The 20th Century World-Sickness

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…Pursuant to the good Pope Francis’ ground-breaking Encyclical…

THE 20TH CENTURY WORLD-SICKNESS THE COMING ENVIRONMENTAL CATACLASM

• Note: The (interpolations in Coloured Italic Script in Brackets) within the Body of the Original Quotes in Bold – Intuitively Revisited & Reinvested with Comments — are the Personal Subjective Thoughts, Opinions and Utterances of the Compiler-Commentator – dredged from within the depths of his Limited Framework-of-Knowledge and Partial State-of-Understanding …and is not positioned as The Definitive View on the Subject.

Note: The 2 Selves Co-existent in Man… 

Concept: Atman Self – Upanishads/Bodhicitta/Buddha-Nature – Buddhism/Noor-i-Ruhani/Ruh-i-Ilahi – Islam/Holy Spirit – Christianity/Noble Self – Zoroastrianism/‘No Mind’ – Zen/ Gentleman – Confucius. Refers to: ‘Godly-Lawful Higher/Immortal/Eternal Self’ in Awakened Man. Represents: Divine/Positive World-Life Constructing Forces of Light-Love-Life.

Concept: Nafs – Islam/Aham – Indic/Ego – West/Beast-Self – Zoroastrianism/‘Mind-States’ – Zen. Refers to:‘Godless-Lawless Lower/Mortal/Transient self’ in Unawakened Man.Represents: Satanic/Nihilist World-Life Destructing Forces of Darkness-Violence-Death.

• We need more understanding of human nature, because the only real danger (to the continued survival of our species) that exists is (godless-lawless ego-inebriated, ignorant) man himself. And we (unawakened human beings deeply, albeit unwittingly, immersed in our self-deluding, world-life-history disrupting pagan ego-conditioned mechanism) are pitifully unaware of it. His (dysfunctional, undisciplined, uncontrollable, troubles-creating, devastation-causing pathological) psyche should be studied – because we (godless-lawless ego-inebriate, unawakened human beings) are the origin of all (past, present and) coming evil (…causing global-scale warring, world-impacting climate change …and the suicide of civilization).
  • Carl G Jung, Iconic Psychologist

• Disregard for our natural inheritance has bought about the danger that now threatens the peace of the world… Such destruction of the environment and life depending on it is a result of(our godless aham/ego-aroused uncontrollable tendency to contention, conflict and violence rooted in the evils of)ignorance, greed and(the unconscionable)disregard for the richness of all living things. This(greed-driven, vanity-fueled, malignant-minded, environment-ravaging, social chaos-spreading)disregard is gaining great influence(as more and more unawakened-unthinking nations and peoples are jumping on to the Bandwagon of Destruction – desirous of getting more and more richer).If peace(– at the individual and collective levels)does not become a reality in the world and if the (mindless ego-conditioned, counter-productive, irreversible)destruction of the environment continues as it does today; there is no doubt that future generations(– the very extensions of our own loins –)will inherit a dead world.
  • The XIV Dalai Lama

• The (godless-lawless ego-promoted) greed of gain (-name-fame — which is the central driving-force of all outward-focused, illusions-immersed, narcissism-hedonism driven, attachments-bound, discriminatory mind-states conjuring unawakened human beings –) has no time or limit to its (self-destructive, covetous) capriciousness. It’s one (self-centric, profit-directed demonic) object is to (ensure the mindless commoditisation, exploitation and exhaustion of Earth’s Natural Resources in order to) produce and consume (– the narcissist-hedonist promoted mantra of ‘conspicuous consumption’ as the ‘be-all and end-all’ of life). It has pity neither for beautiful nature (which nourishes, supports and promotes the wellness of all life on Earth) nor for living (fellow) human beings (whom it callously exploits and discards). It is ruthlessly ready without a moment’s hesitation (or tinge of qualm) to (selfishly, albeit counter-productively,) crush beauty and life out of them, moulding them into money (…such that very soon – at the end of the day – we will have Godowns-full of money …but no Nature-provided food left to eat).
  • Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel Prize for Literature, 1913

• Violence (– whether against fellow beings, wildlife or the environment –) is basically an (godless-lawless) ego-related problem. It is a(uncontrollable, easily)provoked(and angered pathological) ego that creates almost all kinds of(world-life-history-environment disrupting)violence and disturbance.
  • Maulana Wahiuddin Khan

• If the ethical foundation (as propagated by the Higher Self-awakened ‘creative individual’/‘good man’)is lacking, then (– due to a dearth of ‘such ones’ and the preponderance of the lower ego-self-dominated uncreative-unethical ones) civilization collapses; even when in other directions creative and intellectual(socio-politico-econo, techno-scientific-academic)forces of the strongest nature are at work. … The difficult problems with which we have to deal, even those that lie entirely in the(external social,)material and economic spheres, are in the last resort only to be solved by an inner change of character(…an ‘attitudinal mindset shift’ away from our lower-malignant ego-centric, greed-driven ways of destructive thinking-behaving-living …towards the Higher Self and its benignant, nature-sensitive way-of-living in sustainable, symbiotic harmony with its surroundings).
  • Albert Schweitzer, Anthropologist, Musician, Aviator, Activist – 1920s

• Today, we (– the cognoscenti) are Bearing Witness to the process of the suicide of civilization, in fact, that process is now well underway… (Pagan ego-dominated, hedonism-immersed, dumbed-down modern) Man has long lost his ability to ‘think’, to foresee and foretell. He will end by destroying the earth.
  • Albert Schweitzer, Anthropologist – 1920s

• The most decisive factor in the collapse of our 20^th century civilization is the (pagan ego-self-induced)abdication of (Higher Self-inspired, benign-minded, independent and free) thought (that arrives at a new, sustainable life direction-setting holistic Worldview leading to a universal transformation of our Collective Psyche in-sync-with the freshly emerging forces underpinning the formation of a New Age – the Elan Vital/Life Force, Zeitgeist/Time Spirit and the now, the freshly emergent inescapable Environmental Imperative).
  • Albert Schweitzer, Anthropologist – 1920s

