Page 19 - Abhivruddhi
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for the welfare of the society.
            In  this  interpretation,  there  is  a  beautiful  confluence  of  both,  the
          exact needs of the Indian economy and the spirituality-based method of
          meeting them. The real question is how we will achieve this goal.


            What is the model of development?


            There are two major models for economic development in the world
          today. One model is capitalism, and the other model is communism.
          Capitalism allows every person to create as much wealth as he wants and
          to enjoy that wealth unrestrictedly. It is a sign of capitalism that there
          should be no restrictions on the individual while creating this wealth. The
          prosperity we see in America today is a product of the model of capitalism.
          Prosperity created in almost all European countries during the medieval
          period was achieved through capitalism and feudalism. In this method,
          the principle of Might is Right is accepted. It has been recognized that
          those who are able, have the right to exploit others, to deceive others, and
          if possible to increase their own prosperity by destroying or enslaving
          other cultures and other societies. As a result, the United States, with
          only 4 percent of the world’s population, has accumulated 40 percent of
          the world’s wealth, resulting in starvation in almost all countries in the
          Southern Hemisphere.(Amartya Sen,2011)  In the United States itself,
          10 percent of the people have accumulated 90 percent of their wealth.
          (Amartya Sen,2011) Even in such a large and prosperous nation, millions
          of people are unemployed and starving, and capitalism has no answer to
          this problem. Capitalism is neither ideologically nor practically able to
          fulfill the needs of every individual.
            Capitalists exploit nature as much as they want to make their economic
          progress. This has created huge pollution in all elements of nature like air,
          water, and food. Poor countries are being hit the hardest by this pollution.
          Nature’s biodiversity is being brutally destroyed, and the balance of the
          environment is rapidly deteriorating. If this continues for a long time,
          human life will  be in danger. But capitalism has no way of stopping the
          decline of human life. Therefore, India cannot afford to adopt this model
          of development.
            Another  model of  development  is  communism.  Communism  has
          been experimented with, by Russia and Russian occupied Eastern
          European countries, as well as in China, North Korea, Laos and other
          South Asian countries. The basic principle of  communism is that the

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