, the philosopher and an eminent visionary has propounded a unique concept on Economic for balanced, inclusive and sustainable development,is termed as Relative Economics. This concepts of Relative Economics, is based on preaching’s of Loard Mahavir, has bean prescribed by Acharya Shree for the Elimination of all Prevailing economic problems.
Relative Economics: A Model for Balanced and Sustainable Growth
Today the world is going through a phase of turbulent change. Strong Western Nations are seeing their economy collapsing. Other economic systems have also not given the desired results.
Malnutrition, poverty, corruption, violence and terrorism, global warming; big gap between haves and have-notes, difference in urban and rural development, social injustice, depletion of natural resources etc. etc. have created tremendous imbalances and have forced us to think of an alternative model of economics where in, everyone in the society is a contributor and where social, ethical, environmental and finally economic change should be addressed together.
Keeping all this in mind, H.H. Acharya Mahapragya said - The present day economic systems are not human centric and this production oriented growth can not lead us to the desired development. He says that the basic ingredients of the new economic system should be as follows-
- It should be human centric.
- It should be eco-friendly.
- It should fulfill the basic necessities of food, clothes and shelter to one and all.
- It should reduce violence and terrorism and fear in individuals and society.
- It should reduce the gap between haves and have-nots. Social disparity should be reduced. Violence and terrorism should be controlled.
- It should have a rural-urban connection.
- It should control endless desires, consumptions and possessions. By limiting the needs and self-restraints.
- It should be ethical balanced, inclusive and sustainable.
- It should provide education, medical help, safety, security and solace.
- Finally it should not exploit man, material or natural resources.
Relative Economics: Why the Name
In the economic world, economics is used for development. They are termed in different perspectives as balanced development, systematic development, planned development, sustainable development, wealth development, production development, demand- supply chain development or development in different sectors like agriculture industries or services. Fast growth, GDP or inclusive growth is also used very often. They all signify the materialistic or monetary growth only.
- H.H. Acharya Mahapragya says that economic policies and economic system should talk about development, it is very much right and should be so, but the development of money or materials are immaterial unless it signifies its relations with humanity and nature. The development is for the people, of the people and by the people. Also the nature i.e. land, water, air, forests, sunlight and ecology are the most necessary ingredients of sustenance of life. Hence the economic policies and systems should be related to humanity and nature. It should be human centric.
- The richness is related to the poverty of the nation. The gap between the 10% of lower section and 10% of higher section is more than 100 times. 20% of higher section possesses 80% of wealth whereas the rest 80% have only 20% of total wealth. Without considering the social fiber and emotional paradigm of human beings with their basic instincts of greed. Fear, comforts, unlimited desires of possession and consumption, the economic policies and systems cannot bring the desired results. The economic system works with and depends on social and political systems. The economic system cannot achieve the desired results without considering the social, moral and ethical fiber of the human beings. The policies and systems of economics, politics and society are linked and interdependent. They are all correlated.
- Also the economic policies should fulfill the basic necessities of one and all and focus on growth of wealth, sustenance of nature and peaceful, healthy happy living of mankind. We need a short term policy to stimulate growth and a long term policy to sustain growth along with proper education on ethics and moral values. They are all correlated and interdependent.
Such a balanced development cannot be brought by only government policies and present economic systems. It requires the coordinated and sincere efforts by the rich section consisting of industrialists, big business houses, government authorities and bureaucrats in one side and the poor section consisting of farmers, laborers, small traders and other service providers. The proper training of the one section and compassionate coordinated efforts by the other section can only bring the desired results. - Considering and analyzing the above real factors and based on the linkage and their interdependence, the development is related to human beings, human nature, human environment, social and political fiber, money and materialistic growth etc. Thus it is all related and interdependent and hence this growth oriented economics should be termed as “Relative Economics”
Relative Economics: Why the Need?
- Hunger and Malnutrition:
The basic minimum needs of food, cloth and shelter of all the people should be fulfilled. The suicides of farmers, malnutrition of the children are certainly a hindrance to our growth.
