THERE IS ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE’S NEED BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE’S GREED’

  THERE IS ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE’S NEED BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE’S GREED’  

“Earth can satisfy man’s need but not his greed”

• POINTS TO THINK
• The ingenious statement given by an ingenious man called Mahatma Gandhi projects the need for rational and optimal utilisation of resources. The resources on earth are plenty if they are used judiciously without any unnecessary exploitation and can satisfy the needs of human beings generation after generation. Greed is the most potent evil weakening mankind. But the wages of greed are hell. Almighty has created everything so abundant in our world. The stars, the sky, the warmth of the sun, the water, the air, the oxygen, the food, the fruit, the luxuries, the joys, other resources and everything else we need to live a happy life; there is no dearth of anything. We get as much as we require. In spite of such mind-boggling abundance, man gets tempted to have, possess, and own more. This avarice is the root of all ills.
• All the wars, struggle, cutthroat competition, rat race to have more than others is madness. This does not allow the man to see that there is enough for everyone. Today, human beings exploit resources indiscriminately to satisfy their greed. They do not realise the fact that indiscriminate use of resources will lead to its depletion.
• Greed is a complex and misunderstood emotion. On one hand, it can motivate an individual to be creative and innovative. On the other, extreme greed can lead to destruction when a sense of entitlement prevails and reality is lost. Managing the tipping point between a healthy desire to accumulate resources and destructive greed is essential for the good of an individual, a nation and the whole planet. Resources are not the property of any individual or a group. It is a property of the nature and needs preservation so that future generation can also make use of it and the earth will be a better place to live in.

TEMPORAL ELABORATION

• POINTS TO THINK

• The journey started after the creation of human being in this world. As man got matured he kept on inventing new things to get a better life and for a good living. His wants were not restricted, desires were boundary less and his doggedness of finding reason for everything made him an undefined creature. And that’s how an environment has been created in which we are living now. If we see this in a broader perspective, all this happened because of greed. It’s the man’s greed, which made him the richest man in the world, at the same time it’s his greed, which made the society unbalanced and unequal. He is not bothered about the limitations of one’s actions and breaching the rules of nature for self-fulfilment. His desire of becoming bigger than others has changed the destiny of mankind.
• For instance, during Industrial revolution, geographical explorations by European countries was their need to find the raw material for their industries but due to their greed to establish monopoly on resources, they started colonizing them. This greedy tendency of these countries led to socio-economic exploitation of the colonized countries and later led to wars between the countries.

