When
we think of Globalization, the mutual cooperation of the countries of the world
for their economic growth prominently comes to our mind. Other aspects of human
life, viz. social, cultural, intellectual, and religious, etc. are viewed as
consequential aspects of human global interaction aimed at economic and
commercial growth.
Globalization has resulted in fresh concerns for social and
cultural adjustments, and religious tolerance. We cannot say that all is well
in this matter. We must admit that in our enthusiasm for enhancing our
abilities for achieving our economic goals we have overlooked the age old
theory of ‘living locally’ that had ever been our time tested practice for
preserving the quality of our lives.
In life efforts for survival begin from the day one is born.
Structuring of human societies, formation of cultures, and evolution of
religions, etc. are a long drawn process that follows and get settled gradually.
The man slowly gets accustomed to them and adopts them as his way of life. If
he is suddenly uprooted from his immediate soundings he loses his rhythm like a
fish pulled out of the water, still he desperately tries ‘to live’ making many
adjustments. Often, he gives up his efforts and tries to live somehow in the
partial void thus created around him.
But, that is not the way the human race can achieve what it
wants to achieve. The thought of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the whole
world is one family) accepted by ancient Indian philosophy does not enlarge
man’s field of operation; it enlarges his vision and tells the humanity to
trust in the ‘oneness’ of the entire human race. This thought is about giving a
pragmatic shape to the spiritual concept of the man’s ‘oneness’ with the
timeless infinite universal continuum.
Those who manage the modern world are a ‘restless’ lot. The
strains in social adjustments, cultural irritations and religious intolerances
have already begun to surface, much before satisfactory fructification of
globalization efforts.
Perhaps, I am not competent enough to offer a solution to the
problem, but, I do think that we are not clueless about it. What was it that
made India a birthplace of multiple religions, including ‘Buddhist Religion’
having more followers outside India than in India itself? What was it that made
India accept those who invaded it as its ‘honorable’ rulers when they (the
invaders) stopped violent interference with its social structure, culture and
religion and intended to become a part of India? What was it that made India
successfully revolt against those who tried to snatch away the freedom of
living and working of its people, without any violent action, when they acted
like masters without becoming a part of India? We all know that there are no
signs of any degeneration in Indian society. In fact, it is trying to evaluate
its present status with respect to what is called ‘modern’ by today’s world.
Perhaps, it was the clarity of the thought that we are all
alike, born and brought up in different places and in different circumstances
over which we had no control, having our own way of viewing the things and
arriving at our own conclusions. Perhaps, it was the confidence that if there
was any defect in our way of viewing things and an error in the conclusions
drawn thereby, it can be rectified. Perhaps, it was a trust in the universal
law that stated that there was nothing in the universe that was not subject to
change, except the Entity that was responsible of creation, sustenance and the
end of this universe.
Understanding the philosophy of globalization and its up
gradation with the help of real life experimentation s is a job that must be performed
by us while we are trying expanding our immediate surroundings. And, whenever,
we happen to come across a challenge that we cannot overcome due to human limitations,
we must opt for a change that gives us greater peace of mind. We have learned
that material growth has a limited role to play in human life.
PROMOD KUMAR SHARMA
[The writer of this blog is also the author of “Mahatma A
Scientist of the Intuitively Obvious” and “In Search of Our Wonderful Words”.]
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