- Poverty and Unemployment:
The economic system should be balanced and inclusive to eradicate the poverty among the larger section of society and create job opportunities to maximum people.
- Ecological Imbalance:
The industrial growth and automobile exhausts have created dangerous level of pollution, holes in our ozone layer and ecological imbalances. Natural resources and environment should be properly protected.
- Crime and Corruption:
For progress and peace, healthy and happy living, the society needs safety and security. The reactive violence, extremism, terrorism can not make a civilized society. Corruption at all the levels debars our development. Rightness and justice are denied to the deserving people.
- Improper Education System:
The present day education system creates technically sound professional but insensitive and non-compassionate human being. Technology of war and violence is growing faster than the technology of peace and progress.
- Decline in moral and ethical values:
In this materialist and competitive world, there is a mad race for comforts and luxuries. Sensitiveness, compassion take a back seat when moral and ethical values decline in human being.
- Uncontrolled desires, Excessive consumptions and Unlimited possessions:
Desire are boundless, wants to use and consumes the most is universal, greed to have more for safety and security, possess more for status always creates scarcity, inequality and disharmony in the society. It leads to reactive violence, exploitations, conflicts and extremism. Limited resources cannot fulfill the unlimited desires. They should be controlled and consciousness of self-restrain should be awakened.
The present day economic system have not provided the above mentioned and desired results of human beings so a new model of is needed to meet the expectations of the people in general.
Relative Economics: The Concept
As per H.H. Acharya Mahapragya there are five types of utilities for money. They are:
- It is the means to fulfill the basic necessities of life like food, cloths and shelter.
- It is the means to buy materials of comforts and luxuries like T.V., Cars, bungalows, gadgets etc.
- It is the means of materialistic development like setting and expanding business etc.
- It is the mean of social reputation and
- It is the means of self satisfaction, happiness of possession and peace of mind.
In the same way there are ten problems associated with money. They are:
- Greed
- Corruption
- Crime
- Exploitation
- Immorality
- Fear
- Jealousness
- Tension
- Unhappiness
- Sorrow
If we want to resolve these problems of money then we have to follow the five basic principles of ethics. They are:-
- Unity of mankind
- Sensitivity towards all beings
- Compassion
- Moral conduct
- Purity of means.
To inculcate these principles, we have to inculcate 5 values through teaching, preachings and policies. They are:
- Faith and Mutual Trust
- Collective Responsibilities
- Practicing Non-Violence
- Lawful earning and proper utilization
- Limiting consumptions and possession.
These principles can not be followed or adhered to by law, advices or preshings. There has to be a continuous practice oriented training to upgrade our Brain system. We have 3 layers in our brain
- Neocortex
- Limbic system (Animal Brain)
- Reptilian Brain.
Unless the reptilian brain is trained properly the animal brain remains active and indulges in the mentioned misdeeds. To change our thinking, feeling and change our belief system we have to know the working of our conscious mind, subconscious mind and superconscious mind. This subconscious mind which is the store house of memory, information and emotions has to be modified to achieve the desired results.
Relative Economics: The Dimensions
The integrated or balanced development has four dimensions. They are:
- Physical or materialist development
- Environmental preservations and up-gradation
- Inculcation of moral and ethical values
- Spiritual development
For a sustainable development, the four policies, which are interlinked and interdependent on each other have to be properly formulated.
They are:
- Economic Policies
- National Policies
- Social Policies and
- Spiritual Policies
To formulate and implement these policies the society can be divided in four sections and each section has to put in its best effort to achieve the desired result. They are
- The Poor - The Farmers, the laborers, the small village traders, etc.
- The Rich - The Industrialists, the big businessmen, the professionals
- The Bureaucrats - The policy Implementers.
- The Government - Ministers, Policy makers and Parliamentarians.
Besides these four sections, the social and spiritual leaders along with NGO's have also a big role to play to bring the change in the prevailing diseased society.
