Capitalist society in disarray – Buddhist compassion, right livelihood and Buddhist banking/economics is the answer
Posted on October 11th, 2016
Shenali D Waduge
7 billion populace live in 195 countries. Some countries are rich others are poor – all countries are in debt. People are obsessed with wealth. Media projects the notion that wealth is the answer to all. Films aggravate situation by glorifying the lifestyles of the elite. Even those who preach the faith are shown as ‘prosperity preachers’. Size is shown as a qualifier. The phrase the American Dream” reveals how materialistic we are. Sadly, no matter how big our homes are and no matter how many shiny new toys we accumulate, we never seem to be happy. The world needs peace, more compassion and a new economic order that departs from creating disparities. We need to take a serious step back and move towards a more harmonious means of living.
The capitalist model concentrates power and money in the hands of a few. We live in a materialistic world where acquisition becomes the norm. Sadly, studies reveal that buying things does not make people happy. Liberal experiments have turned cultures upside down and created zombie cultures which people are made to follow as the latest trends. People are experimenting and making wrong choices and eventual discovery of truth leads them to greater depression.
Capitalist ideology is controlled by a handful of elites through organizations that they control – the IMF and World Bank are western controlled oligarchies. Their loans are conditional and subject to a government reducing welfare to people in need, structural adjustments force privatization, massive tax cuts for the rich, the crushing of trade unions, deregulation and opening economy to what suits external investors, IMF even forces removal of controls over flows of capital.
Freedom from trade unions and collective bargaining means the freedom to suppress wages. Freedom from regulation means the freedom to poison rivers & pollute environment, endanger workers, charge iniquitous rates of interest and design exotic financial instruments. Freedom from tax means freedom from the distribution of wealth that lifts people out of poverty. Marketisation of public services such as energy, water, trains, health, education, roads and prisons has enabled corporations to charge for its use.
Neoliberalism has impacted countries politically. No person without money can contest elections. No political parties can survive without throwing money. Money buys votes and even voters. Those funding campaigns do so expecting returns with interest!
Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister with his decision to ban Rothschild banking became the 1st European nation to even close down the IMF office in Hungary.
Let’s look at what the world looks like..
The wealthiest one percent now have 65 times more wealth than the entire poorest half of the global population does. The ultra-wealthy have approximately 32 trillion dollars (that we know about) stashed in offshore banks around the planet.
The poorest half of the world’s population only owns about 1 percent of all global wealth, and about a billion people throughout the world go to bed hungry every night.
An article in the Economic Collapse says U.S. economy loses approximately 9,000 jobs for every 1 billion dollars of goods that are imported from overseas.
US trade deficit is $8trillion! More than 102 million working age Americans do not have a job. Today, only about 9 percent of the jobs in the United States are manufacturing jobs. Everything is getting outsourced overseas. In 1950, more than 80 percent of all men in the United States had jobs. Today, less than 65 percent of all men in the United States have jobs. In 1985, US trade deficit with China was approximately $6million in 2012 US trade deficit with China was $315billion.
In Qatar petrol is cheaper than water. There are over 4000 millionaires in Qatar yet poverty prevails.
In Saudi Arabia – the average foreign worker earns as little as $266 a month – there are 9million foreign workers. Saudi unemployment rate is closer to 27 to 29%, rising to 33% among youths between 20 and 24 years and 38% for 24 to 29-year-olds (source ARAMCO employee),
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression (5% of the world population)
The wealthiest one percent of all Americans control 40 percent of all the wealth in the United States. Over a million American families are kicked out of their homes for not paying mortgage. The banks keep the mortgage that they previously paid plus the house as well! The same applies to all other items – stop paying and you forfeit that to the banks. The too big to fail” banks now control 77 percent of all of the banking assets in the country.
The number of millionaires in the United States rose 16% to 7.8 million in 2009. US debt is $18trillion / UK debt is £4.8 trillion
The average American supermarket stocks 40,000 unique items, while European stores have approximately 18,000 items. American cars are much larger than their international counterparts as are all other items.
