You should take only what you deserve and consider everyone else equally deserving. So do not take anything extra – all that you accumulate is theft. Do not keep anything more than what should be equally available to everybody else.
(4th Principle of Sanatana Dharma *)
Who would have thought that Freddie and Fannie would create such a global upheaval and cause an international problem of such magnitude that the effect has seeped into the lives of even ordinary people all around the globe.
Freddie and Fannie are the names given to two of the privately owned government sponsored American Companies responsible for the sub prime mortgages handed out willy nilly to American loan seekers. The irrational way of handling the lending market started a downward spiral of the world’s economic system that has affected every nation, corporation, business, companies and individuals in the world. This major catastrophe makes it imperative for the world to take a serious in-depth look at what happened and why.
In short the whole world has been given a mighty wake up call. However the call really comes on two fronts and one needs to be reminded of this. The first is this economic disaster we are experiencing now. The second is impending and is being relegated to the back burner while this is being dealt with. None the less the signs are already in place and one such is the meltdown of parts of the Arctic ice belt. This second will be even more disastrous than the economic one as it concerns the environment in which we live. I shall not be dealing with that here but suffice to say we have been given the warning signs and we need to take note of this in no uncertain terms.
The globalisation of the economic catastrophe is a sort of blue print that points to how connected we all are and of the interdependence of the universe. No man is an island unto himself, and as we are often reminded if a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazon this could affect the weather in other parts of the world. It is also said that the universe can be likened to a “multi-dimensional network of jewels, each one containing a reflection of the other.” (R Balsekar p49 Consciousness Speaks) The network effect is very apparent in the innards of a human organism where all cells seem connected in a very subtle way and seem to communicate as much as the jewels reflect in the network of the universe. These cells in the body do not work in isolation and do not conform to a hierarchical order as no cell is master of the whole, this is also the idea of the network of jewels.
Our world today is in a tail spin just through the selfish actions of some short-sighted greedy investors. Greed is the baton that gets passed around and as if nature itself has had enough a revolt comes in the guise of a total collapse of the market place. Individuals are called upon to look beyond their narrow selfish desires and realise that if you hurt or inconvenience the “other” you really do it to your self. A global understanding that greed does not spell happiness nor stability and that if you grab more than you need the consequences are dire and can affect everyone sooner or later. This recognition of doing to the other what you wish for yourself seems a good catch phrase.
Both Western science and the Eastern Vedas agree that all that is manifest in the creation is based on the paradigm of duality, and everything stems from Oneness the unity. Once this unity is manifested as creation, duality needs to exist if there is to be any action in the world. In Vedic terms this Oneness this Unity is known as pure Consciousness and there is no “other” as a separate entity. The “other” is the same Consciousness in a different guise or manifestation yet part and parcel of the whole, of pure Consciousness.
This acknowledgement that everything emanates from Oneness – Consciousness means that a global Consciousness lies at the foundation of the very existence of the universe. This gives rise to the principle of interdependence which projects the idea that the two great stumbling blocks that exist of greed and selfishness cannot be tolerated if there is to be stability and happiness in the world. There is also the “small world theory” where each of us is said to be only six acquaintances away from knowing all humanity, this is known as the six degrees of separation. So this interdependence can no longer be considered a myth. This idea of interdependence can be seen in the field of communication where the internet brings individuals and dealings into a closeness that almost belies time and space and presents as one large mechanical machine unifying and controlling the entire globe on a mechanical level.
For quite a while we were led to believe that greed in a free market economy was counterbalanced by fear of loss and was projected through Gordon Gekko a fictional character in the “Wall Street” movie who became a symbol for unrestrained greed with the slogan “greed is good”. Soon greed merchants used this as their daily mantra and the end result is what we now see as the world is brought to its knees economically. In the words of Kevin Rudd the Australian Prime Minister “We did not learn the full lesson the ‘greed is good ideology’ and today we are still cleaning up the mess of the 21st century children of Gordon Gekko”
Greed can be very seductive especially when owners of vast amounts of accumulated wealth realise that money means power and power like greed can often be insatiable.
So what does all this tell us? If we continue to ignore nature by indulging our material desires to excess the consequences are spelt out in the 4th principle of Sanatana Dharma “All that you accumulate is theft” and the consequences cannot be overlooked.
Is there a quick solution to this? There is need to remember and recognise that the “other” is also “you” and they both stem from the one pure Consciousness and are not separate entities. This knowledge needs to be recognised that the “I” in I AM is the same Consciousness, immobile, silent stillness that has its existence in “AM” the beingness. This existence/beingness manifests as the “you” and the “me” of the world. We are really living embodiments of the Oneness through Beingness/Existence. The realisation of our collective Beingness is the knowledge that no man/woman is a separate entity. And even if we seem to operate separately in this dualistic manifestation it is only the illusion, in Vedic terms, the maya of manifestation that makes it seem like that. The consequences of the acceptance of this concept are very profound for if this realisation exists there would not be any turmoil anywhere.
Globalisation makes our living very fragile so that the smallest action of a selfish ego where personal interests supersede the benefits of the whole carries consequences that can be detrimental. Action is based on the recognition of global values which means that everything stems from the Oneness. The human organism being the instrument of Beingness, the body/mind organism has the innate quality to recognise its essential essence as pure Consciousness. An attitudinal change can be made and this is often referred to as keeping one’s pot turned upwards in order to recognise the knowledge/grace when it happens. This leads to the recognition of our collective beingness that we are one.
Our planet is a global melting pot and nature calls for unity on all counts. It would almost appear as if nature is “punishing” the universe for failing to observe, recognise and remember the 4th principle of the Sanatana Dharma which will not tolerate greed or selfishness.
In our own small way some of us may have escaped the economic upheaval on a grand scale but it is a pointer nevertheless to the least affected as to the most that this is a pointer to the truth that we are not separate entities but working as one body.
At least Freddie and Fannie have started us thinking that we need to serve the needs of the moment and that to accumulate is to cheat the “other’ of the same right.
There is also the other idea that greed/selfishness comes in several guises and not necessarily economically. It can be arrogance in the form of thinking one knows all the answers and disallows the “others” opinions or ideas to be aired, heard or debated. Open-mindedness and generosity of spirit are the other side of greed.
Freddie and Fannie have shaken us out of our selfish comfort zone. It is for us as individuals to understand exactly what living in the moment entails and recognise that whatever one wishes to do the flapping wings of the Amazonian butterfly reminds us that every action has a reaction that needs to be reckoned with and that if this affects the “other” this “other” is really “you” so it affects “you” just as much.
* Santana Dharma in Sanskrit means “The eternal law”. Scholars of South Asian religions regard Santana Dharma as the oldest spiritual tradition It is said to be the basis for all other religious and philosophical rules.
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