There is a monumental disconnect between the pace of change in Australia and the needed adjustment in a carbon over-loaded world. In all likelihood this shortfall is true for most of the world.

The climate change report for the Australian government by Ross Garnaut (2008) recommends a reduction of 70-90% to achieve a sustainable carbon footprint. Lets say what is needed by 2050 is a reduction of 80%. (1)

Many people put their faith in the use of alternative energy sources such as solar power, wind energy etc.

Graeme Pearman (CSIRO) says using renewable energy sources will relatively easily provide a reduction of 25%. To go beyond that will be difficult. (2)

In Australia in 2007 Kevin Rudd (prime minister) went to the election with a promise of 25% reduction. In Government he reduced that to 5%. Julia Gillard has held with this 5% target.

It is a long way from the required 80%.

If this reluctance to change is reflected around the world we can be sure that the impact of climate change will be felt strongly.

What are the effects we will reap? There will be increases in storms especially of the catastrophic variety. There will be an increase in the sea level. And rainfall patterns will change. There will be more in some places and less in others, but agricultural industries will be upset.

It is impossible to be specific about the details of the impacts. Just where will the impacts be felt most? Where will the tornadoes strike?

Sea level rise is more predictable. We know that some pacific island nations will be destroyed. But the more wrenching impact will come from the inundation of large parts of Bangladesh which is a very low-lying area. Their population of 100 million people could be decimated. Other parts of the world have specific vulnerabilities of monumental proportions.

The indifference of the developed world in dealing with this issue shows the moral bankruptcy of the capitalist economic ideology which guides the dominant nations.

Tim Flannery (The Weather Makers) claims that economists took the view that doing anything serious about climate change was too expensive to be worthwhile. (3) This amounts to ‘the effective murder of members of the world’s poorer populations.’ ( Meyer) (4)

According to Flannery civilization itself comes under threat: “With the impacts of extreme weather events, rising seas and storm surges, extreme cold or heat, water deprivation or flood, or even disease… cities will likewise begin to die…and by destroying our cities bring about the end of civilization.’

‘Humanity of course would survive such a collapse, for people will persist in smaller more robust communities such as villages and farms.’

So the global system is de-stabilized. Capitalism too is showing its vulnerability. European debt woes and the ‘Occupy Wall St ’ protest highlight the situation right now. Immanuel Wallerstein, veteran professor at Yale University says capitalism is coming to the end of its 500 year supremacy in the world of economics. It only remains to be seen what will replace it. (5)

The Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout) is starting to show its credentials as a plan for economics into the future.

A small minority of people across the world have seen the writing on the wall for some time. They are developing the tools of permaculture and so-operative economics to show the way for survival in a time of chaos. But they tend to be still tied to the apron strings of mainstream economics, as they are dependent on manufactured tools and machinery and commercial markets.

When breakdown occurs in the economy we will see the need to harness the energy of our communities, and to find ways to supply goods beyond farm produce. This need has been anticipated by Prout which sees fractions of the population in farm production, in equipping the farm sector for its work, and in using the products in food production. The rural situation becomes the central matter of economics, and other enterprises support it. Think of seeds, nurseries, fertilizer, tools, building and transport, as well as the need for education institutions and hospitals and medical institutions.

Ideally we would make the rational assessment – that capitalism is failing us and a progressive socialism should be built immediately. However as we have seen we are not addressing the issues rationally. We are waiting on the judgments of nature to prove we are making mistakes. In other words we can see that difficult times lay ahead. Most people struggle on trying to carve out a living in this collapsing edifice that is modern civilization. And the longer we put off the day, the more severe will be the chaos we have to live with, whether it is due to civil unrest, economic malfunction, or natural disasters.

A sprinkling of individuals have seen this crisis looming. Among the students of Prout philosophy some have understood that the rural survival centres have to be built now. Prout’s survival centres, known as Master Units, are intended to also be centres of culture. They have a bold agenda of organic farming and community living, spiritual inspiration, schools and social service activities. In this way Prout holds that the predictions of ‘the end of civilization’ are misplaced. Civilization will live on in decentralized rural communities across the globe. These centres, numbered in the hundreds, have been established in many countries of the world, and as the need is more widely recognized it is to be hoped that many more will be established.

In summary cities are in trouble and we would all do well to look to rural situations that can support food production for direct consumption. We need support not just from the land but from the community too, so look for communities where these ideals are prominent. And look up your nearest Prout ‘master unit’ and foster a connection for your mutual benefit!

1. Ross Garnaut, Garnaut Climate Change Review. Cambridge University Press, 2008

2. Graeme Pearman, Greenhouse: Coping with Climate Change, CSIRO Publishing, 1996

3. The Weather Makers, Tim Flannery, Text Publishing, 2005

4. Meyer, A., Contraction and Convergence, Schumacher Briefing No 5., Devon, 2000

5. Immanuel Wallerstein on the End of Capitalism, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLvszWBf6BQ

The Danish economist Bjorn Lombock argues for a carbon price of $100 to make a meaningful change in carbon consumption. Any less, he says, will fail to deal with the problem of carbon pollution ahead of changing climates. But –as the report points out – this price will cripple the economy!
Say this in another way – we can choose to have a depression due to carbon pricing or a depression caused by catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Economists are trying to put together a picture of a working economy for the future in a world of climate change.
Graeme Pearman CSIRO (Australia) said that we can reduce our carbon footprint by 20-30% relatively easily with adjustments such as new energy alternatives. Beyond that is difficult.
Ross Garnaut (in his climate change report for the Australian government) said that what is required is 90% reduction!
The bottom line is we can only do 30% reduction easily, but we have to make a reduction of 90%.
Or more dramatically – we can reduce to 70% of our present demand, but we need to reduce to just 10% of the present usage!