• For individuals as for the community, life without a (future direction-setting) ‘World-View’ (based on species well-being promoting holistic-thinking offering an all-inclusive, sustainable way-of-living in symbiotic harmony with Earth) is a (pagan ego-induced) pathological disturbance of the higher capacity for self-direction.
  • Albert Schweitzer, Anthropologist – 1920s

• How many times can a man turn his head / Pretending he just doesn’t see / The answer my friend, / Is blowing in the wind.
  • Bob Dylan, Iconic Vocalist

• We are (unwitting participants) living in a historical transitional period in which the awareness of the conflict between(pagan ego-promoted, mindless consumerist-centric, destructive-development-driven)human activities and(…Nature-imposed inescapable)environmental constraints is literally exploding…. Never before in our history have we had so much knowledge, technology and resources… Never before have we had such great capacities. The time and the opportunity have come to break out of the (pagan ego-conditioned, world-life-dividing, strife-torn)negative trends of the past(and – inspired by our world-life-uniting Higher Self — to collectively, concertedly and correctively act so as to creatively respond to this species survival-threatening mega-challenge in a way that overcomes it …in time to make the difference …before it overcomes us). 
  • Gro Brundtland, Head of U N Environment Agency, 1990s

• Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change (– an Axis Shift from an Old World Order to a New Age).
  • Mary Shelly

• There is nothing more difficult (in the ensuing chaos of a transition phase)… than to take the lead in the (discovery and) introduction of a new (emerging higher) order of things (…even as the old lower order is rapidly crumbling).
  • Niccolo Machiavelli

• Our (21^st century) civilization is (unwittingly trapped) in the (treacherous throes of an uncharted) transition stage (irrevocably suspended) between the (atavist ego-self-dominated, divisive-minded Old) Age of Warring Empires and that of (the inescapable, emerging dynamics and imperatives of a Higher Self-inspired, all-inclusive New Age of Brotherhood –) World Unity and Peace.(Who’s collecting the bets?).
  • John Boyd Orr

• During the (coming) transition to (the New Age of) sustainability (i.e. if our perverse ego-enslaved species awakens in time and is fated to survive), political leaders and citizens alike will be forced to re-evaluate their goals and aspirations, to redefine their measures of success and to adjust work and leisure to a new set of(environment-centric imperatives and ecology-compatible)principles that have at their core the(sustainable well-being and)welfare of the future generations.
  • World Watch Institute – State Of World Report, 1990

• The old (pagan ego-formulated) story(of science-driven untrammelled economic growth, runaway technology and uncontrollable material advances)sustained her (– our natural-resources-gobbling modern global civilization –)for a long time – it shaped our emotional attitudes, it provided us with life’s purpose, it energized our actions, it consecrated suffering, it guided education…. Now the old(pagan ego-formulated, unsustainable and counter-productive)story is not functioning, and we have not yet learned a new(narrative of a more benign and evolved Higher Self-inspired, environment-centric, species well-being promoting Worldviewto correct and neutralize the errors of the past).
  • Thomas Berry

• When the forms of an old (– now obsolete and counterproductive) culture are dying, the new (more evolved time-spirit/zeitgeist-compatible) culture is created by a few(Higher Self-aware, independent-minded, alternative-thinking visionary)people who are not afraid to (take the risk, stretch-the-envelope and) be insecure. 
  • Rudolf Bahro, Socio-Ecologist

• The way of cowardice is to embed ourselves in a (complacent and apathetic) cocoon (of pseudo-comfort, safety and security) in which we perpetuate our obsolete (pagan ego-conditioned, mindless, counterproductive and regressive) habit patterns. When we (– thus enslaved by the ego-shackles of old habits –) are constantly re-creating our basic (fixed-static-obsolete) behaviour patterns, we never taste the fresh air (of freedom and true well-being) or know the new (Higher Self-blessed soul-liberating) ground.
  • Trungpa

• The end of an era, and the beginning of a new one, is literally forcing us to find a new context, a new way to orient ourselves to the experience of being alive(in an uncontrollably fast and fleeting, rapidly changing world).And unless we are each (and every one of us) willing to make the effort (to fearlessly, independently and freely think for ourselves, carefully soul-search and) become clear about what our fundamental spiritual and philosophical position is, in relationship to what it means to be a(sensitive, selfless Higher Self-)conscious (extraordinary) human being (of gravitas) in an evolving universe…we(ordinary unawakened mortals, entrapped in our insensitive, selfish lower ego-selves)will find ourselves(helplessly and hopelessly)tossed all over the place (like strands-of-straw at the mercy of the winds-of-change), swept here and there by the fast-moving tides of (uncontrollable, undirectable) exponential change(…inexorably dragging us towards the slippery slope/precipice of self-extinction).
  • Andrew Cohen

• There are many signs that the next general international crisis is going to be about the environment. There have been warnings of environmental abuse for decades, but(due to the dynamics of our inter-civilization hot and cold war priorities, long-term)concerns(about our species survival-threatening irreversibly deteriorating natural environment)were (side-lined and) separated from (the priorities of) high politics and security. Now(…with the common threat of global-scale climate change and the specter of mass-deaths/extinction staring us in the face, a globally unified remedial, therapeutic, corrective)convergence has begun. 
  • Flora Lewis

• Many people are concluding, on the basis of mounting and reasonable objective evidence that the length of the life of the biosphere, as an inhabitable region for organisms, is now to be measured in decades rather than in billions of years. This is entirely the fault of our own species(…and its unthinking, unholy ego-driven mantra: “Growth is great, greed is good, and wallowing in the decadent excesses of the vanity-immersed, hedonist-materialist-consumerist way-of-life, as an end-in-itself, is the best”…at least till the reality hits the fan and everything tanks). 
  • G. Evelyn Hutchinson – Scientific American Sept ’70

