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Problem of Poverty & Unemployment

 

 

By Acharya Tulsi

 

Modern economics wants all people to be well-to-do and prosperous. For the past few years, election manifestion promises the removal of poverty and unemployment. Inspite of promises of plenty and prosperity poverty is growing and the number of the unemployed is swelling and the problem of earning livelihood is becoming more complicated. Is there any solution to this problem? I do not believe that when there is a problem, there is no solution. The problem maybe concerning field, its solution is always available. People should come forward for it. Before finding the solution, the nature of the problem should be understood. What can be solved unless the problem is not clear?

At one end of the problem is poverty and at the other end is unemployment. Let us first consider poverty first. What is the definition of poverty? Who should be considered poor? The following Sanskrit sloka gives a starting point for thinking about it.

Taking a surface view, all people shoe themselves to be poor. A multi-millionaire feels himself poor in the presence of a billionaire. If prosperity is measured in this progression, all those falling behind the foremost point are considered poor. But looking backward, no poor person would be found down the line. Let the owner of a building look at a flat owner, let a flat owner look at someone living in ordinary rooms and let the person living in a modest room look at someone living in a hut and let the one living in a hot look at the pavement dweller. Thinking that way, very person can consider himself wealthy.

Cooperation for Selfish Motives : It is not possible to talk about poverty and prosperity in absolute terms, because one becomes poor or wealthy not on account of his riches but of his ideas. In that situation, who can carry on the campaign to remove poverty and in what manner can he do it? According to some people, the poor should be helped. It is very pleasant to read about helping the poor but who is helping whom? The supreme thing in this world is self interest. Without self interest, the son does not bother about the father and the father dos not help the son. Whether it is between brothers, between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, between husband and wife, their relationship remains pleasant as long as their self-interests are looked after. Even if their interests are adversely looked affected in the slightest degree, their relations flounder. If one brother is rolling in immense wealth and the other has not enough food in the house, there is no cooperation among them. Who would be there in that case to help selflessly without being personally acquainted?

When there is famine in the country. The cattle population is depleted, milk, curd, ghee etc. is in short supply, then people suddenly sit up and some steps are being taken to save the cattle? What they are protecting is not the cattle but their self-interest. Otherwise, how is that many people die of hunger everyday? No one is concerned about them, because such a concern does not help their self-interest in any way. How old is this web of self-interest? What is the way out of its?

There is no dearth of good people in this world. There may be some exceptionally good people, who have risen above their self-interest and whose hearts surge with feelings of beneficence and universal good and free from the aspirations of earning name and prestige. But how many such people can be found? Not even in the proportion of salt added to the atta. This is the path of going against the current . It is extremely difficult to go along that path. It is a matter of following an ideal. Nonetheless even if one is not in a position to set an ideal, at least the ideal should not be destroyed. Even if one is not able to help someone else, at least the person should not be reduced to the state of poverty. At least, no one should be subjected to mental affliction by inordinately exhibiting one’s wealth

Unemployment and Education : At the other end of the problem we find unemployment. At one time unemployment was not a problem in the country. All small people and big were able to pursue their own vocations. The farmer tilled the land. The carpenter did carpentry. The potter did earthenware. The goldsmith made ornaments of gold and silver. The banya carried on his trade. The barber, washerman, harijans and others did their traditional jobs. These vocations were pursued from generations to generations and more efficiency was acquired in their jobs as time went by. But today, the sons of the farmers, the potters, the blacksmiths, the goldsmiths, etc. pass graduate and post-graduate examinations. They aspire to become doctors, engineers, administrators, lawyers, chartered accountants and company secretaries. If they cannot become any of these, they cannot forget to become at least clerks because they ashamed to take up their ancestral proffessions. Such people belong neither here or there. They loose touch with their traditional vocations and are not able to get government jobs. In these circumstances, what can be expected if not growing unemployment?

The responsibility of this growing unemployment lies with our educational system, which has prepared clerks and officers and turned the educated people into gentlemen, dressed in the western suits. They want to sit on the chairs, but resent working in the fields. There is work at home, but they have no inclination to do that work. This is not the situation peculiar to India. What is happening in India is only the imitation of the developed countries. 

Growing Percentage of Unemployment : America is a symbol of modern development. It is said about that country that till 1870, half of its population was in agriculture. But by 1900, because of manufacturing industries, the number of farmers was reduced to one-third. That crises has intensified during the 20th Century. How relevent is the Western concept of development, which promises to provide employment, prosperity and conditions of well being? According to the American Labour Department, by the first decade, of the 21st century, 46% of the people engaged in shoe-making, 32% of those engaged in domestic leather work, 57% of those working in tobacco industry, 31%of those engaged in domestic work and 29% of workers in oil and petroleum industry would be rendered unemployed.