How can we make that adjustment?

I believe we have to discard the image of the modern industrial state as a model of our lives going into the future.

From the standpoint of Prout I think it is believable that our future can be rich and satisfying. But it might encompass huge changes that we have hardly started to recognize.

Usually when Prout is discussed other features are given prominence. But I would like to highlight one aspect of Prout which I believe is often overlooked – Agriculture.
“In order to build a sound economy thirty to forty percent of the people in an area – neither more nor less- should depend on agriculture” (P.R.Sarkar -Principles of Balanced Economy)
30-40% ! For those of us in the western world where we have between 4 and 7% of the workforce dedicated to agriculture this is surely a huge change.

P.R. Sarkar does not expound on the implications of this change for the many of us who are city living folk.

A world where agriculture has such universal prominence as this is not recognizable as a city as we know it!
What that means is that the cities of the world will have to restructure, be dismantled, move, depopulate or other wise adjust to the needs of basic physical necessities.

So in my mind I try to structure a picture for myself and family and community in which our suburban existence transforms into a rural community existence. Not just as a suburb alongside a city of a million people (Adelaide) but a ‘block’ on the outskirts of the metropolis reinventing itself as a self-reliant economy. No doubt a change like this will be chaotic.
Agriculture in the area beyond the suburbs here is dominated by wine grapes, beef cattle, olives. Little of it is meant specifically for local consumption. And what is in the shops has come from any and every corner of the world. How quickly can this be reshaped to make local production for local consumption?

Designing the block for the future is perhaps impossible at this time but let’s begin to shape our thoughts to accommodate this change when it becomes necessary.
And in the context of climate change let’s recognize that Prout’s block level planning provides an answer for the people who see the urgency of change but are offered only the creeping adjustments that will in no way be sufficient for the task at hand.

Spirituality is not a utopian ideal but a practical philosophy which can be practised and realized in day-to-day life, however mundane it be. Spirituality stands for evolution and elevation, and not for superstition in action or pessimism. All fissiparous tendencies and group or clan philosophies which tend to create the shackles of narrow-mindedness are in no way connected with spirituality and should be discouraged. That which leads to broadness of unison alone should be accepted. Spiritual philosophy does not recognize any distinctions and differentiations unnaturally made between one human being and another, and stands for universal fraternity.
Spirituality must inculcate sense in human psychology, and develop a natural affinity amongst this species of the creation. The approach of spirituality should be psychological and rational, and should offer a touching appeal to the deepest psychic sentiments of human beings. Human beings should appreciate by a rational analysis their relationship with the Cosmic Entity and recognize the most benevolent kindness of the most beloved Entity. Spirituality should lead human beings to the one Cosmic truth from which they have derived their selves, and which is the ultimate destiny. That ultimate and absolute ideal is the Cosmic ideal – an ideal beyond the scope of time, place and person. It is the Absolute, without and beyond relativity. It stands with its own lustre for all times and for every factor of the Cosmos, may it be a human being or a less-evolved animal. The Cosmic ideal alone can be the unifying force which shall strengthen humanity to smash the bondages and abolish all narrow domestic walls of fissiparous tendencies.

All the sentiment-provoking ideas should be firmly opposed. This does not mean an attack on those sentiments, traditions and habits which are innate in human beings and which do not hamper their Cosmic development. For example, the movement for uniformity in dress for all people will be but a ridiculous and irrational approach. Different selections of dress are the result of climatic factors and corporal necessities. Moreover, dissimilarity in dress is not detrimental to world fraternity.

There will also be many zonal or regional differences as regards other traditions and customs. These should be appreciated and encouraged for the indigenous development of society. But under no circumstances should there be a compromise in principle or yielding to tendencies detrimental to the inculcation of Cosmic sentiment.

The inspiration of Cosmic sentiment will depend upon certain objective physical problems which must be solved on a collective humanitarian basis. In the relative objective sphere the following few fundamental problems must be attempted at [tackled] and solved. These are:

1. Common philosophy of life
2. Same constitutional structure
3. Common penal code
4. Availability (production, supply, purchasing capacity) of the minimum essentialities of life

Common Philosophy of Life

A common philosophy of life demands a clear conception in the human mind that the development of the human personality means an evolution in all the three spheres – physical, metaphysical or mental, and spiritual. The logical analysis of spirituality is the summum bonum of life in all its aspects.