• Both biological and cultural diversity are now severely threatened(by the dehumanized, monolithic, destructive forces of modernity and globalization)and working for their preservation is a critical task(…on which hinges the well-being of our current generations and the sustainable survival of our species).
  • Dr. Murray, U S Physicist

• Our massive(pagan ego-driven, arrogant)tampering with the world’s web of life – coupled with the environmental damage inflicted by deforestation, species loss, and climate change could trigger widespread adverse effects, including unpredictable collapses of critical biological systems whose interactions and dynamics we (pagan ego-dominated, ignorant and arrogant beings) only imperfectly understand. 
  • World Scientist’ ‘Warning to Humanity’, Signed by 3500 Scientists, 1992

• During the last few decades, humans have emerged as a new force of nature.(Through human-impacted influence and change)We are(ignorantly, mindlessly and purposelessly)modifying physical, chemical and biological systems in new ways, at faster rates and over larger spatial scales than ever recorded on earth.(Unawakened, pagan ego-dominated)Humans have(arrogantly – albeit)unwittingly embarked upon a grand experiment with our planet. (Yikes! God help us! But then again, maybe even He cannot get us out of this messy situation we have made for ourselves of our own ego-poisoned ‘freewill’).
  • Jane Lubchenco, Ex-Pr. American Ass’ for the Advancement of Science

• (Our inherently-flawed, pagan ego-engineered, Destructive Model of)Development(…as we know it today, with its unbridled exploitation of natural resources, runaway technology, exponential rates of economic and material growth, and its resultant uncontrollably increasing carbon footprint)is like a wild horse that we are riding over which we have lost control. 
  • Thich Nhat Hanh, Philosopher; (As Guest Editor of Special Peace Edition, Times ofIndia – October 2^nd 2008, Gandhi Jayanti)

• Our unique (– albeit indiscriminate) capacity to innovate and our (uncontrollable, albeit myopic) drive to create (conditions and things most suited to us – our own parochial anthropomorphic desires-wants-comforts-conveniences-ease – by exploiting and modifying Nature) have (no doubt) bought forth unimaginable potentials (in the fields of science, technology, medicine, agriculture etc.) and simultaneously have carried us to the very brink of self-destruction (– the inexorable process of the “suicide of civilization” – Schweitzer …is now well underway. Think! Is this ‘The World We Want’, as is the title of the Rio + 20 declaration. Is the trade-off worth it?). 
  • Andrew Cohen, The Speaking Tree – June 24, 2012

• It is clear that present(pagan ego-promoted, anthropo-centric-determined, counter-productive)growth patterns and practices (which are immiserating our peoples, exhausting our non-renewable resources, devastating our environment and destabilizing our climate)are self-destructive and cannot be sustained. The challenge that humanity now faces is nothing less than that of creating a whole new (Higher Self-inspired, holistic, benignant, nature-centric worldview  — a Theology of Ecology — vis-à-vis the obsolete, partial, malignant, self-centric one — the Theology of Egology – as a creative)approach to the(environmentally-sustainable, socially-secure, economically-equitable, spiritual)growth of our society, to the(character-developing, personality-building, man-making creative directions it takes into the near future towards new benign)goals of growth, to the(mutually beneficial, non-exploitative, non-destructive, all-inclusive, harmony-enabling)processes of growth.
  • Maurice Strong, Environmentalist 1977

• (Today, in the 21^st century)We are dancing(precariously poised)on a Volcano(…apprehensively awaiting the coming man-impacted, ecology-precipitated state of mass-extinction – Pralaya/ Apocalypse — currently impatiently marking-time, just around-the-corner, to make its all-engulfing destructive appearance on the World Stage — sooner rather than later).
  • Narcisse Salvandy

• We find ourselves on the brink(of ecology systemic-collapse and mass-extinctions).It’s clear (that godless ego-dominated, ignorant) humans have had a devastating impact on our planet’s ecological web of life. Because we’ve waited(– the classic insidious delay tactic used by vested interests – the counter-productive mantra of “Let’s wait and see”),because we’ve(conveniently)turned our backs on nature’s warning signs(saying, “It’s happened before, they’re only natural, temporary phenomena”)and because our(selfish, greed-blinded, power-hungry)political and corporate leaders(…who have a deeply entrenched stake in the current decadent status quo)have consistently ignored the overwhelming scientific evidence(…by remaining immersed in a state of deep-denial as their whole sense of being and way-of-life is invested-in and dependent-on the continuity of this decadent system),(…and due to these pagan ego-imposed obstacles)the challenges we face(to the continued survival of our species per se)are that much more difficult. We are in the environmental age (and the Environmental Imperative is king) whether we like it or not. So, what does the future look like? Will our pivotal generation (be able to rise to the occasion, be-in-sync with the Environmental Imperative and) create a sustainable world in time?(Answer quickly! For on your answer depends whether you are the bearer of the Palanquin …or the one who rides in it!).
  • Leonardo DiCaprio, Actor-Environmentalist: Film-Documentary – The 11^th Hour

• The (pagan ego-self caused) social and ecological problems that afflict us, cannot be solved by mere tinkering with the symptoms alone –conventional technological solutions though important, will not be entirely sufficient. The key lies in our own(Higher Self-inspired, environmentally-benign and humane)way of life and the(universal humanist, ecology-centric)ethical values that govern it.
  • Elizabet Dowdeswell, Ex-Dir’ UNEP

• When you (as an aham/ego/beast-self-dominated ignorant being) defile the pleasant streams / And the wild bird’s abiding place, / You massacre a million dreams / And cast your spittle in God’s face.(Can you venture to guess the Retribution for that?).
  • John Drinkwater

• (Mindlessly and myopically)Destroying rainforests(…which serve as our global lungs and a sanctuary for many life-forms merely)for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal(– only godless ego-intoxicated savages are so capable).
  • E O Wilson

• Both economic pressures and political instincts encourage a short-term focus(– the self-defeating, counter-productive ideology of immediate results, instant gain, quick fixes, over-the-counter solutions — all needed here-and-now);but(as any sane man knows)pressures to wring too much out of land (or animals or man) in the short-run can destroy it in the long run.
  • U.S. Farmer

• Growth for the sake of growth(– as a decadent, self-destructive end-in-itself)is the ideology of the cancer cell(– by extrapolation of which fact we can reliably surmise that ‘man’ is a cancer on Earth).
  • Edward Abbey

• A (heathen ego-driven immoral) way of life that evermore rapidly depletes the power of the Earth to sustain it (by irresponsibly living a  consumerist-centric, greed-driven, unsustainable way-of-life) and piles up evermore problems for each succeeding generation can only be called violent.
  • E F Schumacher, ‘Small is Beautiful’

• No generation has a(de facto, de jure or de moralise)right to impose debt for future generations. 
  • Thomas Jefferson, Fmr. Pr. US

• (Urgent, globally-unified, environment-protecting remedial)Moves should be taken to ensure there was something left to hand on to future generations.
  • Prince Charles

• The future belongs to those who (wisely change themselves to be in-sync-with benign, natural resources-conserving, sustainable ways-of-living so as to) give the next generation a reason for hope.
  • Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, French Philosopher

• Sustainable development is not a fixed state of harmony, but rather a(creative, synergistic)process of change in which the(sustainable, symbiotic)exploitation of resources, the(benign, natural resources-protecting)direction of investments, the(ecology-sensitive)orientations of technological development and(socially-inclusive, economically-equitable)institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs.
  • World Conference on Environment and Development Report, 1987

• Conservation is the(benign, subsistence-centric, sustainable)management of the human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefits to present generations, while maintaining(if not enhancing)its potential to meet the(continued sufficiency-based)needs and aspirations of future generations. 
  • World Conservation Strategy Report, 1988

• The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end (– perverse ego-conditioned, anthropomorphic comfort, convenience and gain) justifies the means (– environmental devastation and species wipe-outs).
  • George Bernanos

• Our own(ignorant-arrogant ego-induced, insecurity-immersed, greed-driven)devastating impact on the biosphere will probably be a singular event, not a part of a recurrent pattern. Why? Because we probably won’t survive long enough as a species to do it again.
  • David Quammen, The Song of the Dodo

• Our survival demands new(Higher Self-inspired, non-destructive, alternative-thinking, environment-sensitive)ways of operating our civilization(…in-sync-with the limitations and imperatives of Nature according to the greater Scheme-of-Things/Dharmic Plan). (For, the old godless ego-self propagated, anthropo-centric, nature-destructing, materialism-focused, narcissistic-hedonism-immersed, counter-productive mind-states conjured unconscionable creed of ‘Conspicuous Consumption’ and the unholy mantra of “Greed is Good”… consecrated at the unholy alter of unbridled economic-growth and untrammelled technological progress rooted in an ethically-flawed, unsustainable, destructive Model of Development based in the old-think of the Old World Order …has clearly failed us – and how!).
  • D. Hoffman

• We must learn to think in new(Higher Self-inspired, benignant-minded, environment-sensitive, ecology-centric, species survival-promoting, sustainable ways …and eschew the old pagan ego-self-centric, malignant-minded, environment-destructing, ecology-disrupting, species survival-endangering unsustainable)ways.
  • Gorbachov – Fmr. Pr. USSR

• We need a new global agenda that would provide a win-win solution for everyone (…with Reverence for All Life on Earth – Schweitzer)… We need new (principles-centric, morality-moored, values-driven, ethics-designed) architecture for the way we (live, shop, invest, entertain and) work(…so as to be sensitive to environmental concerns and ecological imperatives).Our test will be to see how adept and wise we are in finding(and adapting ourselves to)a(new, all-inclusive and sustainable, ecology-compatible)solution. 
  • Richard C. Celeste. U.S. Ambassador to India in XLRI Workshop, Mumbai (TOI 12^th Dec)

• There are risks and costs to a programme of (environment-affirmative) action. But they are far less than the long-range(species-survival threatening)risks and(national economy-bankrupting)costs of(convenience-centric)comfortable non-action(rooted in individual ego-centric complacency-apathy-ennui and the lack of collective social-political vision and will to initiate globally unified corrective action).
  • John F Kennedy, Pr. USA

• The measure of intelligence (which ensures the survivability-quotient and continuity of a species) is the ability to (be resilient and adapt to evolutionary) change (instead of being rigid and resisting it. Change or perish is Nature’s inescapable diktat).
  • Albert Einstein

• It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most (resilient — most adjustable and) adaptable to change (in-sync-with the freshly emerging environmental imperative). (Methinks, herein lies the rub for man who in his arrogant ego-induced state-of-inebriation as Master of the World thinks nothing of changing and adapting the world of nature to suit his own ambitions, comfort and convenience instead. Hence, our current world condition of disrepair and despair).
  • Charles Darwin

• We(as godless ego-dominated, greed-driven beings thoughtlessly and feelinglessly)abuse land because we(ignorantly and arrogantly)regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we(awaken to our Higher Self and its true perspective and)see land as a community to which we belong,(…then and only then)we may begin to use it with love and respect.
  • Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

• Illness(physical or mental)is in part what the world has done to a victim but in larger part it is what the victim has done(in abusing and playing mischief)with his world and himself.
  • Karl Menninger, Psychologist

• Without a(Higher Self-inspired)revolution of the spirit, the( obsolete, exploitative, greed-driven)forces (of the Old World Order) which had produced the (divisive socio-economic conditions and) inequities of the old(politico-military-industrial complex world)order, would continue to be operative, posing a constant(obstacle and)threat to the(freshly emerging New Age)process of reform and regeneration(towards the birth of an all-inclusive, benign and sustainable New World Order …still in the process of aborning). 
  • Aung San Suu Kyi — Noble Peace Prize

• The human race’s survival is now once again in doubt for the first time since man established his ascendency over non-human nature(such as the vicissitudes of natural disasters-weather-wildlife-hunger etc)… This time it is(our own godless-lawless aham/ego/beast-self-dominated)human nature(– our own ego-intoxicated, greed-driven, indiscriminate environmental violence-perpetrating proclivity to misuse the powers of science and technology to pollute and poison the Earth and unleash weapons of mass-destruction that will lay waste our world)that threatens mankind with extinction. The recurrence of this ancient threat(…to the survival of our species)from this new quarter(–unawakened mankind itself — precipitated by our own unstable-immature-biased, self-destructive, atavistic egoic-self  — the Trojan Horse within …vis-à-vis the old quarter – the external threats of weather, wildlife, starvation – which are now more or less ameliorated –) is a challenge to all human beings to subordinate theirtraditional(obsolete, pagan ego-dominated)parochial(-partisan-sectarian-biased, anthropo-centric, malignant-tempered, violence-perpetuating, nature-devastating, nationalistic passions-enflaming, civilizations-threatening, world-life-history endangering)loyalties to a new paramount(– peaceful-harmonious-sustainable global-civilization evolving, collective)loyalty to(the Universal Fellowship/Brotherhood of)Mankind (with reverence for all life on earth).
  • Arnold Toynbee, Iconic British Historian, 20^th C

• There we were, one foot on a bar of soap and the other in the gutter(– an apt comment on the 21^st century Human Predicament).
  • Commander Pursey

• Everyone saw it coming. Everyone understood its hard deadline. Everyone understood its worldwide scope. Everyone realized its massive potential for harm. And everyone let it happen.(The perennial story of the godless ego-lulled Slumbering Man and his deeply-flawed, time-delaying mantra of “wait and watch.”)
  • Harris Miller, Disaster Mgmt Expert (during Y2K computer crisis that fortunately did not happen)

CATCH – 22  SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• The history of mankind is the story of a bunch of apes(– with apologies to that noble species –)playing with matches in a petrol dump.
  • Bertrand Russell

• If the human race wants to go to hell in a basket, technology can help it get there by jet(…at warp-speed).It won’t change the desire or direction (we have set for human species extinction), but it can greatly speed the passage.
  • Charles Mallen

• For as we have seen,(expanding human powers, science-driven)technical inventions, improved means of communication and methods of production leading to(apparent)progress, physical growth and(instant)material results though seemingly(adding to our comfort-convenience-ease and)increasing our powers in the struggle with nature, all(in truth-reality – when viewed in the Big Picture – undermine and)take away much more from(the basic fabric of peace-harmony-sustainability of society and)civilization than they give to it.(The Big Question here: “Is the trade-off worth it?”).
  • P D Ouspensky, 1932

• Science… never solves a problem without creating ten more.
  • George Bernard Shaw

• It is not sciencethat has destroyed the world, despite all the gloomy forebodings of the earlier prophets. It is(godless ego-blinded, senses-deluded, greed-driven, vanity-fuelled, herd-minded)man, who has destroyed man(…and of course, as the cognoscenti will aver, much, much more).
  • Max Lerner

• The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new(more benign, non-toxic)ways of thinking about them (and more sensitive-caring-benevolent, world-life-history-promoting ways of applying them).
  • William Lawrence Brag

• The (insidious, heartless) machine (born of science and technology and in turn spawning it uncontrollably) threatens all achievement (of humanities and civilization).
  • Rainer Maria Rilke

• As for those who would take the whole world / To tinker with as they see fit, / I observe that they never succeed: / For the world is a sacred vessel / Not made to be altered by man. / The tinkerer will spoil it, / Usurpers will lose it. (Those ego-immersed, malign-natured ones who seek to change and adapt the forces of nature and environment to suit their partisan conveniences will end by destroying themselves.  And those benign-natured, creative ones that change and adapt themselves to the imperatives of the forces of nature and environment to suit the larger good of future generations …will evolve to higher states of being).
  • Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Ch19

• Significant problems(– such as the nuclear Damocles Sword, the coming global-scale societal-disintegration or tectonic-scale events of climate change and ecology-systemic collapse)cannot be solved at the same level of(partisan anthropo-centric, techno-scientific)thinking from where we created them. (It instead, calls for a radical-bold-innovative ecology-centric approach necessitating the reparative, reorientation of our ego-infected Attitudinal Mindsets from an environment-destructing, profligate-consumerist lifestyle indulging …to a benign, frugal and spartan, non-destructive way of subsistence living so as to be more in-resonance-with the newly emerging imperative of sustainability …within the bountiful limits of Nature).
  • Albert Einstein

• The universe is not meant to be in perfect harmony with human ambition(– au contraire – it is we that better be in perfect harmony with the imperatives of Nature or else…).
  • Carl Sagan

• Man is no lawgiver to Nature. He is an absorber. She it is who stands firm. He it is who must accommodate himself(and adapt his lifestyles to the imperatives nature …or perish).
  • William James, Iconic Psychologist

• We cannot command Nature except by(by adapting to and humbly)obeying her (dictates and adopting ourselves to her ways …so as to ensure the sustainable survival and evolution of all life on earth).
  • Francis Bacon

• Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative(…what could be simpler and easier?).
  • H G Wells