In 1962, only 13 percent of all Americans were obese today that number is 36%, and likely to rise to 42 percent by 2030. United States has the highest divorce rate in the world. According to Pew Research Center, only 51 percent of all American adults are currently married as compared to 72% in 1960.
According to CBS News, the average American uses 150 gallons of water per day, while residents of the U.K. only use 40 gallons per day and residents of China use just 22 gallons per day.
It is estimated that 75 percent of India’s surface water is now contaminated by human and agricultural waste.
According to a UN study on sanitation, far more people in India have access to a mobile phone than to a toilet.
Some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. That’s about one in nine people on earth. 12.5% of the world population are under nourished. In 2010, an estimated 7.6 million children — more than 20,000 a day — died. 525.6 million in Asia are hungry. 60 percent of the world’s hungry are women. 50% of hungry people are farming families. Cash crops result in exporting food!
Yet, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), says about one third of global food production (around 30 to 40%), is lost or wasted annually. Every year rich countries waste more that 220 million tonnes of food. Institution of Mechanical Engineers say 2bn tonnes of food never makes it on to a plate. The annual food waste in Italy could feed 44 million people – all of Ethiopia’s undernourished population. The annual food waste in France is enough to feed the entire population of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Just five per cent of United States’ food waste could feed 4 million people for one day.
Sadly the Eastern upcoming nations are following the same Western capitalist fundamentals thus the need for these nations to take a pause and not follow the same failed journey of the West.
This is where Buddhist fundamentals can offer a solution and people need not be baptized or give up their faith to follow the fundamental theory of Buddhist ideology.
When Buddhist philosophy urges man to make profits by not harming others no one can go against this, when Buddhist philosophy asks man to engage in right livelihoods without slaughtering animals and treat them as sentient beings, that too cannot be faulted. When Buddhist philosophy encourages people to be more compassionate and kind to all, this too is nothing that people can object to.
Sadly it is Europeans who are again bringing out the concepts of Buddhism. E. F. Schumacher in his book Buddhist Economics,” says Right Livelihood” is one of the requirements of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path”…. Buddhist economics must be very different from the economics of modern materialism, since the Buddhist sees the essence of civilization not in a multiplication of wants but in the purification of human character.”…. The keynote of Buddhist economics, therefore, is simplicity and non-violence.”
The modern Western economist is used to measuring the standard of living” by the amount of annual consumption, assuming all the time that a man who consumes more is better off” than a man who consumes less. A Buddhist economist would consider this approach excessively irrational: since consumption is merely a means to human well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption”
From the point of view of Buddhist economics … production from local resources for local needs is the most rational way of economic life, while dependence on imports from afar and the consequent need to produce for export to unknown and distant peoples is highly uneconomic and justifiable only in exceptional cases and on a small scale.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eo3k-jCHRo
Clair Brown economist at University of Berkeley created a Buddhist Economics course and says that applying Buddhist principles to the way an economy operates would produce an economy designed primarily to meet the needs of people. In the traditional economic model, it makes sense to go shopping if you are feeling pain, because buying things makes you feel better,” Brown wrote in her class syllabus. Yet, we know from experience that consuming more does not relieve pain. What if we lived in a society that did not put consumption at its center? What if we follow instead the Buddhist mandate to minimize suffering, and are driven by compassion rather than desire?”
Thai Buddhist monk and philosopher, P.A. Payutto that one should not be a Buddhist or an economist to be interested in Buddhist economics. Buddhist ethical principles and their applications in economic life offer a way of being and acting, which can help people to live a more ecological and happier life while contributing to the reduction of human and non-human suffering in the world.
The Wall Street Journal carried an article titled Buddhist Monk in Thailand Relies on Karma for Lending Success” – the more a borrower repays, the lower the interest rate will be the next month, unlike at commercial banks, which calculate interest rates at set levels.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/buddhist-monk-in-thailand-relies-on-karma-for-lending-success-1431459001
Why cannot business models be based on Right Livelihood – people can be rich but not at the poverty of others!