Those who think dharma to be an individual’s concern conceive it in a very narrow sense. Dharma leads to Cosmic unity, inculcating in the individual mind Cosmic idealism. Religion, in the sense of dharma, is the unifying force in humanity. Moreover, spirituality provides a human being and humanity at large with that subtle and tremendous power with which no other power can be compared. Therefore, with spirituality as the base, a rational philosophy should be evolved to deal with the physical, psychological and socio-philosophical problems of the day. The complete rational theory dealing with all three phases – spiritual, mental and physical – of human development shall be a philosophy common to humanity in general. This will be evolutionary and ever-progressing. Of course, small details may vary according to the relative environment of the age.

Same Constitutional Structure

Despite these obstacles, a social blending of humanity is in progress and needs a common constitutional structure to be evolved to cement the solidarity of the world. A world government is also very essential for exercising full control in certain spheres; for example, there should be only one world militia.

The world government should form certain autonomous units, not necessarily national (based on problems of education, food supply, flood control, public sentiment), which should look after mundane and supramundane problems. The boundaries of these units may be readjusted to suit any change in the environment – for instance, development in the techniques of communication. Development in the means of communication brings the different remote parts of the world nearer, and the world, therefore, grows smaller. With this well-developed swifter means of communication, units with bigger areas can work smoothly and efficiently.

A language must also be evolved as the lingua franca of the world. (At present English is most suitable for the purpose and no national sentiment should be encouraged to go against it.) But the local languages must be encouraged to help the indigenous literatures develop and contribute towards world progress, and thereby contribute to the common brotherhood of humanity.

Common Penal Code

A common penal code must be evolved. Legislation must be progressive and capable of gradual adjustment with the prevalent conditions. Any theory which does not hold a parallelism with the ever-changing conditions of time, place and person, is sure to decay and be lost in oblivion. Hence, there must be a never-ending effort for amendment with a view to rectification.

Crimes are acts forbidden by the law of the government concerned, and virtue and vice (puńya and pápa) are the outcome of traditional customs. The sentiments of the lawmakers are very much influenced by the prevalent traditions and customs regarding the concept of virtue and vice of the locality or of the people concerned. The sense of crime, therefore, has a parallelism with the concept of virtue and vice. The idea of virtue and vice is different in different countries. The aspirants of world fraternity should try to lessen the difference and reduce the gap amongst cardinal, moral and human laws. All those actions which help in the growth of the spiritual, mental and physical aspects of human beings in general should come under the category of virtuous deeds, and those actions which go against humanity in its spiritual, mental and physical development must come under “vice”. This conception of virtue and vice applies commonly to humanity in general.

Minimum Essentialities of Life

The availability of the minimum essentialities of life plays a vital part not only in achieving world brotherhood, but also in the development of human personality. This should be tackled on a world footing, and should be based on certain fundamental presumptions. Every human being has certain minimum requirements which he or she must be guaranteed. Guaranteed availability of foodstuff, clothing, medical assistance and housing accommodation should be arranged so that human beings may be able to utilize their surplus energy (energy up till now engaged in procuring the essentialities of life) in subtler pursuits. Side by side, there should be sufficient scope for providing other amenities of the progressive age. To fulfil the above responsibilities, enough purchasing capacity should be created.

If the supply of requirements be guaranteed without any conditions of personal skill and labour, the individual may develop the psychology of idleness. The minimum requirements of every person are the same, but diversity is also the nature of creation. Special amenities should, therefore, be provided so that the diversity in skill and intelligence is fully utilized, and talent is encouraged to contribute its best towards human development. It will, therefore, be necessary to make provision for special emoluments which can cater for special amenities of life according to the age and time. But at the same time, there should be a constant effort to reduce the gap between the amount of special emoluments and the bare minimum requirements of the average individual. The guaranteed supply of minimum requirements must be liberalized by increasing the provision of special amenities pertaining to the age and also, simultaneously, by bringing about a decrease in the provision of special emoluments given to the few. This never-ending effort of proper economic adjustment must ceaselessly continue at all times with a view to assisting the spiritual, mental and physical evolution of human beings, and to let humanity develop a Cosmic sentiment for a Cosmic ideal and world fraternity.

In this socio-economic set-up people are at full liberty in the spiritual and mental spheres. This is possible because the spiritual and psychic entities for which people can aspire are themselves unlimited, and the extent of possession in this sphere does not hamper the progress of others in their quests. But the supply in the physical sphere is limited, and hence any effort for disproportionate or unrestricted acquisition of physical objects has every possibility of creating a vast majority of have-not’s, and thus hampering the spiritual, mental and physical growth of the larger majority. So, while dealing with the problem of individual liberty, it must be kept in view that individual liberty in the physical sphere must not be allowed to cross a limit whereat it is instrumental in hampering the development of the complete personality of human beings; and, at the same time, must not be so drastically curtailed that the spiritual, mental and physical growths of human beings are hampered.

Thus, the philosophy of PROUT advocates the development of the integrated personality of the individual, and also the establishment of world fraternity, inculcating in human psychology a Cosmic sentiment. The PROUT advocates progressive utilization of mundane and supramundane factors of the Cosmos. The society needs a stir for life, vigour and progress, thereby progressive utilization of all factors. Those who support this principle may be termed “Proutists”.