Based on the discussion about the statistics presented at a seminar of the Organisation for Economic Development, which is an organisation of the countries, organised at Paris in June, 1993, it has been concluded that by the end of 1994, the number of the unemployed in the rich countries of the world alone would be more than 30 million. If such is the case with regard to the countries considered rich of developed, what would be the condition in a developing country like India or the undeveloped countries of the world? According to some people, the new economic policies that have come into force in the name of so-called development have misguided the young generation. It is estimated that at the start of the 21st century, 200 million would be unemployed.

Employment Does not Descend from Above : It was expected that bearing in mind the conditions and the country, education would be made multi-dimentional. It is expected that through education, men would be raised to a higher level not only intellectually, but also emotionally. But both the objectives were not achieved. On the one hand, there were problems arising out of education and on the other hand, an open invitation to multinational companies under international pressures, led to a situation in which misleading competition in the field of development has created a very high challenge to the young generation for finding employment.

A widespread debate on education has been going on in the country for a long time. But ther is no progress as we are only moving round and round like the bull tied to the oil press. As long as the necessary changes are not brought about in the field of education, the ideas of the young people would not change. Without the change in ideas the solution to the problem does not seem possible. This is because employment opportunities do not descend from above, but have to be found at the ground level.

Problem of Vanity : An educated minstrel started writing good poetry. He read out his poem to the king who was very pleased. The minstrel got a handsome reward called lakh pasav in terms of tittle. In ancient days, this reward included lot of money, a special dress, citation, etc. The minstrel became arrogant after getting that title from the outskirts where his friends came to greet him. He told them, "I have received the title from the king. I would not come home just like that. I must be welcomed with the band and music.

The condition of the minstrel’s family was poor. The members of his family tried hard to pursuade him, but he did not relent. His family was very unhappy. With the permission of the in-laws his wife went to persuade him. She congratulated him for getting the title and said, "Your mother and father are waiting for you at home, and you are seated here! Please come home." The minstrel said, "You are really a wonderful woman! I have got the title from the king. How can I come home just like that? The bard’s wife replied with an affectionate sarcasm:

"My respected husband, what had happened to you? You have become so arrogant just because you

have got the title from the king? Suppose an elephant is brought for you and also the band. And you

may have even a bowl with jewels. But ultimately, you would only beg! Even if someone gives you

pearls as alms after your fame, you would still be a beggar. Why this arrogance when we have to live only by begging?"

The minstrels eyes were opened after hearing those enlightened words of his wife. He stood up and went straight home. But today it seems that after obtaining academic degrees, children of farmers, carpenters and potters have assumed airs. The terms like farmers are only symbolic. The question is actually about mentality of considering the ancestral vocations lowly. How would the problem be solved so long as this mentality does not change?

Bhagwan Mahavira laid as much stress on collective sadhana as on individual sadhana. He laid don eight practices to strenghten one’s faith in religion co-religion-faiths in religion and trying to instill religious feelings in those who have no faith in religion or are not followers or religious by birth is the spiritual aspect of sadharmit love. Showing brotherly feeling towards sadharmit people and sharing their happiness and misery is the social aspect of sadharmit love. It is the experession of a humane sensitivity. When the sources of sensitivity dry up, the individual is not affected by happiness or unhappiness of others.

In ancient times, an experiment in sadharmik love at the social level was made by the jain community in South India. The tradition of four types of charities in the fields of education, medical treatment, livelihood and consolation were developed. They were known as jnanadana, aushadhidana, anadana and adhayadana to give facilities to people for education, medicine, livlihood and protection. This programme of sardhmik love was carried with view that no one in society should remain illiterate, sick, hungry and afflicted by fear. Thereby thousand of families naturally found refuge in Bhagwan Mahavira. The Jain culture spread and the impact of Jainism on public life grew. In course of time, even in South India, the tradition of Sadharmik love slackened, and gradually almost vanished. Now it seems that the four fields of sadharmik love have been taken over by the Christian missionaries. Looking at the spread of Christianity in India and the whole world, it can be said that those people are alert about their objective. Terror and temptation are not the path of religion. But the path of brotherhood, amity or sadharmik love is the best way from all points of view, which regards no one poor or lowely. Those who have been overwhelmed by the problems of poverty and unemployment suffer from a feeling of inferiority. By sharing their happiness or misery or by behaving with them with the brotherly feeling, this problem can be solved by a certain extent.

 

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