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No country is flourishing, all countries are in debt, people are unhappy, environment has also been impacted …everything is on the decline because of man’s greed. We need to return to the concept of small is beautiful, to learn to prioritize people, environment and animals over products and creativity over consumption. Neither capitalism or socialism has provided us answers. The third alternative is Buddhist economics and the concept of right livelihood as well as greater compassion.
With over 535million world Buddhists and many philanthropists as well the onus is on them to come out with a Buddhist economic/banking model that encapsulates all that will help salvage nations, people, animals and the environment. It is advised that the Buddhist associations create a forum for this and come up with a new formula that would become a new breakthrough in a world that is like a volcano ready to erupt. A small town/city can be selected to implement a new economic/banking system that puts people, animals, environment before wealth and greed.
We do not need wars – we need peace, we do not need stress, pressure and depression – we need to relax and be at one with our inner being, we do not need to inflict pain on others because karma will return that pain to us – we need more compassion in the world for all. We do not need greed – it is never ending. We do not need to acquire –it doesn’t bring happiness and we do not take anything when we ultimately depart. Let us all contribute towards a model of living that does not create inequality, imbalances, conflicts and chaos.
Shenali D Waduge
Sources:
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/tag/greed
http://www.trueactivist.com/victory-hungary-becomes-first-european-nation-to-ban-rothschild-banks/
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/raj-patel-value-of-nothing-interview-buddhist-economics/19827037/
October 11th, 2016 at 7:31 pm
Yamapalana GoSL claims refuted by the TNA: WE DO NOT AGREE, No Primacy for Buddhism in Sri Lanka says the TNA!
Who is telling the TRUTH?
BOTH the Yamapalanaya and the TNA Separatistyys are DIGGING THEIR OWN GRAVES!
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Tamil party leader dismisses PM’s claim that all parties agree to give Buddhism foremost place in new constitution
Tue, Oct 11, 2016, 09:15 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Oct 11, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Opposition and main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Monday rejected the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s a claim that the party has agreed to give Buddhism the foremost place in the new constitution.
TNA’s spokesman and Jaffna District Parliamentarian M.A Sumanthiran stressed that his party stands for a secular constitution in the multi-religious country and giving one religion a priority is contrary to basic norms.
“The Tamil National Alliance stands for a secular constitution. In a constitution that gives equality pride of place and assures equal protection of law for everyone – irrespective of race, cast, religion, gender, age etc – a provision which gives one religion the foremost place would be incompatible and contrary to basic norms and we would oppose it,� MP Sumanthiran told Ceylon News in an exclusive interview on Monday.
Speaking at an event Prime Minister Wickremesinghe emphasized that all political parties and leaders of all religious faiths have no issue in giving priority to protect Buddhism in the country and have declared their consent to the provisions given by the Constitution to protect Buddhism.
“All Parties in Parliament today, including the Tamil National Alliance, have agreed to keep the articles protecting Buddhism unchanged in the Sri Lanka Constitution,” the Prime Minister said.
MP Sumanthiran said that the Steering Committee appointed by the Constitutional Assembly has kept for itself certain important issues to discuss and one of those was religion.
Sumanthiran, who is a member of the Steering Committee, said so far only three issues have been discussed. One is the electoral reforms, the other is executive and the third is power-sharing arrangements. “The issue of religion in Constitution is yet to be discussed.”
“And it’s wrong to say that all political parties, including the TNA have given their consent to making Buddhism the foremost religion since we have not even begun discussions on it in the Steering Committee,” the TNA spokesman said.
October 11th, 2016 at 7:49 pm
The TNA has denied the Yamapalana PM’s statement on the PRIMACY of Buddhism.
HELL NO, WE DO NOT AGREE the TNA says!
So, WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH …… the GoSL PM or the TNA??
Is the PM bull shitting the Sinhala Buddhists??
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‘No issue in giving priority to protect Buddhism’, Sri Lankan PM emphasizes
Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 11:50 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Oct 10, Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that all political parties and leaders of all religious faiths have no issue in giving priority to protect Buddhism in the country and have declared their consent to the provisions given by the Constitution to protect Buddhism.
“We do not have a problem with regard to giving priority when protecting Buddhism. All Parties in Parliament today, including the Tamil National Alliance, have agreed to keep the articles protecting Buddhism unchanged in the Sri Lanka Constitution,” the Prime Minister said speaking at an event.
Speaking at a religious program held at the Sedawatte Veheragoda Viharaya in Kolonnawa, the Premier said not only have the political parties expressed their willingness to protect Buddhism, the Catholic Cardinal as well as the Muslim Imams and Hindu Swamis have also accepted the article in the Constitution.
“Some are experts at protecting Buddhism through their words, but are equally adept at destroying the religion through their actions. As a State, the President, myself and all of us, protect Buddhism, not through words, but through our actions,” he said.
The Prime Minister therefore said individuals need not create unnecessary issues over the future of Buddhism under the proposed new constitution.
“Same as protecting Buddhism, it is our duty as citizens of Sri Lanka, to build a Nation where we accept and respect the different religions and cultures as well,” the Premier pointed out.
The Prime Minister highlighted that the international Vesak festival will be held in Sri Lanka next year. The government has also planned to hold a Theravada Buddhist Summit in 2018.
Addressing the gathering Minister of Justice and Buddha Sasana Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that the government is committed to improve Buddhist religious places island wide.
October 11th, 2016 at 8:05 pm
What is DAWNING is the CONSOLIDATION of India’s HEGEMONY over Sri Lanka, with the aiding and abetting of SRi Lankan TRAITORS!
It is RUMORED that the ETCA agreement will NOT BE PUT TO A REFERENDUM, or even VOTED ON in Parliament, but will be ONLY A CABINET decision, and will be presented as a FAIT-ACCOMPLI for Sri Lankan citizens to swallow,
The Yamapalana GoSL is DIGGING its own GRAVE by acting in this way SUBJUGATING sovereign Sri Lanka to its nemesis India that is the SOURCE of all our NATIONAL problems, including a 30-year war against terrorism!
And our PM is signing HOSANNAS arguing for Sri Lanka to be a PART of the $400 billion South Indian Economy.
GOD HELP US, this FOOL sees only the POTS of Money, not out independence to choose to live as we Sri Lankans want in our own Motherland! Bah!
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New dawn for India-Sri Lanka relations
Tue, Oct 11, 2016, 11:54 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Oct 11 (NIE) Historically, relations between India and Sri Lanka have been fraught with controversies and even high tension at times. There has always been an atavistic fear in Sri Lanka of being dominated by India, the Big Brother just 30 nautical miles away from the island�s northern tip.
The fear became acute with the brazen Indian political and military intervention to settle the Tamil question in the island nation in the 1980s.But now, due to the evolution of new thinking in the corridors of power in New Delhi and the change of regime in Colombo brought about by the Presidential and parliamentary elections of 2015, the two countries appear to have broken away from the past and are moving towards mutual understanding.
Having learnt lessons from recent history, the two countries now recognize the legitimacy of each other’s concerns and are addressing them in a spirit of give and take to ensure that both operate within their respective comfort zones. The change was evident even in the body language of Indian and Sri Lankan leaders during the visit of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to New Delhi in the first week of October. Several issues were resolved amicably. One of the outstanding features of the detente is India agreeing to fast track negotiations on the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) and sign the pact by the end of this year.
India had not originated the idea of an ETCA and did not want to rush into it, having had a bitter experience with trying to sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Sri Lanka in 2008. CEPA would have promoted Indian investment in Sri Lanka and helped the latter avoid the debt crisis it has been in. But fuelled by entrenched fears of Indian domination, the Mahinda Rajapaksa government had cancelled the deal at the last moment, much to India’s chagrin. But, unlike the Rajapaksa regime, the incumbent Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe government wants to build Sri Lanka economically through close links with India, especially the four South Indian states, which, together with Sri Lanka, have a combined $500 billion economy, as Wickremesinghe keeps saying. By touting close relations with South India, including Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Wickemesinghe is signaling that Sri Lankans, at least in the top echelons, have begun to shed their fear of Tamil Nadu, which is suspected of inspiring Tamil separatism in north Sri Lanka. Although India was disappointed with the cancellation of the coal-fired 500 MW power project in Sampur, it has been asked to set up an LNGfired plant there.
However, when ETCA was proposed by Wickremesinghe in 2015, India was cautious. Indian Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Colombo only recently, that India wants to negotiate ETCA “in detail” consulting all stakeholders “on both sides” and that there could be no time frame for concluding the talks. But Sri Lanka wanted ETCA fast and Wickremesihghe has now got Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to agree to sign it by year end. Since the mood in New Delhi is to accommodate Sri Lanka, Modi gave in, leaving it to Wickremesinghe to mitigate opposition to the pact from the protectionist lobbies in Sri Lanka. But India also got what it wanted from Sri Lanka. India will now build roads from Jaffna to Mannar; Mannar to Colombo; and from Mannar to Trincomalee. Wickremesinghe gave in to this as he is aware that the Indians can build roads at one fourth the cost quoted by the Chinese.
India will also build an oil refinery in Trincomalee to produce 100,000 barrels of petroleum per day, and go into a joint venture with Colombo to refurbish and use 84 giant oil tanks in Trincomalee. Two Indian firms will build a container terminal in Colombo harbour.If ETCA is signed, Indian investments will flow into Sri Lanka to make the island’s production facilities part of the Indian and international value chain. In the process, Sri Lanka will lessen its humongous debt burden of $65 billion, $48 billion of which is owed to China alone. It will also improve its relations with China which wants to invest in Sri Lanka partnering private and international firms rather than give loans to the government.
Despite several visits to China, Sri Lankan leaders have not able to convert the debt into equity in loss making state-owned projects which were built with expensive Chinese loans. In fact, China would like to partner with Indian firms in its $ 1.4 billion Colombo Financial City project. In strategic terms, Wickremesinghe has assured India that unlike Rajapaksa, he will not allow China to build harbours to contain India militarily and that there will be no secret visits by Chinese nuclear submarines. China itself has said that its “String of Pearls” project of harbours are purely commercial projects. But it’s not going to be smooth sailing all the way.
Nationalistic and protectionist lobbies, headed by former President Rajapaksa are still strong and have the support of media. The fear of Indian domination runs deep in the Sri Lankan psyche, although a section of leaders and the intelligentsia want close ties with India. As to what might happen if Rajapaksa comes back to power is anybody’s guess. Therefore, India should be prepared for upsets. It should not venture into very expensive investments or sweeping asymmetrical commitments. Nirmala Sitharaman has hinted that India’s approach will be hard headed. But in its part, India must attend to Sri Lanka’s practical difficulties in trading with India. Non-recognition of Sri Lankan standards, apathy of Indian officials, and unreasonable restrictions to the entry of Sri Lankan goods, are areas in the existing Free Trade Agreement which need urgent attention. Above all, optics is very important: India must see that its footprint in Sri Lanka is not too large.
October 11th, 2016 at 9:05 pm
IF Buddhism is reduced from its EXCLUSIVE PLACE, all should OPPOSE the constitution. That is a good ground to bring down this stupid plan.
The right MEDIA APPROACH will be to spread the word that the new constitution is going to BAN THE PRACTICE OF Buddhism. Let the govt. explain.
These cunning people are trying to BRIBE Buddhists with international Vesak festival, a Theravada Buddhist Summit in 2018 and improve Buddhist religious places island wide.