The principles of Prout depend upon the following fundamental factors:

1. No individual should be allowed to accumulate any physical wealth without the clear permission or approval of the collective body.
2. There should be maximum utilization and rational distribution of all mundane, supramundane and spiritual potentialities of the universe.
3. There should be maximum utilization of physical, metaphysical and spiritual potentialities of unit and collective bodies of human society.
4. There should be a proper adjustment amongst these physical, metaphysical, mundane, supramundane and spiritual utilizations.
5. The method of utilization should vary in accordance with changes in time, space and person, and the utilization should be of progressive nature.

Consciously or unconsciously the material world has to be seen and treated in a different way by giving more importance to the spiritual world. What is the material world? What is finite is the material world. What perishes is the material world. What changes is the material world. The spiritual world has opposite connotations. It is infinite, eternal, unchangeble. It goes beyond the limitation of time, space and person. In this terms all these natural and man made calamities are just the projection of a collective mind that is accelarating its speed towards the ultimate spiritual reality. It is a natural and necessary process. Prout is the link to maintain an adjustment beetween the physical and mental world in the accelarated movement towards the spiritual destination. It establishes priorities in the material world that are based on a spiritual outlook. It deeply modifies the way we look at the world in its fast paced rennovation.

There are certain defective social outlooks that are still manifesting their potential negative impact. They should be recognized in a clear way:

1. The doomsday escape. On such and such date the world is going to end. The conception of such an idea does not nurture the necessary dynamic force for living in peace and happiness. It is an allround defeat of the inner capacity to change our world for better and adjust to its process. Human beings have survived in the ages because of their inherent capacity of adaptation to any circumstances at the physical and mental levels. There is no doomsday, there is no end to a process of transformation that is accelarating day by day. It is not the end, it is just the beginning of a truly spiritual world.

2. The fast fix. What is happening is wrong and I should fix it by external pressure. I should kill all the criminals and remove by force any opposition. The net result of this outlook is more wars and crusades in name of God or in the name of nationalistic interests. This is not the approach of Prout where the progressive nature of the transformation requires progressive adjustments in social and political frameworks. The rule of law need to acquire more flexibility to deal with more and more different cases. The fast fix negate the capacity to adapt and makes the world in only two colors, black or white removing all the shades and colors. It is spirituality that free the mind from such a dangerous social outlook. Spirituality today is not an option, it is a tool for the survival and progress of a human civilization.

3. Tucking the head under the sand. If I don’t see it it does not exist. This negative social outlook manifests not only in the lack of courage for witnessing the pains and pleasures of our human companions. It manifests also in the deliberate release of mental distractions that take away all the necessary concentration needed in this highened times. It is like drinking alcohol while driving at fast speed. It is like closing the eyes when we see a red traffic light. It is just suicide. Prout requires energy and courage. We cannot just sit idle when chaos is apparently taking the lead. Taking decision in times of emergency in not easy but with proper training and experience it becomes natural. No doctor can perform surgery with the eyes closed. But anybody can become a good doctor if it constantly improve on its skills and correct its own mistakes.

4. Isolation. This is the negation of the ineherent social behavior of human beings. Some people decide that it is better to live alone then to face the problems of relationships. This is a luxury that is not going to help society in its evolution. Those who deliberatly isolate themselves will not survive in the long run. They are bound to be discarded by the dynamic force of transformation that is constantly changing our relationships and ways of collective welfare. The world of self-gratification is not going to last for long. The world of segregation is also going to crumble. There is simply not enough resources for placing more and more people behind bars. Prout advocates reformation, not segregation.

In the life of human being there are moral principles and spiritual values. For example non to steal is a moral value and solidarity is a spiritual value. Prout is mainly concerned with moral values that allow a strong fundation on the basis of which spirituality can root and flourish. Moralists are those who are taking the lead willingly or unwillingly in these accelarated times of transformation. How they do it? By remaning in mental balance in the middle of the storm. When most of the people loose themseves in the attachment to the material world, they remain stable providing what is necessary according to human priority. When most of the people become beasts their humanity is automatically colored by divinity.

Prout is evolutionary and revolutionary in its core processes. It adjusts to time , place and person and at the same time it promotes a spiritual outlook to life that requires courage and determination. Such dynamic approach is revolutionary by nature. It breaks fixed schemes and fixed systems of believes. Prout is really a beautiful expression of the desire to live in peace, happiness and prosperity for the whole creation. We are living in Prout times. Prout is alive, forever!

Unfortunately no such adjustment exists in any country of the world today. Even in industrially advanced countries like Great Britain there is no proper adjustment. While England is developed, Scotland is backward. Even among the counties of England, some are developed and some are backward. Lancaster, for instance, is highly developed but Yorkshire is undeveloped. Sussex, Essex and Kent are not equally developed.

In Bengal some districts are highly developed whereas other districts are backward. The economic structure is not properly balanced, and due to this people suffer. For example, Calcutta, Hooghly, Howrah, Burdwan and 24 Parganas are industrially developed, but the neighbouring districts of Midnapore, Bankura, Birbhum and Murshidabad are backward. So you must try to bring about an industrial revolution in the country. Just as there was a French Revolution, there should be an industrial revolution in Bengal.

For this industrial revolution we must not depend upon raw materials from foreign countries. Remember that no country should depend on imported raw materials for development. Indigenous raw materials, that is, materials available within the country itself, must be used for this purpose. Those who love society – those who love the people of their country and are keen to bring about their socio-economic elevation – must think in terms of an industrial revolution based on the raw materials available in their own socio-economic unit.

The districts of North Bengal – Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and West Dinajpur – can produce and supply enough raw materials for industrial development. We must utilize the available raw materials. For example, Coochbehar district can supply jute and tobacco; Jalpaiguri district can supply pineapple fibres; and western Jalpaiguri district can supply jute fibres. Malda district can supply mango; textiles; silk; rice bran for producing edible rice bran oil; and jute and maize which can be used to make paper. The Malda silk industry can successfully compete with Chinese and Japanese silk, but unfortunately Malda, which has so much industrial potential, is the third poorest district in Bengal.

These things should be done, and they should be done in a short span of time. No industry in Bengal should depend on raw materials imported from outside.

You should bring about this revolution. You should collectively chalk out plans and programmes and demand such a change, such a revolution. Do not delay.

17 September 1987, Calcutta

Just as agriculture will have to be based on a scientific system, industry will also have to be organized in perfect adjustment with agriculture. It is not proper under any circumstances if the percentage of the population depending directly on agriculture exceeds forty percent. Because rural industries have been destroyed, a major part of the population once engaged in that sector has now moved towards agriculture. For a perfectly balanced economic environment, it is required that some thirty to forty percent of the people should depend directly on agriculture, and about twenty percent on agro-industries, twenty percent on agrico-industries, ten percent on general trade and commerce, and ten percent on intellectual or white collar jobs.

In India village industries have been ruined, and those who depended on these industries have turned towards agriculture. While the percentage of traders has not increased much, the opportunities for further growth have decreased. In addition, the number of white collar job seekers has increased, resulting in soaring unemployment. The sons of rural peasants who have had a little education are no longer willing to labour in the fields. They want to become so-called gentlemen thriving on the labour of others. They consider agricultural work inferior. As a consequence, on the one hand there is a dearth of educated youths in agriculture, and on the other hand an increasing number of people from the ruined rural industries have moved towards agriculture. In rural areas the percentage of the population depending on agriculture has gone up to seventy or eighty percent. What an unbearable situation!

Non-agricultural industries (such as steel plants, the brass industry, the metal industry, oil refineries, the salt industry and non-herbal pharmaceuticals) mean those industries which are not directly agrico-industries (such as the production of picks, axes, spades and tractors) and industries which are not directly agro-industries (such as flour mills, jute mills, oil mills, cloth mills, paper mills and herbal medicine factories). The percentage of people engaged in non-agricultural industries should be formed by reducing the percentage of people depending directly on agriculture, agrico-industries and agro-industries. The percentage of people engaged in non-agricultural industries will have to be kept within twenty to thirty percent of the total population.

If the percentage of the population engaged in non-agricultural industries in a country is less than twenty percent, the country is said to be industrially undeveloped. The per capita income of the people cannot be very high. The standard of living also cannot be very high because people’s purchasing capacity remains very limited. Because of the low capacity for purchasing consumer goods, the import index always remains lower than the export index, or in other words the area has to remain a satellite of a developed country. Consequently, the balance of power in the world is jeopardized and war is always possible.

If the percentage of people engaged in non-agricultural industries is kept within twenty to thirty percent of the population, this is the state of balanced economy – a really balanced socio-economic structure. If the percentage goes beyond thirty percent, the area becomes industrially developed. Then, the more this percentage increases above thirty percent, the more over-industrialized the area becomes. In order to procure agricultural produce, over-industrialized countries try to grab productive agricultural regions or countries and make them their satellites. These over-industrialized countries also find it necessary to keep industrially undeveloped countries within their control in order to use them as a market for their finished goods. If they do not get a market to sell the consumer goods produced in their countries, they will suffer from economic depression and growing unemployment.

In this regard there is no difference between the communist and non-communist countries. They are equally aggressive in their approach. They desperately look for the kámadhenu. (Dhenu means “cow” and káma means “desire”. Kámadhenu is a mythological cow which gives as much milk as its master demands.) They want to keep it tied to the door, feeding it the minimum amount of fodder. They want the maximum output with the minimum investment. This is why there is so much war psychosis and sabre-rattling in the world today.

Efforts must be made so that each and every country of the world can enjoy socio-economic balance in both agriculture and industry, otherwise the socio-economic equilibrium of the world is bound to be destroyed.

The harmful internal consequences of over-industrialization not only affect the personal, social and national health of the people, they also precipitate gradual individual and collective psychic degeneration. A type of psychic epidemic may arise which can poison almost all expressions of life and destroy them. This may not happen today, but it will surely happen in the very near future.

Where the industrial system – the agro-industries, agrico- industries and non-agricultural industries – depends on outside labourers, it will lead to an extremely precarious situation. The speed of psychic degeneration will rapidly increase, and people will face permanent scarcity of food. There will be little possibility of expanding the markets for their consumer goods. Rather, the existing markets will gradually contract.

As examples we may cite Howrah, Hooghly, 24 Parganas and Burdwan in West Bengal. Most of the manual labourers in these districts are outsiders, hence the local people will never experience a good standard of living. However industrially developed or over-industrialized these districts might become, they will be seriously affected by the harmful internal consequences of over-industrialization, and will never enjoy any of the benefits of industrialization. This miserable picture can be seen every morning and evening in Howrah District.

On the other hand, there are many areas in India where ninety percent of the population is dependent on agriculture. There is no industry whatsoever in these areas. They are areas of surplus labour. In a balanced socio-economic structure there will be no such thing as surplus labour or deficit labour. Such a condition will never be allowed to arise.

The agricultural system should be structured as an industry. That is, the prices of agricultural produce should be determined by considering basic factors such as agricultural income, expenses and necessities. The farmers of Burdwan and Birbhum must not be forced to sell their rice at throw away prices; the growers of Hooghly district must not be compelled to sell their potatoes at very cheap rates; and the peasants of Nadia district must not be made to sell their jute at extremely low prices to pay off their debts.

6 April 1986, Calcutta

The interesting thing is that most people didn’t feel as horrible, depressed or anxious as you would expect.
When we could not afford the yogurt, my mother and myself could not help but laugh. Running to the market
became some sort of national sport. Women “competed” to find out exactly how many liters of juice could be
made from one orange (I still have a recipe which makes four to five). But at that time we could laugh,
because we felt that our poverty was temporary. We still had other assets, apart from our income, that we
could use. We could still envision a better future. And for some reason, we stopped comparing ourselves with
“the West,” as we did in the previous years of relative affluence (a comparison which would give us the sense
of inadequacy, apprehension and inferiority). We looked around us and concluded that most people were in the
same boat, and, compared to many others, we were still quite fortunate.

My first thought in coming to Australia was that this country would collapse under sanctions. At that time,
petrol in Yugoslavia could be found only sporadically but people of Novi Sad could walk to most places,
drive bicycles or easily organise car polling. Other strategies included waiting in queues for days and
taking turns to do so, borrowing cars from family and friends that spend less gas, smuggling petrol over
the border and buying at the black market. The joke at the time was that while a western European earns
3,000 spends 2,500 and saves 500 DEM, the average Yugoslav person earns 30 but spends 3,000 DEM a month.
While probably serving to boost everyone’s morale, this joke, as well as the previous petrol and juice
examples, help make a few important points.

First, it is to move from a situation of relative affluence to a situation of poverty. This has happened
to millions of people in Eastern Europe, over a relatively short period of time. For example, using the
cost of a basket of basic goods as a measure of poverty, the figures show that child poverty in Russia
has now reached 98 per cent (Bradbury and Jantti, 1999)! Throughout history, this has not only happened
to the members of the middle class, like myself, but to the members of the financial and social elite as
well, and not only in Eastern Europe. Empires fell, the economic system collapsed, wars occurred, family,
age and work situations changed, and so on. Because of what I saw in my life and learned from glimpses
into history, I believe that no one is safe from poverty. And, if we factor in environmental degradation
as an indicator of overall quality of life, we all might already be poor, without even knowing it.
Therefore, addressing and resolving poverty is everyone’s business, and should be everyone’s priority.

Second, people who find themselves in situations of poverty use multiple strategies to alleviate their
condition. The poorer they are the more elaborate and ingenious their strategies for survival are. At
the same time, it is often thought that the poor are totally powerless to change their situation and that
their only hope is to be passive recipients of aid. Because of this, strategies that today’s poor use or
have used before to maintain their societies are rarely considered in poverty elevation measures. In
Australia, for example, Aborigines stress the importance of the land at all levels as necessary in
addressing their current disadvantage. However, the government’s reply to Aboriginal poverty is almost
entirely through welfare statemeasures which primarily focus on financial transaction (welfare handouts).
This reply is a product of the Western, materialistic and industrialised society. It fails to address
the issue of importance of traditional natural and cultural assets as well as the importance of spiritual
progress and wellbeing along material welfare. Another example is the 1994 boycott of products produced
by child labour, led mostly by the USA, which resulted in 50,000 Bangladeshi children losing their jobs,
and as a result many of them then turned to begging and prostitution (Bjonnes, 2001). While the boycott
had good intentions it was one more case “of Westerners selectively applying universal principles to a
situation they did not understand” (Marcus quoted in Bjonnes, 2001). It is depressing that more strategies
for alleviation of poverty have failed rather then succeeded. In addition, some have directly contributed
to an increase in poverty. For example, development policies in the Third World have made many people
landless and/or destroyed their environmental assets, as well as their social cohesion and traditional
economy. This has not only contributed to the increase in their poverty but has sometimes been the single
biggest factor that created it in the first place. Still, just because poverty alleviation measures have
not been successful in the past does not mean that the problem of poverty is such that it cannot be
resolved. This, however, requires tapping into the experiences and strategies developed by those who
experience poverty on daily basis.

Third, and related to the previous perception that the poor are powerless, is the conviction that the
poor have no future since their predicament will only get worse (S P Udayakumar,1995:339). For
example, a 1995 study by the International Food Policy Research Institute concluded that poor countries
that now suffer widespread malnutrition and a general lack of food security can look forward to little
improvement in the foreseeable future (Gately, 2001). Another study (Hanmer et al, 2001) concluded
that Sub-Saharan Africa will not be able to meet the international development targets – halving of the
extreme poverty by 2015- in any likely future scenario. While such forecasting and trend analysis is
powerful and might be accurate, it does little when it comes to envisioning alternative futures and
motivating people to work toward social change.

Fourth, poverty is a complex, multidimensional issue which cannot be understood only in terms of
economic indicators, such as GNP or per capita income. Access to other assets such as community
support, infrastructure and knowledge base play an equally if not a more important role. This is why
poverty alleviation strategies in the future need to be based on the reconceptualized understanding of
poverty, if they are to be successful. This includes understanding that there are poverties not poverty,
that these poverties are processes, not states and that prevention rather then relief is crucial
(Walker and Park, 1998:47).

Fifth, poverty needs to be defined from the perspective of the poor. For example, one study shows that
poor rarely speak of income but rather focus on their ability to manage physical, human, social and
environmental assets (Narayan, 2000:5). This means asking the poor how they define and see their living
and working conditions and which areas do they believe need to be transformed.

Sixth, poverty is a cumulative process. The longer it goes on the more difficult it is to uproot it.
And while the common understanding is that the poor somehow get accustomed to the situation, in fact,
the longer poverty goes on the more difficult it is to bear it. People who find themselves temporarily
poor might respond to that situation with dignity, humour and resourcefulness. But sooner or later
other feelings such as shame, humiliation and despair set in and the opportunities and assets for
ingenuity decrease. That the poor do not get accustomed to the situations of poverty can be easily seen
from the higher level of poor health and illness among poor as well as from their higher mortality rates.
Around 500,000 women die yearly from pregnancy and birth related complications which are usually related
to a lack of proper nutrition and adequate health services. Almost 2 million children will die this year
because of poverty. And it is estimated that around 30 million people die each year from hunger.

These are only some of the important factors that need to be considered if we are to eradicate poverty.
The literature on poverty is huge, including both the economy oriented studies as well as critical and
alternative approaches. In order to summarise what I see to be crucial issues in regard to poverty
eradication, I use the Causal Layered Analysis methodological approach, developed by Inayatullah (1998).
This approach offers deconstruction, reorders the knowledge and seeks to find the root causes of social
diseases (Fricker, 2000). It implies that there are different levels of reality and different ways of
knowing. Consequently this requires different levels of analysis and understanding of various realms for
implementation of social and individual transformations. Causal Layered Analysis has four levels: the
litany, social causes, discourse/worldviews and myths/metaphor. The litany focuses on quantitative trends
and problems which are often exaggerated and used for political purposes. At the level of social causes,
interpretation is given to the quantitative data. The third level is concerned with structure and the
discourse/worldview that supports and legitimates it. At the fourth level analysis looks for the deep
stories, the collective archetypes, subconscious dimension of the issue under inquiry. Causal Layered
Analysis does not privilege a particular level but attempts to integrate discourses, ways of knowing and
worldviews as well as create transformative spaces for the creation of alternative futures
(Inayatullah, 1998:815-829).

Litany
At the litany level poverty is measured only through economic and other quantitative indicators. The
discourse tends to focus on the overwhelming nature of global poverty, for example, estimates that
currently 53% of the world population is classified as poor and that around 3 billion people live on
less then 2US$ a day. The number of people in poverty is represented as a matter of fact and causes
are rarely explored. In the Western media, poverty is usually constructed to be “out there”, among
“the Others” and rarely “here”. The common results of poverty, such as high fertility rates, low literacy
levels, political arrest, organised crime and scarcity of resources are often presented as its main
causes. For example, in the mainstream discourse on poverty there is a huge concern about overpopulation.
It is often stressed that world population is expected to increase from 6 billion, as it is today, to
7.2 billion in 2015, and somewhere between 7.7 and 11.2 billion in year 2050. As 95% of this increase is
projected to occur in the countries with currently have high proportion of the poor, it is implicit that
the poor themselves are “guilty” of creating a future of poverty.

At this level, the strategies for elevation of poverty mostly focus on the poverty relief and aid
packages. The common response among the affluent is either apathy – the problem of poverty is so huge
that it cannot be resolved; helplessness – I wish there is something I/we could do; or projected action
- the government, UN or NGO’s should do something!

Sometimes, magical solutions, such as genetically modified rice and other crops, are also discussed.

Social causes
At the level of social causes analysis, economic, cultural, political and historical factors are
discussed. Social causes analysis is most commonly found among policy planners and academics. At this
level, processes such as colonization, modernization, globalization, capitalism, urbanisation, as well
as national and international governance are discussed. Other indicators of poverty, such as access
to education, health care, are included but poverty is still primarily measured through economic
indicators, such as GNP and income per capita.

Strategies usually include suggestions on how to increase economic growth rate or labour productivity
and how to encourage foreign investment. Other suggested strategies include investments in agricultural
research, education, health, creation of welfare safety net and so on.

Worldview/discourse
At the worldview discourse, the main debate is whether economy needs to be regulated. Libertarians and
conservatives argue against any or against any significant interference into the free-market economy,
and maintain that poverty can only be elevated through the free flow of capital and labour. Some also
argue that the widening gap between the rich and the poor is “a natural, necessary and even desirable
component and hallmark of the improvement of the human condition” (www.libertarians.org). That is,
poverty is the normal condition of men and if the rich were not allowed to get ever richer the poor
would never have any chance to improve their conditions at all. This they could do through ever-
increasing access to tools of everincreasing productivity, through acquiring advanced technology and by
“jumping on the bandwagon” of the general development and economic growth that entrepreneurs create
(www.libertarians.org). Left-liberals, environmentalists and socialists argue that the global Casino
capitalism is directly complicit in creation of poverty where previously there was none as well as that
the unregulated, “free” economy/markets is a myth. They stress that poverty is not created through
production (or the lack of it) but because of the way profits are distributed. They argue that although
global economic activity has grown at nearly 3% each year and doubled in size twice over the past
50 years the number of people living in absolute poverty hadn’t been reduced at the same pace. In regard
to the widening gap between rich and poor they argue that this indeed is a problem because in the future
world where “two-thirds are poor and deprived of basics and promise, there will not be any peace and
security” (Udayakumar, 1995:347). Contrary to the focus only on the competitive aspects of the human
nature it is the cooperation that is seen as the only possible way out. The future is seen as a
collaborative enterprise in which “well-being of the poor demands on the cooperation of the rich, and
the safety of the rich relies on justice for the poor” (Udayakumar, 1995:347). Discussions on this level
also allow for an analysis of the ways in which the discourses themselves not only mediate issues but
also constitute them. Or how discourses we use to understand poverty directly influence strategies that
are being put in place. For example, if poverty is understood predominantly in terms of economic
indicators, only economic measures are going to be suggested. The strategies will therefore not include
measures that work against oppressive social structures that are complicit in creation and sustenance
of poverty, such as, patriarchy, for example.

Myth/metaphor
At the myth/metaphor level deeper cultural stories are discussed. For example, in which ways Western
advertisement or other propaganda makes indigenous populations believe that their own culture, dress,
food, or language are inferior as well as how needs for products and lifestyles produced elsewhere
are created (Bjonnes, 2001). Or, through local and global narratives, creating a situation in which
some become easy prey for economic exploitation by others. At this level, we can see how deep beliefs,
such as the belief that humans are inherently competitive and selfish, create a worldview that informs
discussions that formulate policies that determine the actions (or the lack of it). Or how these actions
and policies differ from those that are formed by the worldview that emphasizes the role of
communication, cooperation, altruism, caring and nurturing as the main themes in human evolution.
At this level we can also investigate deep cultural myths and their relevance for poverty creation and
elevation. For example, in the Western history two basic narratives about the relationship between men
and nature exist (Hollis, 1998). One is the myth of “The Land of Cockaygne”, the land of milk and honey,
the “golden age” where the nature provides abundant resources and the magic bowl of porridge never
empties. This is the land of unlimited consumption, limitless choices, and ever increasing growth and
progress. The current version is consumer based global capitalism where new wealth and products are
constantly being created. This is being done both through technological and economic innovations as well
as through the colonisation of nature, lands, peoples, and space. Another myth is that of Arcadia, where
nature is bountiful but humans do not indulge themselves beyond their needs (Hollis, 1998). It is the
idea and the image about the harmony between humanity and nature rather then the image of domination and
control of the nature by humanity so as to produce society and civilisation. Throughout European history,
the Land of Cockaygne was especially popular during medieval ages and among lower classes which sought to
relieve the drudgery of their everyday lives “through the pure satisfaction of sensual pleasures”
(Hollis, 1998:14). Arcadia, on the other hand, originated in ancient Greece and was revived by Renaissance
humanists that were “seeking to restrain the selfish tendencies of the rich and powerful classes”
(Hollis, 1998:14). Its modern version are today’s ecological, New-Age and anti-globalisation movements.

Conclusion
Poverty is not a necessary evil but the result of how we perceive the world and act within it. Poverty is
continuing because the poor are truly silenced, that is, alternatives that incorporate local knowledge,
experiences, desires and worldviews of the poor are invisible in the mainstream discourses. Writing and
reading about poverty is a luxury in itself, a luxury that is beyond the means of the poor. In addition,
the official discourse rarely allows for a discussion about the ways in which we, the affluent of the
world, are complicit in creation and perpetuation of poverty. Or in which ways spiritual poverty -“a
psychological state, generally among the affluent, expressed as a constant hunger for more material things;
a sense of alienation, loneliness, and spiritual emptiness” (Bjoness, 2001) – is complicit in creating
poverty.

But the main problem with mainstream discourse, as well as both the “left” and the “right” worldviews, is
that poverty is described in terms that it becomes unthinkable to imagine poverty-free futures. Together
with the focus on the overwhelming nature of current poverty this lack of imagination makes us powerless
to act today, one step at the time. But for this to happen, we do not need to travel far and wide, nor do
we need to carry with us the influence of political power and huge wealth. We can address destitution
amongst ourselves, listen to those amongst us who are not allowed to speak, and help them carry their
imagination into a poverty-free future. A future in which every person will have an easy access to at least
one delicious yogurt a day.

Ivana Milojevic is currently completing her doctorate at the School of Education, The University of
Queensland. Born and raised in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, she now resides in Mooloolaba, Australia. Some of her
other articles are available at www.metafuture.com You can email her at: ivanam@mailbox.uq.edu.au

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