• For every action there is a reaction / You abuse Mother Earth… she will strike back / With forces strong and aggressive / Affecting every human being. / The writing is on the wall / Yet few of us can see / To save our suffering planet /Is up to You and Me…(What sayest thou fellow human beings? Are we up to it?)
  • Simi Bajaj

• Nature is proving that she can’t be beaten – not by the likes of us. She’s taking the world away from intellectuals and giving it back to the apes(who’ve ably looked after Mother Nature far better for millennia longer than man).
  • Robert E Sherwood

• Mosquitoes remind us that we(…great as we think ourselves — in the final analysis –)are not as high up on the food chain as we (would like to)think.
  • Tom Wilson, Artist

• When Heaven sends down calamities, there is hope of weathering them. When (godless ego-dominated ignorant) man brings them on to himself, there is no hope of escape.
  • T’ai Chia

• Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all –the(godless ego-infected complacency and)apathy of human beings.
  • Helen Keller, Icon Blind Girl Persecuted by the Nazis

• We have grasped the mystery of the atom(at the core of our material world)and rejected the Sermon on the Mount(at the core of our spiritual world).
  • Omar Bradley, US General

• The(pagan ego-dominated)man (of intellect), who knows how to split the atom but (…who being without the Higher Spirit of man) has no love in his heart, becomes a monster.
  • J. Krishnamurthi, 20^th C. Philosopher

• Evil does not lie in the atom(/matter), but in(the impure ego-contaminated condition of)man’s soul (/Spirit).
  • Adlai Stevenson

• Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
  • Omar Bradley, US General

• The splitting of the atom changed everything, save the modes of our(obsolete pagan-ego-dominated, self-destructive, violence-prone)thinking and thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe.
  • Albert Einstein

• An indiscriminate pursuit of science and technology(…consecrated to fuelling unbridled economic growth, unsustainable levels of consumption, runaway technology and material expansion)in the third millennium without any respect for(the limits and imperatives of)nature, could spell doom for humanity.
  • Richard Ernst – Noble Laureate

• If there is technologicaladvance (and economic growth)without social advance(…adding up to the emergence of a mature and responsible populace),there is almost automatically an increase in human misery.
  • M. Harrington

• The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom(to make constructive use of the scientific knowledge and not self-destructive use of it).
  • Isaac Asimov, ‘Science and Nature Quotations’

• Before we acquire great(techno-scientific)power we must acquire the wisdom to use it well.
  • R W Emerson

• Science has made us gods(by amorally gifting us enormous powers)even before we are worthy of being men(and not pagan-ego dominated savages).
  • Jean Rostand

• What business has science(-technology)and capitalism got, bringing all these new(dubious, unsought)inventions into the works, before society has produced a generation educated(and spiritually mature enough)up to using them (…without destroying itself and its surroundings).
  • Ibsen

• Unless man increases in wisdom, increase in(techno-scientific)knowledge(material-expansion and economic wealth)will be increase in sorrow.
  • Clarence Darrow

• I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interactions (and be replaced by techno-interfacing and e-interactions via computers, smart phones etc). The world will have a generation of idiots.
  • Albert Einstein

• (Value-free)Science without conscience is the soul’s perdition(– so we better get our act together and fast …or prepare for a tour of Hell).
  • Francois Rabelais, Pantagruel, 1572

• Our society is bathed in (disco-brightening)artificial light, and submerged in (soul-crunching)spiritual darkness. Everywhere there is light, except in the hearts of the people. Spiritual enlightenment(which brings about a sense of brotherhood and responsibility towards our natural environment)is our greatest need.
  • Roy Davison

• (As a Higher Self-aware truth-seeking person courageously recognizing, accepting and) Knowing your own (pagan ego-conjured condition of) darkness is the best method of dealing with the darkness of others.
  • Carl G Jung, Iconic Psychologist

Though bear in mind, Extreme Situations may sometimes …Only as an ‘Exception’, Call for Extreme Measures…

• Our goal is a very simple, clear and direct one – to bring about a (no-holds-barred, head-on) confrontation between the(– godless-lawless ego-intoxicated, environment-destructing, wildlife-decimating, forests-razing, atmosphere-polluting, soil-contaminating, ocean-poisoning, peoples-exploiting, profit-mongering)People of Death and the(– godly-lawful Higher Self-sensitized, Nature-protecting, Earth-saving)People of Life.We insist on conserving the environment for our children and future generations(intact …no matter what it takes, come what may).
  • 1^st Greenpeace Broadcast, Sept 16^th, 1971

• When the(men are corrupted,)earth is sick and the animals and plants begin to die, the Indians(as a race of people who remain uncontaminated by modernity and its handmaiden technology)will regain their(temporarily lost)Spirit and gather together(all like-minded, same-hearted, common-spirited)peoples of all nations, colour and creed to join together in the fight to save the Planet and they will be known as the ‘Warriors of the Rainbow’.
  • Prophecy By Old Cree Indian Woman

• First I thought I was fighting for (my people –) the rubber-tappers, then I thought I was fighting for(my home –)the Amazon, then I realized I was fighting for(our Sacred Home Planet Mother Earth and all her children –)humanity.
  • Chico Mendes – Iconic Martyred Rain Forest Activist, 1990s

• The mode of living which is founded upon a total harmlessness towards all life forms or (in case of absolute necessity) upon a minimum of such harm is the highest morality.
  • Shantiparva Mahabharata

• We (Higher Self-aware creative persons) must set out to combat and systematically weaken the main institutions of the (destructive Military-) Industrial System – the (oppressive)State, the (corrupting)Corporation and the (myopic, counterproductive application of)science and technology they (– the unthinking-uncreative pagan ego-dominated ones) use to transform Society and the Natural World (…for the worse). At the same time, we must do everything to recreate an(alternative, benign, subsistence-centric sustainable)economy not based on them; reducing in this way an almost universal dependence on a (rapacious-predatory-perverse)destructive economic system (with its inherently-flawed, market forces-driven, profit-focused Destructive Model of Development)that in any case (– as the decadent symptoms show) is certainly in decline and may well be close to collapse.
  • Goldsmith – Iconic Environmentalist – 1980s