Tamils have BIG PLANS for Buddhism. They POSTPONES giving approval to construct the Buddha statue in NAINATIVU (NAGADEEPA) until the constitution removes Buddhism!!
But HINDUS have put up a massive SHIVA STATUE in Trinco very recently in LOVER’S LEAP. This is a disgrace to the lover’s leap which has a longer history than the statue. It is also an INVITATION to invading HINDUSTANI invaders to Trinco.
October 12th, 2016 at 1:41 am
This is a masterpiece Shenali many thanks! True richness is the richness of mind and heart, today the focus is on money and material richness a mirage. Your proposition of Buddhist philosophy and economics that Schumacher too highlighted in “small is beautiful” should be the new world order. We in SL can trigger the start by making one village on this model that it works.
On the comments about settler community leader’s opposition to Buddhist philosophy must be dismissed as this is not Tamil Nadu (Tamil country) plus Buddhism is not a god worshipping religion but corrupted into a religion which is perfectly apt in a secular state.
October 12th, 2016 at 2:32 am
යුද හමුදාවේ 14ක් රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාරයට – LAKBIMA
යුද සමයේදී දෙදෙනකු අතුරුදන් කළැයි කියන සිද්ධියක් සම්බන්ධයෙන් යුද හමුදා නිලධාරියෙකු ඇතුළු 14කු මේ මස 24දා තෙක් රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාරගත කරන ලෙස යාපනය මහේස්ත්රාත් එස්. සදින්කරන් මහතා පෙරේදා (10) නියෝග කළේය.
යාපනය කුරුසුට්ටමඩු යුද හමුදා අනුඛණ්ඩයට අනුයුක්තව යුද සමයේදී රාජකාරි කළ පිරිසක් මෙලෙස රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාර ගත කෙරිණ. 1998 වසරේ පෙබරවාරි මාසයේදී යුද හමුදා අත්අඩංගුවට පත් එල්.ටී.ටී.ඊ. සැකකරුවන් දෙදෙනකු අතුරුදන් වීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් යුද හමුදා පොලීසිය විසින් එකල පැමිණිලි කර තිබිණ. ඒ අනුව එකල අනුඛණ්ඩය භාර ලුතිනල්වරයා ඇතුළු සියලු දෙනා අධිකරණයට ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබිණ. පසුව නඩු විභාගයෙන් පසු 1999 දීම යුද හමුදා භටයන් ඇප මත මුදාහැර තිබිණ. ප්රබල සාක්ෂි ඉදිරිපත් නොවීම ඇප මත මුදා හැරීමට හේතුව වී තිබිණ.
මෙම සිදුවීම නැවත කරළියට එන්නේ එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ මානව හිමිකම් කොමසාරිස් අල්හුසෙන් කුමරු මීට මාස කීපයකට පෙර යාපනයේ් සිදු කළ සංචාරයත් සමගිනි. එහිදී කිසියම් සංවිධානයක් විසින් රජයට හා ආරක්ෂක අංශවලට එරෙහිව පැමිණිලි 800ක් ඇතුළු සංදේශයක් භාර කරන ලද අතර එම පැමිණිලි 800ට ඉහත හමුදා නිලධාරීන් සම්බන්ධ පැමිණිල්ලද ඇතුළත්ව තිබිණ.
කෙසේ නමුත් නීතිපති උපදෙස් මත නැවත පරීක්ෂණ ආරම්භ කෙරෙන අතර මේ වනවිට ලුතිනල් කර්නල් නිලයේ සිටින එවකට කඳවුරු භාර නිලධාරියා ඇතුළු පස්දෙනෙකු ඉකුත් සැප්තැම්බර් 26 දා අධිකරණයට ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමෙන් පසුව 10 තෙක් රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාර ගත කෙරිණ. සෙසු සැකකරුවන් 11 අතරින් දෙදෙනක් මියගොස් ඇති බැවින් ඉතිරි සැකකරුවන් 09 දෙනෙකු පොලීසියට භාර වීමෙන් පසුව අච්චුවේලි පොලීසිය විසින් අධිකරණයට ඉදිරිපත් කෙරිණ. එහිදී හමුදා නිලධාරියා ඇතුළු 14 දෙනාම රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාරගත කරන ලෙස මහෙස්ත්රාත්වරයා නියෝග කළේය.
