Conference 'Economics of Non-violence...' - Report [3.03] - Dr. J.P Jain

Dr. J.P.Jain

Dr. J.P Jain remarked that with the end of the cold war, it appeared that the structure of the nuclear holocaust seems to have receded in the background but it has not totally disappeared. Moreover, new avenues of violence-ethnic conflict have come to the forefront. Though capitalism has contributed to the tremendous growth of productivity and communism has demonstrated that the rate of growth of national economy in communist totalitarian countries can be higher than capitalism has ever achieved, yet they have not been able to root out war or poverty. Communism collapsed because it could not produce enough. Capitalism is falling because it produces too much and shares too little. Neither system is sustainable in either human or ecological terms.

The world market is increasingly accumulation of resources, which includes technology, human labour, and natural resources. MNCs whose economic strength is larger than any of the world's nation, are plundering these resources at the expense of future generations and life on earth. Technological revolution has led to a faster dissemination of commerce and development related information and hence more power in fewer hands further exasperating the disparity between the rich and the poor. Growing poverty and large scale unemployment will inevitably engender social conflict and instability and disturb world peace.

According to the Human Development Report 2002, 2.8 billion people still live on less than $ 2 a day and richest 1 percent of the world receive as much income each year as the poorest 57 percent. Global peace will remain a big illusion as long as rich and powerful minority is perpetually in search for more in order to satiate their unending self centered myopic greed. Mahatma Gandhi said that there are enough resources to meet the needs of all people, but not enough to meet the greed of the people. Only when the individual is spiritually transformed can the reformation in society really take place. Only spiritualism can help a free human being to overcome hunger, fear, poverty, and ensure peace and happiness of the individual and social well-being. Sustainable development and world peace can only be built on the secure foundation of spiritual principles of non-violence and aparigraha. Unless, this awakening takes a worldwide scale, the civilization is doomed. Science can denature Plutonium but fails miserably when it comes to denature the evil in human hearts.

The culture based on survival of the fittest is no longer feasible. The economic crisis is essentially a spiritual crisis which is the result of self-centred greed, aided and abated by ingenious technology run amuck.