• (As courageous, peace-loving, Atman Self/Buddha-nature-aware good souls –)Resist that, even with weapons – the scourge of(godless-lawless aham/ego-self-dominated, malignant-natured, destructive mind-states conjured)evil(viz. war-tyranny-oppression-injustice-corruption-pollution etc. as perpetrated by the greedy, power-hungry Establishment and their coterie of self-catering puppets and hangers-on — the unprincipled ‘rich and powerful’ with their deeply-entrenched vested interests – selfishly seeking to perpetuate the unjust status quo which only serves to enrich themselves and fatten their families at an unconscionable cost that impoverishes the people, ruins Nature and)that lays the country desolate.
  • Zarathustra, Avesta, Gatha 31.8

• To tell you the truth, non-violence is the primary duty(– our paramo dharma), but(the impartial, peace-loving, eternal Higher/ Atman Self-realized good man’s strategically-initiated, conscience-mandated)violence for the right cause(…in-accord-with the Universal Principles of Truth-Righteousness-Justice-Mercy)is also a duty(that must be performed by the dispassionate Atman Self-attained good man).This is our creed, the creed of the(unwavering, peace-loving, nature-protecting, harmony-spreading Atman Self-awakened)Followers of Truth(…living in-tune-with their conscience …in-accord-with God’s Will/Brahman/Dharma/ Tao).
  • Mahabharata Shanti Parva 271.20

• I think people of conscience and courage who know and understand the value of the last remaining wild-places on earth, act correctly when they act on their conscience and do what it takes(…even if they have to resort to morally-mandated, conscience-sanctioned strategic violence)to protect these places. Our lives are short, 70 years on an average 120 years at very most… The forests we are taking about have trees that were bursting from their seed coat when Moses was leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt(…and we humans have no moral right to decimate them in a couple of centuries as a commodity for mindless consumption, comfort and convenience).
  • Dr. Eliot Norse

• As long as there are powerful armies, there will always be the danger of (exploitation and oppression in the regime of a)dictatorship. Although I am deeply opposed to war, I am not advocating appeasement. It is often necessary to take the right stand(…even if it means resorting to conscience-approved, discerningly-applied strategic violence)to counter unjust aggression.
  • The XIV Dalai Lama

• (In certain extreme situations and extenuating conditions)Where there is only one choice between cowardice and violence, I would(boldly …without second thought)advice (the use of strategic, calibrated-) violence.
  • Gandhi

• (Being a conscientious-objector and confirmed-pacifist)One speaks of the possibilities of violence with caution… But I definitely prefer to be called an alarmist than to stand by, a silent witness to (the soon coming event of)impending doom (– in a theatre close to you …caused by global-scale climate change …now very clearly discernible on the horizon).
  • Whitney Moor Young, Jr.

• The killer instinct is not solely reserved for the vicious and cunning; it can(– when used selflessly and strategically for the greater good of the greatest number — also)benefit the virtuous and righteous as well.
  • Chin-Ning Chu

• If we believe a thing to be bad, and if we (as human beings)have a (morally-mandated)right to prevent it(…by fearlessly and dispassionately doing what it takes …no matter the cost to us), it is our (socially-responsible)duty to try and prevent it, and damn the consequences (…come what may).
  • A. Milner

• If (the pagan ego-blinded) one does not perform his duty to one whom the duty is due (– think, Earth), one becomes a thief of the duty(…for which the price of retribution is too high).
  • Zarathustra, Avesta

• The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil (– for that is a given), but (not so-surprisingly)because of the(pagan ego-dominated, safety-bound, security-pursuing, self-seeking)people (always looking for ‘What’s in it for me’)who don’t do anything about it.
  • Albert Einstein, Physicist

• The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference(– our own pagan ego-conditioned cowardly convenience in not wishing to be the ones to get embroiled in it …and thus allowing the cancer to run rampant and rot the social fabric).
  • Bess Myerson

• The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it(by being too cowardly to stand up against it …and bring it to heel).
  • Ayn Rand

• When (ego-self intoxicated)bad men combine(– as is the nature of the base-low-mean rat-pack/herd), the(altruistic-hearted, contrarian-minded Higher Self-sensitized)good must associate (…and act collectively-unifiedly like a closed fist with clout); else they will fall one by one (like separated-vulnerable fingers of the hand), an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible battle (– between the individual good man and the unholy Orthodoxy/Establishment-Herd Axis).
  • Edmund Burke

• (The pagan ego-enslaved cowardly)One, who, in spite of his ability does not try to suppress (unjust) violence from being committed before his own eyes(…for reasons whatsoever whether out of fear or greed), himself partakes a (soul-damning)share of the (taint of)sin.
  • Adi Parva – 180.11

• May your wrath burn both, him who commits a wrong and also him who permits a wrong to be perpetuated(– in spite of having the ability to stop it).
  • Rabindranath Tagore

• He who passively accepts evil(…being happily immersed in his own pagan ego-spun comfortable cocoon of safety-complacency-apathy-convenience to do anything about it)is as much involved (and complicit-culpable)in it as he who helps the perpetrator.
  • Martin Luther King Jr.

• (The pagan ego-mesmerized, passive-minded)He, who accepts evil(– injustice-oppression-exploitation-corruption …whether out of fear or desire for self-gain)without protesting against it, is cooperating with it (…and is as complicit-culpable in the crime as the perpetrator).
  • Martin Luther King Jr.

