Page 19 - Abhivruddhi
P. 19
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
19