HARITIMA

Two aspects are closely connected with ethical issues that are related to our environment.

1.Valuing nature as a resource: It is essential that a value system that is based on environmental concern becomes a part of the thinking that we as responsible citizens of our country and our earth need to bring into our own daily lives. Our ancestors considered the earth to be supreme, in some ways nature was considered to be like a mother. In ancient India, forests were considered sacred. We are fully aware of the sanctity of forests. They clean up our air, provide us oxygen, prevent flooding in certain areas. However, we seem to have forgotten this along the way. In the Hindu scriptures, Buddhist philosophy and especially in the Jain religion, every species on earth is supposed to have a place in the scheme of life. We need to remember that all of the products that we use have come from nature, in some way or the other. From the tiniest toothpicks to the thickest books, everything that we use can trace its way back to nature. It would be impossible to depend on something other than nature for our day-to-day requirements. If we disrespect nature, one cannot expect her to continue to support our wellbeing. Nature’s resources that we all use and depend on can only be optimized if they are equitably shared by all of us. If the disparity is too great it can only result in anarchy. We must understand the value of nature if we wish for it to sustain us. The increasing disparity between the global north and global south, rich and poor, urban and rural and among different genders is alarming. Unless and until we ensure equitable distribution of resources, the trend of rich becoming richer and poor becoming poorer would continue.

2. Appreciating the beauty of Nature and treasuring the magnificence of the Wilderness: Bringing back an ethic for nature conservation requires environment education and conservation awareness. The best way to do so is to expose young people not only to our dependence on natural resources from the wilderness but by bringing about an appreciation of the beauty and wondrous aspects of nature. We rarely take the opportunity to gaze at a scenic sunset or spend the time to sit in the incredible silence of the forest or listen to the songs of birds and the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. It is the beauty of Nature that gives it an intrinsic value that we tend to ignore. These are not a mundane day to day events; they are magical and mystical aspects of nature’s clock that is ticking silently all around us. They are part of our living throbbing earth. If we fail to enjoy these wondrous aspects of Nature our lives will always remain empty. Once we realise that the wilderness has a value all its own, this puts man in his rightful role as a custodian of nature rather than an exploiter. The next time you wish to remember the beauty of nature, visit a wilderness area, a forest, lakeside, waterfall, or seashore untouched by man. You will realize how magnificent the earth actually is. Without the wilderness, the earth would be a sad bleak human-dominated landscape. Unless we begin to see the ecological values of the wilderness, an ethic for its conservation cannot become part of our daily lives. And without the wilderness, the earth will soon become unliveable for living beings.

The concept of ‘Karma’ is based on the thinking that the soul moves from man to animal and in reverse depending on one’s actions. This itself brings about a concept of the oneness of all forms of life. Ahimsa or non-violence towards life which includes all plants and animals provides India with its basic philosophy which early Hindu philosophers and later sages such as Buddha, Mahavir and Mahatma Gandhi spoke of. Buddhist and Jain philosophy is intrinsically woven around non-violence and the great value of all forms of ‘life’. It brings in the notion that animals are not to be viewed purely for their utility value but are a part of the earth’s oneness which is linked with our own lives as well. In Hindu philosophy, the earth itself is respected and venerated. In contrast, in Western thought Nature is to be subjugated and used. These are basic differences in thinking processes. Several modern philosophers in the West have now begun to see these eastern patterns of thought as a new basis for human development. This shift, however, from purely utilitarian or scientific exploitation of Nature to one of harmony with Nature, can only occur if each of us loves and respects nature’s great ‘oneness’.

3. The Gandhian way of life: ‘Man’s needs but not his greed can be supported by our earth’. Mahatma Gandhi was always keen on caring for the environment and educating as many people as possible. Gandhi believed in simplistic living to save our earth’s resources. He once said that if India was to become an industrial nation on the lines of England, the world itself would be stripped bare of its resources by India’s people alone.

4. Education in nature – The Shanti Niketan model: Rabindranath Tagore founded Shanti Niketan and taught an environment-based philosophy. Tagore’s philosophy of education focused attention on the need for a harmonious association between human beings and their environment. To achieve this, he relied on exposing young people to nature. Tagore linked these concepts with celebrations of nature through music, dance, drama and poetry. At Shanti Niketan, there were celebrations for each season and ceremonial tree planting. He started Vriksharopan way back in 1928.