මෙහිදී විශේෂයෙන් අවධාරණය කළ යුත්තේ හමුදා පිරිස නැවත රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාරගත වූයේ හුසේන් කුමරුන්ගේ ශ්රී ලංකා සංචාරයේ ප්රතිඵලයක් ලෙසද යන්නයි. සාමාන්යයෙන් අප දන්නා පරිදි චෝදනාවකට ඇප ලැබූ පසු එම චෝදනාවටම සුවිශේෂී හේතුවක් නොමැතිව නැවත රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාර ගත කිරීමක් සිදුවන්නේ නැත. නමුත් ජාත්යන්තරයේ බලපෑම මත මෙම නිලධාරීන් රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාර ගත වූයේ නම් රටේ නීතිය හා ජාත්යන්තර බලපෑම පිළිබඳව නැවත සිතා බැලීමට සිදුවේ.
සනත් ප්රියන්ත – වව්නියා
October 12th, 2016 at 2:45 am
We need socialism and environmentalism and capitalism can be there but with safeguards or a compassionate form of capitalism only.
October 12th, 2016 at 2:52 am
We need a socialist form of government alongside environmentalism too or eco-socialism. We can accommodate capitalism too but with safeguards or a compassionate form of capitalism.
October 12th, 2016 at 6:05 am
All the noble qualities that are to be practiced in the noble religion are very much lacking in the island. One only has to travel by a three-wheeler to see our behavior on the road.There4 people who behave like Buddhists in the countries of the former colonials, yet non goes to any place of worship. I think we should get them back to teach our none caring, intolerant people a bit of our country.
October 12th, 2016 at 7:16 am
Dear Shenali, This is a brilliant article far ahead of its time. I agree totally with you. In the long run, the planet cannot sustain meat eating. There is a wonderful book which you can download at this website called “Buddhist case for Vegetarianism” by Roshi Phillip Kapleu. See: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/lifecherish.pdf
Even from an economic point of view, the unfettered Capitalism which has given rise to mega Corporations which are in the process of destroying our food supply and the planet by global warming are unsustainable.
There are many top economists who have written on the topic. One of the most outspoken has been Dr. Richard Wolf. His famous talk “Capitalism hits the fan” is given below. His solution for capitalism is to have democracy in the workplace. The Mondragon Corporation in Spain is actually a large number of Co-operatives under the umbrella of Mondragon. This was set up with the blessings of the Catholic Church. In the USA there are many companies which are run as co-operatives where the employees participate in the decision making of the company affairs by being on the board. In Germany which has been very successful any company with over 2000 employees have to have at least 50% of employees on the board.
This is why unlike USA Germany is very successful. In 2008 when the recession hit many companies in the USA laid off people in millions. In Germany, the Govt informed the companies not to lay off anyone. They suggested that they can reduce the number of hours of employees but keep all employed. In return, the German Govt paid the wages of the companies who had reduced the number of hours of employees so that no one lost any money. The net result was that the people had money in the pocket and were spending it thereby keeping the economy rolling. They hardly felt the recession, unlike the stupid USA.
Please watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZU3wfjtIJY ( Capitalism Hits the Fan – Richard Wolff)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WhZXhRS3F4 ( Austerity and Neoliberalism in Greece with Richard Wolff and Barry Herman | The New School)
Background of Dr. Richard Wolf.
Academic positions
Richard D. Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he taught economics from 1973 to 2008. He is currently a Visiting Professor in the Graduate Program in International Affairs of the New School University, New York City. He also teaches classes regularly at the Brecht Forum in Manhattan.
