Prevention vs Cure
"We have a window of only 10 to 15 years to take the steps we need to avoid crossing catastrophic tipping points" -Tony Blair, Prime Minister, UK (October, 2006) Michael A. Cremo and Mukunda Dasa Goswami, in their classic book ‘Divine Nature’, explain the paradox of environment preservation: “A group of parents, concerned about the health of their children, will hold a demonstration to remove a toxic-waste dump in the neighborhood. Some say this local, grass-roots approach is the most effective kind of environmental action. In 1991, Hare Krishna members in Poland led a successful grass-roots movement to halt the opening of an environmentally harmful dolomite quarry. But for every grass-roots group that succeeds, dozens fail to overcome the forces arrayed against them. And even if there’s success in some particular effort, it has little impact overall. If protesters stop a toxic-waste dump from being set up in one place, it will be set up in another. And the factories that produce the toxic waste will be kept in business by the protesters themselves, who buy what the factories turn out. Furthermore, intense commitment to limited goals and political attempts to achieve them may blind us to the need for the overall spiritual transformation of society.” They continue, “The bigger environmental action organizations, seeking more influence, stage national and even global events, such as Earth Day. They also lobby local, state, and national governments to adopt policies and regulations meant to help solve environmental problems. Many people question the ultimate usefulness of this approach, which has been called “reform environmentalism.” It may do some limited good in controlling and reducing pollution, but it leaves intact the whole polluting apparatus of the worldwide industrial society. Also, gains achieved through lobbying and political action can be reversed by the lobbying and political action of others, especially action appealing to economic self-interest. A better approach is to strive for the overall spiritualization of society. With a deep, spiritual change of heart, a permanent change of goals and values, environmental reform would take place as a by-product, almost automatically.” |