Once I moved out of the comfort of high school, problems concerning the society started to become visible. Economic, social and political problems were suddenly everywhere. People are in a constant fight to live, to earn a living and maintain a family. This constitutes to a majority of the population in India. There is the creamy elite and the rich middle-class of India who are in a whole different world of smartphones and German cars!
I got to travel a lot of Southern India, thanks to the research project I was assisting. This opened up my mind to the disparity of wealth that exists in the country. All the reports, articles and books I had read about wealth disparity, started to come to life!
The greatest luxury we have is that we are confident about our next meal!
As the thought process on how to solve the disparity in wealth, when one is staying in a capitalistic market, lead me to this idea.
Its known that when the people at the bottom of the pyramid are working for their living, the rich are haunting the luxuries. What happens when the rich get greedy about human needs? By human needs I mean Air, Water, Food, Shelter and Clothing. The rich are greedy for better air- they can buy hybrids, reduce carbon emission etc. The rich are greedy for food- help the farmer grow better. They are greedy for better clothing- finance the thousands of garment workers. So with their greed of needs increasing the whole society is developing, and to an extent disparity is reduced.
But this is Utopian. How can we draw a line for human greed? If there is anything as infinite as the human imagination, its his greed. Even in the wildest futures, the above thought materializes, will the farmer/garment worker be satisfied with what he has?
I feel the concept of "Greed for Needs" is a step which can at least lead the consumerist society in spending for the betterment of the society. What can be the solution? Marx's vision is impossible now. This time when we have fallen, tangled, knotted deep in the abyss of Capitalism.
I got to travel a lot of Southern India, thanks to the research project I was assisting. This opened up my mind to the disparity of wealth that exists in the country. All the reports, articles and books I had read about wealth disparity, started to come to life!
The greatest luxury we have is that we are confident about our next meal!
As the thought process on how to solve the disparity in wealth, when one is staying in a capitalistic market, lead me to this idea.
Its known that when the people at the bottom of the pyramid are working for their living, the rich are haunting the luxuries. What happens when the rich get greedy about human needs? By human needs I mean Air, Water, Food, Shelter and Clothing. The rich are greedy for better air- they can buy hybrids, reduce carbon emission etc. The rich are greedy for food- help the farmer grow better. They are greedy for better clothing- finance the thousands of garment workers. So with their greed of needs increasing the whole society is developing, and to an extent disparity is reduced.
But this is Utopian. How can we draw a line for human greed? If there is anything as infinite as the human imagination, its his greed. Even in the wildest futures, the above thought materializes, will the farmer/garment worker be satisfied with what he has?
I feel the concept of "Greed for Needs" is a step which can at least lead the consumerist society in spending for the betterment of the society. What can be the solution? Marx's vision is impossible now. This time when we have fallen, tangled, knotted deep in the abyss of Capitalism.
No comments:
Post a Comment