Earlier he taught economics at Yale University (1967-1969) and at the City College of the City University of New York (1969-1973). In 1994, he was a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Paris (France), I (Sorbonne).
Education
BA in History from Harvard College (1963);
MA in Economics from Stanford University (1964);
MA in History from Yale University (1967); and a
Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University (1969)
October 12th, 2016 at 9:40 am
Great article, Shenali ! Thank you.
You have ‘hit the nail on the head’ – the problem has been totally uncovered for all to see.
The SOLUTION is also clear.
Economist Schumacher’s ‘Small is Beautiful’ Buddhist Economics is the answer, no doubt about that.
Co-operatives are also the answer.
More Suggestions re the ECONOMY :
Basically aim for CLEAN AIR, WATER & FOOD, FOR ALL.
The MAIN PROBLEM will be the ALREADY EXISTING BUSINESSES THAT ARE TIED TO CORPORATIONS ABROAD, or are very large by themselves.
These ought to be scaled down with govt help, morphed, or split into smaller companies, or sold to local entrepreneurs only.
Their protests will be very loud at the changes …. but in the end, they too will be glad of the changes as it is now ‘we swim together or sink together’.
They ought to be helped through govt sources to achieve the objective of Clean Air, Water & Food for ALL.
Re INDIA :
Sri Lanka, a SMALL Socialist country, giving FREE Education to ALL in Lanka plus FREE Health Care, is now in deep trouble due to Yahap govt agreeing to go under an INDIAN take over.
INDIA was afraid of a total west take over of Lanka during the Cold War times.
So INDIA tried a crash and take over of Lanka then, using the LTTE.
During the Cold War times, during the west leaning JRJ govt time especially INDIA imposed the 13-A and also trained the LTTE in Tamil Nadu, doing a ‘divide & rule’ on Lanka, using the low Caste Tamils of Lanka who thought they would win ‘liberation’ through Eelam using Violence (per V’koddai Resoln of 1976).
So, the near 30 yrs of LTTE violence happened, stopped by war with the MR govt in May 2009.
Now, again, INDIA is afraid of a total take over of Lanka by the west.
So INDIA is again trying a total take over of Lanka, this time through :
* the ECTA,
* sea tunnel to Tamil Nadu,
* New Constitution (possible Fed State to Tamils only, possible removal of Buddhism being given foremost place, protection through the Constitution etc).
* 5,000 acre lots on 99 yr leases to foreigners, etc.
Suggestion re INDIA & neighboring countries :
Sign a Peace Deal with INDIA, with the UN as witness that Lanka will never jeopardise the integrity & safety of INDIA, and INDIA must do the same toward Lanka.
Sign similar deals with the UN as witness, with neighboring countries that Lanka will similarly honor the integrity & safety of those countries, and in turn those countries must similarly honor the integrity & safety of Lanka.
Re the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY :
Do the same signing up with the other concerned countries (esp big powers), with the UN as witness, honoring the integrity & safety of those countries, and they in turn honor Lanka’s safety & integrity.
Or else, Lanka will be “dismembered, drawn and quartered” because of Lanka localtion & Ports, and small size.
October 13th, 2016 at 2:27 am
This is mostly what the Sinhalese want. We want to live on a non-predatory Sri Lanka. At the moment the majority Sinhalese are in danger of devoured by land grabbing minorities that encroaches on their personal and physical space. This is what irks the Sinhalese. Just as much as Norway remains a Protestant Christian country, just as much as Britain remains an Anglican Christian country, just as much as Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia remain Muslim countries – Sri Lanka should remain a Buddhist country as it has been for millennia.
If the Tamils in Norway can live under the Protestant Christian Kingdom, if the Tamils in UK can live under the hegemony of the Queen of England and the Anglican Church – they must be able to accept the Primacy of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. After all if not for Buddhism by this time Muslims, Christians and Hindus will be at each others throats as it is happening in other parts of the world!