Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment

[sushil yadav]

Regarding Industrialization there is an important point to be noted. Modern Industrial Society has existed for 100 years - 200 years - 300 years. When we compare this period with the total duration for which human society has existed on earth this period is so short - so small that it almost does'nt exist. It is almost zero.

Material things don't bring peace and happiness. Today billions of people have got things which even Kings did not have in the past. Car, computer, television, fridge, telephone - no King ever had these things. But people are still restless and unhappy. The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems - besides destroying the environment. Our Minds cannot be spiritual or peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be spiritual or peaceful if we destroy Nature.

Consumerist-Lifestyle is just not sustainable. If we do not immediately return to living a very simple and frugal life then very soon there will be no human life on earth.


Think Positive.

Psychologists say -- Think Positive.
Politicians say – Think Positive.
Economists say – Think Positive.
Scientists say – Think Positive.
Everyone says – Think Positive.

Arctic ice is melting – Glaciers are melting – Rivers are drying up.
Think Positive.

Fish population in Oceans is down to 1/3 of what it was 100 years ago.
Think Positive.

Pollution levels are going sky-high and valley-deep.
Think Positive.

There used to be millions of members in most species of Animals and Birds. Now they are down to thousands and hundreds.
Think Positive.

Weather is getting more and more irregular and unpredictable.
Think Positive.


Thinking positive is the height of insanity.
Thinking positive is the height of abnormality.

This is a world that has become completely incapable of feeling Pain, Compassion, Remorse and Guilt.
The planet is getting destroyed moment by moment – and people are thinking positive.

Very soon there will be 1 Animal and 1 Tree left in this world – and people will still be thinking positive.

They will be holding Seminars, Conferences and Global-Summits to save the Environment.


There is an important point which the human-species needs to understand. People think they can save the Environment by doing something.

We can never save the environment by doing something.

It is overactivity that has destroyed environment in the first place.

Human-species is the only one out of millions of species that has indulged in overactivity on this planet [ And for this very reason the human species is going to exist on earth for the least amount of time]

And it is not Mild Overactivity – It is Excessive Overactivity – Exponential Overactivity.

We cannot save the environment by doing something.

We can only save it by doing less of what we have been doing - much less of what we have been doing.

If we want to save environment we will have to reduce human activity [overactivity] by 99%.


There was a time when Man used to say –

I work in order to feed my family.
I work in order to put Food on the Table.

Today man is putting a lot more than Food on the Table.

Cars, Computers, ipods, Aeroplanes, 200 TV Channels, Luxury Yatchs, Caribbean Vacations, Palatial Homes, Video Phones, Designer Clothes, Designer Drugs, Cosmetic Surgery …………… The list is endless.

Man is putting thousands of consumer goods and services on the Table.
There is too much weight on the Table.
And the Table has begun to creak.

The more you put on your table the more you take out from the mouths of Animals and Birds.

The more you put on your table the more you kill Animals and Trees.

The more you put on your table the more you kill Water, Air and Land.

The more you put on your table the more you kill Mountains and Valleys.

The more you put on your table the more you kill the Sky and Oceans - the Rivers and Lakes.


There are so many things on the Table that one can barely see the Food.

We need just a few things to live.
And we are making thousands of things.

Billions of people are engaged in making, buying and selling of thousands of consumer goods.

Destroy Shopping Culture.
Destroy Industrial Society.

Go back to Simple Living.
Go back to putting just Food on the Table.

sushil_yadav

[NickJW]

Sorry but your some kind of crazy hippie psycho. If you hate technology and science and industry and societyso much, why are you using a computer? Seriously, prove to me your not a hypocrit and throw your computer, TV, phone and everything else out your window, oh and don't forget to neglect the electricity bills, you don't need electricity, you have nature and -20 degree weather instead. Come on now be practical, if everything were the way you want it, you would be totally screwed. the quality of your life would not be anywhere near the quality it is now if it weren't for INDUSTRY, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY and the LOGICAL thinking it took to get all those great things.

[sushil yadav]

And what do you think I am using the computer for?
Am I using it for fun?
Am I using it for Business?

No - I am using it for a purpose - for a cause - for saving the environment.
If the environment were not getting destroyed I would not be needing the computer for spreading my message[article].

The rate of destruction of environment is alarming - it is so high that Nature will be destroyed beyond recovery within the next 15 - 20 years.

Under these circumstances what do you expect me to do - send my article by pigeon-mail?

sushil_yadav

[NickJW]

Maybe you should use pigeon mail. It will be just as effective as this in actually changing any of these problems. And no, the world will not be destroyed in 20 years, did you forget that animals and trees reproduce? Maybe I would take you a little more seriously if any of the things you say would make sense.

[sushil yadav]

The article is beyond your level - it is beyond your grasp - it is beyond your capacity to understand. I suggest you do a search on the topic to see that it is being read and understood by thousands of people. I would also like to add that most of the forums where I have posted have got moderators who would have removed the article if the content was not good enough or relevant to the forum.

sushil_yadav

[Lighthouse]

Sorry but your some kind of crazy hippie psycho.

