The story of looking at a “half-filled glass of water” is popular. Taking the same story and asking two children who are thirsty and need water to drink, when they asked about the half-filled glass of water, child A remarked, “Give me, it’s enough for me.” Child B, on the other hand, remarked, “I need more, it’s not enough for me.” This story appears less impactful in normal times, but take this to today’s reality – Marathwada region of Maharashtra where recently in summer, a woman has to walk 5-7 km to fill that glass half. Have our greed with respect to water uses in normal times led to not fulfilling the need of half-glass water in times of drought?

In regard to the topic of the essay, we will analyze the topic from temporal and sectoral perspectives. Before we proceed, we will understand the meanings of “need,” “greed,” and “enough” – relative in nature. Also, we will talk about what is the line demarcating need and greed, how it changes with time and place, individual and societies. At last, these will fix us on controlling greeds of few so that needs of all will be satisfied – All includes animals, birds, etc.

Going back to times, we will recall that man in basic – simple primitive life. He used to practice simple hunting and gathering to fulfill basic need of food. Later on, with evolution, needs have expanded – food, clothes, shelter as basic needs. And so He means to fulfill those needs have expanded – settled agriculture, well-built houses, enough clothes to cover body look at today, where we are – our basic needs now involve additionally sanitation health education, so on. To understand this evolution of needs, we need to go specific.

Needs are nothing but desires, essential aspects, to have which one does not have. Whether it is enough or not – is very subjective, relative. Being greedy carries negative connotation.

Greediness of few has led to unsustainable development, lifestyle causing harm to others, environment. Individual basic needs are physiological, once they are satisfied, he aspires for social, then at last self-actualization. Thus these hierarchy of need guide human motivation throughout life. But there is sufficient to fulfill needs of individual unless he is greedy to have more resources, more money, unnecessary luxuries in life. This results in corruption, concentration of resources, inequalities and thus social unrest. Example – 10% individuals in India have 55% land resource.

Going to the next level, needs of family involve health and education of children, children to support parents in their old age, well-being of all. But when family increases their list of needs – smart phones for each child, AC in each room, private car for all, they approach towards greediness. Thus what we observe in Indian families – high percentage of food wastage when millions are starving of hunger. Thus rich families getting cooled themselves by AC air by warming construction workers, street vendors outside. This highlights greeds of some hampers need of many.

At the community level, needs are more collective in nature. It includes fame, prestige for community, overall social economic well-being. But when these needs turn into greediness in the form of dominance in socio-economic-political spheres, it results into communal violence, protests for restrictions even by economically strong communities, honor killing to save pride of community.

Needs of a region, sub-state level involves that there should be regional equality in development, proportionate representation of region in contribution and sharing of fruits of growth. But when greediness of few results in exploitation of rich mineral forest resources for development of few at the cost of displacement pollution faced by locals, it leads to regionalism problems of Naxalism calling for inclusive sustainable growth and development. This was also reason for separate state demands – Telangana and now Vidarbha etc.

At the state level/National level needs are basic to ensure sovereignty territorial integrity and unity of country. All other needs How from it. But as in the first we have seen greediness of having more resources for industrialization have led to colonialism in the past. This further competition and greed of acquiring more colonies have led to two world wars in the past. This is clear manifestation that what we have is for needs and not greeds.

Sectorally in the sector of Agriculture we had need of food security and self-reliance in 19605. We went for Green Revolution achieved self-reliance and food surplus. Today in FCT one-third food gets wasted and on other hand poor person dies due to not getting food under PDS. Greed for producing move food to export has deteriorated our water health agricultures also.

In the field of politics it was times that our political leaders like Gandhiji had satisfied in basic needs like just enough clothes to cover body and simple life of Charkha. Today’s politicians greediness has resulted in ethical crisis disproportionate assets when Indian almost one-third are BPL.

In the field of governance gone are the days of ethical leadership of administrators. Today very few are left. Their material greediness has led to bureaucratic corruption impacting quality of public services being delivered and thus compromising basic needs of common man.

Need are shifting from fan to cooler to AC don’t know what next. When our greediness will stop? To ensure that needs of all are fulfilled in a sustainable manner we need to take some urgent steps on war-footing. Here needs of an includes – needs of animals birds other wildlife. Due to greediness of human being many wildlife have gone extinct and many are on verge of it. Within human especially focus needed on weaker sections of society voice of voiceless.

To achieve that we need to start with value education at school level so that next generation will think about others. Awareness generation among constructive citizenry will help in short-term to have sustainable lifestyle. Enforcement of policies schemes laws regarding to sustainable development should be implemented at its best – This demands capacity-building of enforcement agencies administrative reforms. Learning from Anna Hazare model of Rural development chitrakoot model of self-reliance will help.

To sum up we need to revisit that whether are we measuring correctly in terms of GDP. We need to move towards Gross Happiness Index. To achieve balance between needs of all and not greed collaborative efforts are needed at all levels of needs in society and nation. It’s not too long – the goal of sustainable development Goals by 2030. SDG should act as guide and mirror for our efforts all times. Not to forget – “It wealth is lost, rotting is lost It health is lost, something is lost It character is lost, everything is lost.” Character of nation of individual is what most needed to fight against greed and upholds needs of all – Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas.