As usual it was one of the days I chanced to start hearing Ram Dass. Funnilly I had no deasire to listening it either. I was actaully testing the voice control in iPhone 3GS.
And as it has been so many times these few minutes of his talk has so profund effect on me, so many times it even astonishes me. It brings an inner calm but more importantnly gets me think on levels which by Barlows Philopsoly is Self Actualization.
On this self actualization that it came to me was the Eternal talks of Brahminism of Gita vs the Materialistic/Sceintific talk which the western philoosphy talks about.
It becomes even more pertinent for a person like me who was really western/scientific growing up with non-materialistic belief/Gita. THough even being an atheist Gita and its rationalization always echoed some deeper thoughs.
But when one comes back to the real world it is sceintific/western thoughts that make more sense. A though proces in which the person is the creator of his destiny. The more cause analysis. And though I would not say the western lifestyle is completly scientific but it certainly adherse to semi-sceinctific of Economics. Where production of more goods even though it might pollute the enviroment makes better economcal sense. Where a mother puts her Kid to care home and goes to work leads to bigger econmics. Or even at very extent a smoker actaully is better economically.
On the other side was the eastern philosophy. A belief in Maya. The transientness of materialism. Where Physical -> Mental -> Spiritualism in that order is given more significant.
And these two philosphies one over two thousand years old and the other new but nascent lived together. And coming from one in which growing up we always were inticed to the other. As it has the materialistic galmour. A more tangible success than a more mental happniess.
And htese two philosophies always torn me.
But as we have seen the biggest challenge is how can this
But as I see the fault in sustanibility of the western model of lifestyle. One comes to understand of the gems of the eastern philosophy. Philosophy and lifestyle that have given a model and fairly economical lifestyle for thousand of years. But as has been told
So many of thoughs that I grew up but as it did not have the rational tag I was not attracted to now is being trued by sceintific thoughts. Yoga (when the first British saw Yogis they laughed at semi-naked malnurished human) and vegetrian lifestyle and its health benefit.
But more importantly in limitation of good consuming lifestyle which the western though process has produced. Best captured by philosopher Wade Davis “You are either a person or property” 11th hour, captures the materialistic way of how western economic model has worked so far. Again might of Biblical think that on the last day God created Man. So humans can control nature. And manifest destiny, . As we live in human created enviroment, and somehow as we were smarter than others we could exploit them. Where we create nature as a commadity,. And after the more eveil side of this came in 18th century where nature was made to look as endless expansion. As earlier we had to depend on enery which came from recent sunlight stored in agriculture. But in Industrial revolution we tapped in "Old Sun stored in Coal and Oil". See the main thoughts from 12 minute of 11th hour.
The only depressing aspect of it all is as the western thought process adopt so many of the Indian lifestyle, Indian are happy to jump to the bandwagon which the westerns after living for 50 odd years are ready to give up and adopt thought process which were know as fact in eastern philosophy.