Relative Economics: The Components
A sustainable, integrated and balanced new system of economic policies is required which will have following 10 components
- Freedom of living
- Equality and solidarity
- Shared responsibility
- Respect for nature
- Ethics and moral values
- Non-violence
- Tolerance
- Non possessiveness
- Limited desires
- Limited consumption
Relative Economics: Working Divisions
The Relative Economics has to be studied and reviewed in the following ten contexts:
- Production - Agriculture, Industry and Infrastructure
- Consumption - Basic necessities (food, cloth, shelter), Better necessities (education, medical help and safety security), comforts, luxuries, show offs, etc.
- Distribution - Inequality and disparity between rich and poor, urban and rural etc.
- Transaction (Exchange) - State, National and International level.
- Taxation - Different types of taxes. In India there are 32 types of taxes
- Government Policies- Basic political, social and economical parameters; Public policies, Monitory and Structural policies
- Public Finances- Allocation of funds in the Govt. Budget,
- Govt. Expenditure, Debt issues.
- Economic problems and natural calamities- Inflation, international upsurges, Dollar rates, Demand-supply pulls; unseen calamities like Tsunami, Floods, Earthquakes, and Draughts etc.
- Technical advancements which change the whole concept of living like TV, Mobiles and Internet.
Relative Economics: The Basic Philosophy
The basic philosophy of Relative Economics based on Jain principles as propounded by H.H. Acharya Mahapragya is based on:
- The basic necessities of one and all should be fulfilled. No scarcity in one section and no affluence in other.
- Money is the means of living and not the aim of life.
- In earning, there should be purity of Means. Ethics instead of exploitation.
- Limitation of consumption and possession. Unlimited wants for limited resources can never be fulfilled
- Attachment brings sorrows. Money is for utilization not for hoarding. There is no end to greed. This consciousness of detachment or non-possessiveness is necessary.
- Social Responsibility and sensitivity towards others. Earning should be shared with social obligations.
- Spiritual Awareness that money is just a means but health, happiness and
- Peace is beyond its purview. Man has come alone and will go alone.
Relative Economics: The Main Principles
The main principles of Relative Economics are as follows:
- Relative Economics is a new, dynamic and sustainable economic concept based on the principles of Non-Violence and Non-absolutism of Lord Mahavir.
- It is a Economics of transmigration from materialistic development to human centric development. Quality of life (peace, happiness) is more important than quality of living (Comforts, luxuries).
- It is the Economics of environmental consciousness and awareness. Preservation of natural resources is the basic principles of non-violent living.
- It is the Economics of awakening the consciousness of moral and ethical values.
- It is the Economics of awakening the consciousness of limited desires, limited consumption and limited possession.
- It is the Economics of awakening the consciousness of spirituality.
The three main maxims of Relative Economics are:
- To give top priority towards fulfilling the basic needs of one and all.
- To impart training in moral and ethical values and sensitivity towards environment and living beings.
- To inculcate the habit of limited consumption and possession.
Relative Economics: The Objectives
- Elimination of Inequalities wealth and income prevailing in society.
- Mitigation Rural - urban imbalance
- Implementation of Principles of Relative Economic in practice.
- Reduction of Gender disparity
- Control on increasing tendency of consumerism
- Rational and controlled utilization of Natural Resources for the sake of next generation.
- Making efforts for Environment conservation and Improvement.
- Implementation various programs & projects for Women Empowerment
- Making efforts for implementation of the Concept of “Empowered Women - A Symbol of Strengthened and prosperous society”- at grass root level.
- Making efforts towards inclusive growth, balanced and sustainable development and
- Control over unnecessary and luxurious production
This would be providing needs such as food, clothing, shelter and value based education.
The Relative Economics looks into areas of self-employment and the theory of Non-violence (ahinsa). It also deals with rightful earning and proper utilization of wealth.
It is the vision where in Relative Economics will reduce the gaps between the haves and the have-nots.
Relative Economics: In Action
Thus by doing so this planet of ours will then become a better place to live in where mankind will be at peace and people various nations will live in harmony.
With this concept and maxims in our Economics policies, we can certainly have a growth oriented sustainable development which will create
Relative Economics: The Final Outcome
- A Happy Individual
- A Harmonies Family
- A Helpful Society
and - A Healthy Nation