Hmmm... that seems like an emotional statement.  Who are you talking about here?  Yourself?   :WTF:

[NickJW]

I admit that comment was uncalled for, but it dosen't change the fact that what Sushil is saying is completely absurd. We can't just demolish society and technology and expect life to be great. It sounds to me like what you want is the apocalypse or something and I find that quite offensive. Sushil is very ungrateful for what science, technology and society have given her and that is also offensive. Going back to the dark ages is not a fun idea. Its not like people who read this article are gonna go do something about it, becasue in order for them to change society in the way Sushil wants it someone would have to drop a few nukes all over the world. If you look back in history, there was much more warfare in the past and in the end your 'ideal' society would cause more carnage and death than it does now. War also promotes technology so with our technology plus the new technology of a warring planet you would end the life span of this planet exponentially quicker. Earth isn't gonna last forever, but you want a change when it is not needed, and you have the wrong idea of what this change should be. You have lived your whole life in an advanced society and you have no idea what it would be like getting rid of technology and society as we know it. You and most people would not survive.

It aslo dosen't change the fact that you are being extremely hypocritical, as you have a computer on your 'table' right now and I'm sure you have many other technological things that you do not need. in fact the only way your not being hypocritical is if you build your own house out of mud and sticks and carve spears to hunt your food with. And that is a fact.

[sushil yadav]

No one is asking people to go back to stone-age. You need to study some history. People did not directly jump from stone-age to Industrial Society. There were thousands of years in between - and people were living pretty well during this period. I repeat from my earlier post - Modern Industrial Society has existed for 100 years - 200 years - 300 years. When we compare this period with the total duration for which human society has existed on earth this period is so short - so small that it almost does'nt exist. It is almost zero.


Lifestyle of Mass Destruction.

Destruction is an inherent feature of Development.

Progress = Destruction of Nature.
Development = Destruction of Nature.

We can have Sustainable Lifestyle.
We cannot have Sustainable Development.

Development can never be sustainable.
Sustainability and Development cannot exist together.

Development and Sustainability are opposites.
Development and Sustainability are contradictory.

Sustainable Living is associated with consuming less – being satisfied with a simple and frugal life.
Development is associated with never ending desires – always wanting more.

Sustainable lifestyle requires Constancy.
Sustainable lifestyle requires Sameness.
Sustainable lifestyle requires Repetition.

Development is associated with Change.
Development is associated with New.
Development is associated with Transience.

Industrial Societies can never be sustainable – When you make thousands of consumer goods you kill Nature - you kill Animals, Trees, Air, Water and Land.

A Society that does mental work [city based] can never be sustainable - it will keep on making consumer goods - destroying the environment moment by moment.

Only agriculture-based societies that do physical work can be sustainable.


The term Sustainable Development is like the terms

Stationary Walk.
Silent Talk.
Wakeful Sleep.
Dark Sun
Gentle Torture.
Dry Rain.
Peaceful War.

sushil_yadav

[NickJW]

Perhaps you should read some history, did the Ice Age Cro-magnums of europe live good? No. Did the Roman people live good when there country was in civil war? No. Did we have a just society in the ancient world? No. Do you think the people were not being oppressed during the duration of the dark Ages? No. In fact, the early mesopatamians had an average lifespan of 40 years, and this was after they invented agriculture 12 000 years ago. The lifesapn was even shorter before agriculture sparked civilization. The fact of the matter is, is if we started going backwards the new generations would grow up in a more primitive world, and they would begin to have more primitive thoughts, just like the some of the ancient peoples and are society would be less just. Not to mention without things like medical science and technology, you can expect to die from getting the flu and other diseases with would normally be asily cured today. Industry is having a negative effect on the earth, but that means that industry itself just needs to be more responsible, not be completely wiped off the face of the earth.

[dingo]

The term Sustainable Development is like the terms

Stationary Walk.
Silent Talk.
Wakeful Sleep.
Dark Sun
Gentle Torture.
Dry Rain.
Peaceful War.

You sir, talk nonsense. What do you know of sustainability? What do you know of development? You say agriculture is sustainable - more often than not it isn't! You have to be very careful about how you farm land to ensure it is sustainable. Development doesn't neccessarily mean more pollution either - current developments are reducing the output of pollution and making technologies more efficient. What about developments in other areas - political developments, educational developments - are you saying the development of the Roman empire was a bad thing? Don't say "What did the romans ever do for us?" - just check google.. They brought us education, enforced laws, etc. etc.
Just saying developments always result in the destruction of nature is not good enough - you must support your conjecture with evidence.
What if we didn't have the healthcare that modern technology provides us? This is probably the most important aspect of technology we have. Without it, the total population of the Earth would probably be in the millions rather than the billions - we'd just be another animal species living and dying at the mercy of the environment.