ENOUGH TO MEET NEED BUT NOT GREED

• Points to Think
• Nature was made in such a way that there will be a balance in the eco-system and everybody gets enough what they need in proportions for them to live a good life. Unfortunately, Man, being greedy, have taken advantage of this fact. They want more than what they need and would go out of their way to get it. They take more than what they give. But there is a limit to which resources of the planet can be exploited for the use of human beings. It is pretty much common today to experience the shocks resulting from catastrophic floods, storms and droughts along with the huge consequence of rising prices in the marketplace. The catastrophic consequences must be traced in the collective human greed.
• Food distribution in this world is a perfect example to support the above statement. Most people would have already known, from the media such as television and newspapers, about how millions of people in this world are suffering from starvation because of the lack of food. Some may say that it is just a famine, a natural disaster that nobody has control of. Others say that there is just not enough food in this world for everyone. However, if one comes to think of it carefully, is there really not enough food? It is more than just a famine that is causing this unfairness. If every single person were to give a portion of their food that they do not need, surely there will be more than enough to go around to every human being living on this Earth. Of course, taking is much easier than giving. It is because of human greed that there is not enough food for everyone.
• This unfair food distribution is also caused by the greed for more money. For example, in Africa, there is actually sufficient food for everyone. However, there is not enough for export so that the country can earn more money. What is even worse is that the greedy government prioritises the export and money more than their own people. As a result, the people do not get anything. Instead, they are betrayed by their corrupted government.A usual suggestion for this problem is to cultivate more food! But this is easier said than done because to have more food is to have more arable land and even that is not enough for everyone’s greed. If everyone were to leave the arable land and take only what they need, again, there would be more than enough for everyone. However, if one considers about the land that they need to build factories, buildings and other commercial needs and wants, there is certainly not enough. These things are unnecessary but because of Man’s greed for more money and property, it has become almost indispensable. They convert useful arable land to barren ones. Soon, there is not enough to make use of and the less fortunate ones will suffer.
• Man makes use of everything in their reach to satisfy their greed. One of the things that contribute a lot to their wealth and power is the Earth’s own natural resources. Man, unfortunately has exploited these resources beyond the limit. When a country owns more resources, they are automatically richer. They use and sell the resources to develop their country. The greed comes in when different countries compete with one another to have a more developed nation and to be the best in the world. To develop their nation, more natural resources, such as oil, need to be exploited. Over-utilisation of resources has led to the depletion of the resources for meeting the greed of a few individuals. For example, over-utilisation of petroleum products has led to a situation where most of the countries of the world are facing energy crisis, concentration of resources has divided the society into ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ or the rich and the poor. Over utilisation of resources has led to the global ecological crisis such as global warming, depletion of ozone layer, pollution and land degradation. Irrational use of resources lead not only to ecological problems but also socio economic issues.
• The greedy and selfish nature of individuals and exploitative technology is root cause of resource depletion on global level.To satisfy his greed to find more land for agriculture and establish industries or factories, man has started destroying forests. The deforestation which has taken place due to commercial exploitation of trees for timber, resin, medicinal herbs, etc., the developing of new agricultural fields, over-grazing by animals, the coming up of new habitation (e.g. because of the construction of the Tehri dam), the building of roads mainly after the China invasion of 1962, tourism development and other development activities, increase in the population (men as well as animals), all have had an adverse affect on the environment and have led to biological loss and ecological imbalance.This biological loss is strongly correlated with the loss of cultural diversity. Such losses have increasingly marginalised and impoverished many indigenous and other forest-dependent communities, who directly depend on various components of the forest and wildlife for food, drink, medicine, culture, spirituality, etc. Within the poor, women are affected more than men.
• The values of reverence in the modern man have vapourated. They are degrading the soil by throwing waste wherever they like.This waste is created only because of more consumerism which is the result of greed. Man’s greed make him to buy as many things he wishes, which increases the waste that exploits the Earth. Earth can degrade itself some of the bio-degradable wastes but when it comes on non-biodegradable, toxic and E-waste Earth cannot. In turn the Earth itself is effected.
• Farmer’s are also not lagging behind in showing their greed. They sow seeds of other crops immediately after one crop is harvested without giving some time for the soil to regain it nutrients. This kind of agriculture can help farmer make more money but after few years the land looses its fertility and is of no use. This shows how earth can’t satisfy man’s greed.
• The rapid growth in the global economy and the exploitation of resources has brought the planet to its limits. Within a span of five decades, the population of the world has more than doubled from three billion to seven billion.Some of the economies like China and India have been growing at a rapid pace of nearly 10 percent with the implication that the global resources are being consumed at a rapid rate. Although Africa was the slowest growing region in the world till recent times but is now averaging about five percent annual GDP growth, while other developing region have grown at seven percent per year. The developed world has been growing at about 4.5 percent. There are both positive and negative implications of the rapid global rate of growth especially for the developing countries. It has brought down the level of poverty. Thirty years ago, half of the Chinese population was poor; today this extreme level of poverty has been cut down to nearly ten percent. This is of course the positive implication.  However, there is a negative implication too. The global economy will double in size in about two decades with the world economy growing at about 4 to 5 percent annually. In other words, the $70 trillion global economy will double in size to $140 trillion and further to $280 trillion by mid century.  It will be nearly impossible for planet earth to physically support the exponential economic growth, especially if we let greed take the upper hand.

CONSEQUENCES OF HUMAN GREED BEYOND HIS NEEDS

• POINTS TO THINK

• The burden of economic growth is already evident in depleting resources such as the diminishing supplies of fossil-fuel energy resources that nature took millions of years to create.
• The burning of fossil fuels leading to climate change is already creating instabilities evident in extreme storms, temperature and rainfall.
• The pressure on resources and unstable prices of fuel and food are an implication of resource crunch, resource exploitation and our greed. While the purchasing power of consumers has increased on average, there are also more mouths to feed.
• Yet, increasing natural disasters such as floods, droughts and heat waves induced by climate change are destroying crops and reducing the supplies of food grains.
• India and China are today in the grips of massive floods, while it was common to hear the news of acute water shortages and droughts in several parts of India only months ago. The adverse climate impacts are common everywhere in the world including the US, China, Australia and Brazil.
• Contradictorily enough, while the floods are devastating India and China, and other populous parts of the world, these regions have also been under the spell of devastating drought. The farmers from the American Midwest, northern China and northern India were tapping into ground water to irrigate their crops as the great aquifers that store ground water have been depleting rapidly. In recent years, the water table in India has been falling rapidly and deep wells have nearly exhausted. There is the danger of ocean water spilling into aquifers. In other words, the world is today on the brink of a calamity unless the human beings inhabiting the planet change their ways
• The society of the present days is running on the principle of greed that rich become richer while the poor languish. The growing resource crunch will most possibly lead to further widening the gap between the rich and the poor and may possibly lead to increasingly more violent struggles for survival and access to limited resources.
• Many social scientists fear that the rich will try to use their power to gain access to a greater share of water, energy and land and will not hesitate in taking recourse to violent means to do so. The US strategy of militarization in the Middle East is based on this approach will give them a secure source of energy supplies, while the competition from India and China for the same resources is intensifying. While 10 percent rich people in the world have access to 90 percent of the global resources, the 90 percent poor people have with them barely 10 percent of the global resources. The civil strife in Africa is a reflection of growing disenchantment of the poor people against rich and powerful.

NEED OF THE HOUR TO FULFIL EVERYONE’S NEED

• Points to think
• Sustainable development is the crying need of the hour for ensuring the future of humanity on this planet. The understanding has to dawn that we have delayed the efforts already, as global warming knocks on our doors. It is only one of the signals from the nature, that the time to acts sensibly is imminent and ticking away The understanding requires the nations to inculcate a ‘eco-eco’ ideology, which calls for an ‘ecology-economy ‘equilibrium. Sustainability does not come at the price of growth and development and human endeavor can deliver them simultaneously. They can coexist and enrich each other to the benefit of corning generations.
• A major breakthrough in our efforts can happen only if we adopt an attitudinal change. The mentality of ‘robbers’ loot has to give way for sharing of resources – whether land, water or minerals. Resources should become a perpetual tool and not exhaustible reserves if the development is pragmatic. Such efforts would require involvement of people at every stage of planning, execution and evaluation and paradigm shift is essential in our centrally dictated use of resources and sense of ownership could infuse miracles and bring about a turnaround in the conservation of resources for future generation.
• With a sense of ownership, responsibility towards the use of resource will be generated. The tribal will be integrated into forest management and fishermen as coastal eco-force. While each citizen will develop energy efficient outlook, every farmer will take care to enrich fields. Participation of people will accelerate the pace of efforts which appear isolated and insufficient when planned by the authority.
• This does not abdicate the state of its responsibility. It, rather, becomes more relevant and the crusade has to be carried proactively by the State. Promotion of energy efficient equipment’s, a gradual policy shift to renewable sources of energy and promotion of public transport systems in city have to be state’s priority. The land resource sustenance has to be integrated with forest protection, conservation and promotion. Efforts like social and urban forestry have multifarious dimensions and transmit multiple gains to the society. Such programmes have to be integrated with the lives of the population by percolating them to the grassroots.
• Sustainable agriculture could strengthen the backbone of weakening food security. Proper planning of land use with dedicated grazing fields, bio-fertilizers and manures, natural pests as pesticides and making each drop of irrigation water count can deliver better returns from our efforts to maintain the fertility of our land resources. The shift from demand based to region specific needs to be appreciated to develop each region holistically on its strength.
• Industrial accountability is a key which can unlock the secret to humanity’s survival. A more responsible behaviour from the profit mongers can be evinced by taxation or through the innovative approach of “natural resource accounting and budgeting”. A monetary value to every careless act of polluting the natural resource may heighten the awareness of these growth seekers. Plantation can be promoted by industries as part of their social responsibility.
• Proper waste management system for cines with planned landfills or incineration plants is a must as urbanization is the order of the day; sustainable cities can become gateways for a long term growth. Water harvesting through rooftop systems and pollution check of vehicles would ensure a greener environment and availability of water for future generations. Slums – which standout for their poor hygiene and irreverence towards ecology – must receive a holistic up gradation plan.
• Yet another tool is Environment Impact Assessment, which should become a mandatory organ of any development scheme. It is an anticipatory and preventive effort, which utilizes multidisciplinary knowledge to predict and prevent the damages that development project may bring along. This tool would promote the simultaneous march of sustainability with ecology.

PRECONCLUSIVE ANALYSIS TO CONCLUSION

• The rich have enjoyed soaring incomes and growing political power everywhere in the leading countries such as the US, the UK, China and India. The US economy has been taken over by billionaires. It can be easily noted that the rapidly growing economy harms the environment, leads to price rise and enhances the chasm between the rich and poor. Nonetheless, there is way out of the current mess. if we are prepared to share and care. There will be enough space for everyone to live and enough food that no child sleeps hungry provided the emotion of greed in men is replaced with emotion, love and care.
• Every individual, has a responsibility in protecting the environment, if he/she is serious about leaving a world for the next generation to inherit. There is a need now to curb the unhealthy consumption that the world has become slave too as there is a direct link between excessive production and environmental degradation. One clear example is that of the increase in the use of cars with each member of a family claiming the need to own and drive his/her own vehicle. The 700 million automobiles of the world are already using up two-thirds of the gasoline and releasing carbon dioxide that has already ushered in the era of global warming and the greenhouse effect. The desire to control the oil resources has also seen the worst war of the 21st century and one wonders what others will follow with environmentalists warning that the next wars will be those fought over water, which is likely to become a commodity in short supply.
• The engine of economic growth is bound to deplete resources especially if greed dominates. Soon, there will not be enough for the future generation’s need It will push the poor aside and drive the world into socio-economic and political crisis. Nevertheless, we have a choice. The choice is political and social cooperation within the nation and also internationally. The resources can be saved and optimally utilized with conversion of our economies to renewable energy sources, sustainable agricultural practices and proportionate taxation of the rich towards the goal of shared prosperity. If the past and present generations were to have used the resources to a limit, more time would have been given for them to replenish. Then, the future generations would have more than enough for their needs.
• On the balanced approach towards resource utilization, once Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam said:

‘Where there is righteousness in the heart

There is beauty in the character.

When there is beauty in the character,

There is harmony in the home.

When there is harmony in the home,

There is order in the nation.

When there is order in the nation,

There is peace in the world.’