== CITIES: A CROWDED APPROACH ==
Namaskar,
Nowadays this planet earth is going through a distinct transition. We
all know that the pole-shifting is underway and becoming more pronounced
every day. That is one aspect. And one of the intrinsic precursors to
this monumental shift is the increasing occurrence of more and more
natural disasters. This is what we are witnessing today.
Indeed hardly a week goes by where an earthquake, hurricane, or tropical
storm does not wreak havoc somewhere. And we know such disasters are
only going to become more and more prevalent. This fact each and every
Ananda Margii knows.
THE SOCIETY MUST GROW
At the same time we have to develop the society in the best way
possible. And for this Baba has given Prout-- which as we know advocates
decentralization. Where each and every local community or area is
self-sufficient in the socio-economic spheres.
TOTAL NEGATIVITY OF CAPITALISM
Unfortunately, today the vast majority of the world has been built up
around the capitalistic model-- where everything is focused on the city
centers. Because by this way they can best exploit the masses.
Baba says, "Capitalists want to produce commodities at the lowest costs
and sell them at the highest profits. To produce commodities cheaply,
there must be efficient transportation, cheap raw materials, cheap
labour, cheap energy, adequate water supply, etc. No matter what form
capitalism takes -- individual capitalism, group capitalism or state
capitalism -- capitalists will always prefer centralised production. All
these forms of capitalism are inwardly the same. Thousands of industries
have grown up like mushrooms around Calcutta, Bombay, Ahmedabad, Delhi,
Kanpur and Madras in India due to this capitalistic mentality." (PNS-16,
p.62)
And this uncontrolled growth of industries in cities has happened across
the face of the earth: From Sao Paolo to Los Angeles, from Tokyo to
Madrid, from Cape Town to Hong Kong, from Sydney to Mexico City. All
these industrial centers grew up "like mushrooms" and suffer from all
the ill-effects of centralisation such as extreme financial inequality
and huge racial disparities. And not just that, the negativity of city
life gets expressed in countless ways.
Baba says, "There are also many other adverse effects of industrial
centralisation. For example, in large cities it is difficult for people
to remain healthy because of the scarcity of fresh fruits, vegetables
and milk. Immorality and corruption are rampant. Thieves, criminals,
drug addicts, alcoholics and anti-social elements easily conceal
themselves, and prey on innocent people. Malnutrition, air pollution and
water pollution, to name just a few problems, also exist. All large
industrial centres presently suffer from these problems." (Prout-16, p.63)
Thus the problems of city life are numerous and complex.
NO ESCAPE
Plus, in this era especially one other definite loophole is that when
natural disasters and calamities strike then it is very difficult for
the people in the cities to manage. Of course natural disasters which
occur anywhere are difficult. But usually the people in the countryside
can manage alright. Whereas when disaster strikes in the cities then the
city dwellers just get stuck & trapped there amongst the rubble with no
hope of being safe or getting proper water or food. So this is one
on-going and impending problem for most countries around the globe. And
we are going to see the negative effects of this more and more.
So in this capitalist era innocent people got sucked into the cities
because there were no jobs in the countryside, small towns, or villages.
The capitalists lassoed everyone into the cities-- where common citizens
could be systematically exploited by top capitalists. This was the
negative capitalist game plan-- to pile and squeeze a huge amount of
people into a small place and profit from them all. And this we have
seen. Due to this abnormal population density, when natural disasters
inevitably strike in those city centers, then that'll spell tragedy for
the common mass.
To avert all this as much as possible, we should step by step follow
Baba's Prout theory of decentralisation.
Baba says, "Maximum socio-economic decentralisation is essential to
ensure the social and economic liberation of human beings." (Prout)
CAPITALISM CANNOT DIVORCE ITSELF FROM CITY LIFE
IMPENDING DOOM OF CAPITALISM
However the capitalists cannot even conceive of decentralisation. They
have absolutely no inkling of this.
Baba says, "Capitalism will never support decentralisation, because
capitalist production exists to maximize profits" which such cheating
capitalists can do best in city life. (PNS-16)
Hence in capitalism there must be cities. That is how they exploit
everyone. Hence cities and capitalism are inseparable. And as the
extreme problems in cities continues to rise and go out of control, then
this will be the death toll of capitalism. This is one of the reasons
why capitalism collapses.
BABA'S BLESSING:
PROUT HAS ALL THE ANSWERS
By Baba's grace though in our Marga we are moving in this direction of
Proutistic decentralisation through our Master Units, cooperatives, and
countryside living. And as Baba says this is the road to success.
Baba says, "PROUT is the panacea for the integrated progress of human
society. It aims to bring about equilibrium and equipoise in all aspects
of socio-economic life through totally restructuring economics. Without
PROUT, socio-economic emancipation will remain a utopian dream. Only
PROUT can save the world." (PE)
Namaskar,
Ishvara
Note 1: MORE EVILS OF THE CAPITALISTIC CITY MODEL
Baba says, "Urban civilisation is one of the chief reasons of moral
degeneration because many people are compelled to live undesirably in
small, congested places. This is inimical to morality." (AFPS-2, p.13)
Baba says "Cities become dens of corruption because of anti-social
elements, but generally such things are not noticeable in villages. In
villages everybody knows everyone else. Everybody knows the livelihood
of their neighbours. But even after twenty years of living in a city
people seldom get acquainted with their neighbours. They don't even know
that there are many swindlers lurking in their midst." (PNS-15,
'Dialectical Materialism')
Note 2: MORE BENEFITS OF PROUTISTIC DECENTRALISATION
Baba says, "From the economic viewpoint decentralisation is an absolute
necessity. With the exception of heavy industries and essential
government offices, all industry should be shifted to the villages. To
stop overcrowding in the cities this is the only feasible approach.
Villages are not congested, so anti-social people will not be able to
hide themselves there. If they try, the police can easily detect them."
(AFPS-2, p.14)
Baba says, "In a decentralised economy, people do not have to leave
their homes to work in an industry, and consequently they are saved from
the expenditure of maintaining two establishments. Moreover,
decentralisation increases the possibility of saving labour, because
people can earn their livelihood while simultaneously taking care of
their household responsibilities." (PNS-16, p.61)
Note 3: THE POLE SHIFT HAS STARTED
Baba says, "Do you feel that the seasonal order is changing and has been
disturbed? The North Pole is moving closer to the tropical regions and
the South Pole is coming closer to the western hemisphere on the
opposite side of the tropical area. If in the eastern hemisphere the
North Pole moves from north to south and in the western hemisphere the
South Pole moves from south to north, what will be the effect in the
earth's hydro sphere? The polar ice will melt and the ocean levels will
rise. It will have its impact on the tidal waves throughout the globe...
The season is changing -- big climatic changes are taking place."
(Prout-17)
Note 4: NO NEED TO FEAR...HUMANITY WILL RISE
Baba says, "[When] a catastrophe comes, the human intellect will be able
to overcome such a catastrophe... Let humanity rise, and let this
development of humanity be more and more spiritually-oriented." (AFPS-7)
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Physical Food and Future
Baba says, "Future generations will spend more of their time and energy
on subtle psychic and psycho-spiritual activities, so their demand for
physical food will decrease." (PNS-13, p.47)
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