• (As Higher Self-aware creative individuals, courageous, staunch opposition and)Non-cooperation with evil is as much our (ethico-moral)duty as cooperation with good.
  • Mahatma Gandhi

• (The cowardly ego-mesmerized)He who does not punish evil (by lacking the moral courage to boldly act against it – whatever the scenario and personal cost) commands it to be done (to the detriment of society).
  • Leonardo da Vinci

• Who can protest an injustice but does not (– whether out of pagan ego-induced fear or self-gain), is an accomplice to the act.Who can protest an injustice but does not (– whether out of pagan ego-induced fear or self-gain), is an accomplice to the act.
  • The Talmud

• (The cowardly ego-conditioned)He that spares the bad (without righteous cause)injures the good(…by allowing the malignant cancer of evil to spread unchecked in society).
  • Thomas Fuller

• He is also sinful who is friendly with the sinful(by sucking-up to the greedy rich and powerful who exploit and immiserate the people and despoil the Environment), and he is virtuous who is fond of the virtuous(– those persons who seek the well-being of the people, wildlife and Nature). …. Those who are not with us(– the destructive-malignant Forces of Evil)are against us(– the constructive-benignant Forces of Good).
  • Zarathustra, Avesta, Gatha 46.6

• Resist that, even with weapons, the Plague (of godless ego-induced evil: war, crime, corruption, exploitation, oppression, terrorism, environmental devastation) that lays the country desolate.
  • Zarathustra, Avesta, Gatha 31.8

• Aggressive fighting for the right(cause — the greater good of mankind and the environment)is the noblest sport the world affords.
  • F. D. Roosevelt. Fmr. US President

• The humblest citizen of all the land, when clad in the armour of a righteous cause(– a casus justus),is stronger than all the (tyrannical oppression-perpetuating)hosts of error.
  • W. J. Bryan

• There will come a day when the wasteful people of Australia will wish when forever it is too late, that a previous generation had fully (woken to their responsibility and) realized their duty to themselves and posterity in regard to forest preservation. They (of the future) will wish our generation had preserved what rightfully belonged to posterity. …God help the country until the (Higher Self/Holy Spirit-inspired) educated and the appreciative(ones sensitized to the preservation of God’s Creation/Nature)can meet the spoilers(– the lower ego-self- blinded exploiters and profiteers – the decadent Establishment-Herd Axis/Military-Industrial Complex)with (morality-mandated, divinity sanctioned)force (– yea, even strategically-initiated measured violence), and by force make them see the errors of their ways (in so thoughtlessly destroying the creation of our Lord). It is no use appealing to (sound sense and good) reason – they (– the godless-lawless ego-intoxicated, profit-driven, stone-hearted, conscience-dead, herd-minded ones –)have not any.
  • Myles Dunphy, Father of the Australian Green Movement

• Without knowing it we utilize hundreds of products each day that owe their origin to wild animals and plants. Indeed, our welfare(well-being and very survival of our species)is intimately tied up with the welfare of wildlife. Well may conservationists proclaim that by saving the lives of wild species, we may well be saving our own (…is anybody out there listening)?
  • Norman Meyers

• The fatal flaw (in the worldview)of science is that it has separated the observer from the observed; the seer from the seen(– hence the self-destructive, malaise-engendering disconnect between man and the world).But, if we are part of the undivided consciousness, and if consciousness is a(single-unified-interconnected)field(– as is Cosmic Consciousness),then what happens in one part of the field will(inexorably)influence what happens in the rest of the field. Like a(monster-type)Hitler manifesting from a collective psychosis.
  • Deepak Chopra, TOI 24.4.00 (Q&A Section)

• The observer and the observed are one.
  • J Krishnamurthi

• He who fights with (brutal-oppressive tyrant) monsters should be careful lest he thereby (…carried away by the sanitizing process – himself) becomes a (brutalizing-oppressing tyrant) monster.
  • Friedrich Nietzsche

• (In dispassionately resorting to morally-mandated just acts of strategic-violence when helping those brutalized by the Authority/Establishment/System)We must not allow ourselves to become(violence-conditioned and brutalized by it in the process so as to avoid ending up)like the system (of corruption, exploitation and oppression)we oppose.
  • Desmond Tutu

• The solution to the(pressing humanity-created, ecology-precipitated, climate change-initiated, human species survival-threatening)problem of the day(we face in the external world of Nature)is the awakening of the(internal eternal Noor-i-Ruhani/Atman Self/Bodhicitta/Holy Spirit-awakened)consciousness of humanity to the divinity within.
  • Hazrat Inayat Khan

• It is already becoming clearer that a chapter which has a western beginning (rooted in the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, leading to our current 20^th century Destructive Model of Development, runaway technological and material advancement and unsustainable, greed-driven rates of economic growth devoted to the mindless mantra of Conspicuous Consumption – as an end-in-itself – the decadence of Cowboy Capitalism and Materialism that is fast-exhausting our survival-supporting natural resources-base and has today resulted in the dire spectre of Climate Change now threatening the very continuity of our species on Earth as-we-know-it) will have an Indian ending (rooted in spiritualism, non-interference, non-attachment, self-renunciation and reverence for All Life on Earth) if it is not to end in the self-destruction (/Suicide)  of the human race… At this supremely dangerous moment in history (– when our 20^th century world is poised at the edge of an unprecedented Environmental Cataclysm) the only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian Way.
  • Dr. Arnold Toynbee, Iconic British Historian (1889 – 1975)

• O good man! Compassion is the Buddha Nature (/Atman Self/ Noor-i-Ruhani/Holy Spirit) of all beings. Such a Buddha Nature is long overshadowed by (godless-lawless nafs/aham/ego/beast-self conjured, Maya-bewitched) illusion. That is why (pagan ego-blinded, unawakened ordinary) beings cannot see (their original state is Compassion). The Buddha Nature is Compassion. Compassion is the (core virtue of the) Tathagata.
  • Mahaparinirvana Sutra

Scores more Quotes in this Vein avail in ‘The Collection’ (Estd. 1958)