[NickJW]

Finally, some one else who has a head on their shoulders. I didn't mean that the Roman Empire was a bad thing, I just used it as an example of how destroying industry would set us back and our quality of life would be like the Romans or worse (obviously we have a better quality of life than ancient peoples). The Romans did do alot for us, heck they nearly sparked an industrial age 2000 years ago.

[sushil yadav]

Life was never good in the past.

Life will never be good in future.

Life can never be good.

Suffering is a part of life - an inherent feature of life. Suffering can never be eliminated.

There is Physical suffering - There is Mental suffering.

In pre-industrial society there were physical diseases caused by virus and bacteria.
In modern society there are hundreds of lifestyle related physical diseases - Cancer, Stroke, Diabetes, Obesity, Multiple Organ Failures.


Mental suffering will always exist. It exists in agrarian society. It exists in industrial society. As soon as we stop working we experience mental suffering.

We avoid mental suffering by working ceaselessly.

There is no higher purpose behind work.

People do not work because they want to work.
People work because they cannot stop working.

The energy generated by the food we eat forces us to work ceaselessly.

Energy = Energy[Physical Work] + Energy[Mental Work] + Energy[Suffering/ Subjective Experience]

All three energies on the right side are inversely proportional to one another.

When we do hard physical work or hard mental work or a combination of physical work and mental work almost all energy is used up in doing work.

When we stop physical work and mental work the unused energy is experienced as suffering/ anxiety/ restlessness/ discomfort. This suffering is so intense - so unbearable - that most people cannot stop physical activity and mental activity simultaneously for even 2 minutes.

People do not work because they want to work.
People do not work for their family.
People do not work for their nation.
People do not work for any reason.

People work because they cannot stop working.

It does not matter what kind of work we do - whether it is physical work or any kind of mental work. As soon as we stop working we suffer from restlessness, anxiety, uneasiness and discomfort.

[ In Yoga and Meditation the goal is to stop Physical Activity and Mental Activity simultaneously - and then transform the subjective-experience of restlessness/ anxiety/ suffering into peace. This requires ability and years of effort ]

For most people it is a choice between physical and mental work.
The switch-over from physical work to mental work is disastrous for the planet.

Man can do the same physical work every day.
Man cannot do the same mental work every day.

When man used to do physical work ( farming and related activities ) he could do the same repetitive work day after day- generation after generation.

After the Industrial Revolution when man switched-over to mental work he began a never ending process of making new machines / things / products-- a process which can only end with the complete destruction of environment ( planet ).

When society switches over from physical work to mental work it starts making thousands of consumer goods. People start calling them necessities. They are not necessities at all - 90% of consumer goods that we see today did not exist 50 years ago.

Food, Water, Air, Little clothing, Little Shelter - these are necessities.

Close your nose and stop breathing for a few minutes - you will then know what necessity is.

Stop drinking water for a few days - you will then know what necessity is.

Stop eating food for a few days - you will then know what necessity is.

Today people are making thousands of consumer goods - not because they are necessities - but because they cannot stop making them. People cannot stop doing work - After switching over to mental work they will keep on making thousands of unnecessary consumer goods. This is the reason why the switch-over from physical work to mental work is so destructive. This is the point of no-return - once this is crossed the destruction of Environment/ Nature is inevitable.

If we live a simple life there is individual suffering - but no largescale destruction of Environment.

If we live a consumerist life there is individual suffering - plus largescale destruction of Environment.



I would like to inform all readers that I have made some additions to the article "Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment". To read the modified article please follow any of these links :

PowerSwitch
EnviroLink
StrategyTalk

sushil_yadav
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment

[AndrewTheSinger]

sushil yadav, you sound exactly like I did some 6 years ago, and I also heard the same things you're hearing now. It's not that I stopped believing, or even conformed, no, but I learned that the message goes to everyone or no one. No one is happy with the abuse of the resources and the contamination of the environment, but euphoric words won't change the course of things. The best you can do is become a living example for the others, and hopefully they will follow, but even if they don't, know in your mind that you're doing the best that you can, and that's the most you can wish for. You're really not alone in this.

 

[Sharpe]

You know, i'm too tired for writing a huge list of why the crazy hippie is true.
So trust me, he's right in every way. But there are a few flaws in his solution, but...like i said, i'm too tired.

[sushil yadav]

If you hate technology and science and industry and societyso much, why are you using a computer? Seriously, prove to me your not a hypocrit and throw your computer, TV, phone and everything else out your window, oh and don't forget to neglect the electricity bills, you don't need electricity, you have nature and -20 degree weather instead.

Mr. Expert Opinion,

Yes, I am using the computer - but I am using very few other things.

How many consumer goods and services are you using?

Would you like to compare your ecological footprint with mine?

Let us find out who is a bigger burden on earth.



sushil_yadav
PowerSwitch
EnviroLink
StrategyTalk
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment