I have known Shombit since the first book he published with us. He insisted on calling it Jalebi Management and no amount of persuasion made him change the title. Over the years we have grown to respect each other as professionals and also as friends. His writing is his and he is moved by human suffering like few people are. I am honoured that he has chosen to write for my blog. Vivek Mehra, CEO & MD, SAGE Publications India
Remnants of “black rain” refuse to wash off from this shirt worn by 16-year-old Toyoko Kubota on 6 August 1945. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima made black chemical radioactive material descend on her like rain. Even 85 years after the attack, scientific tests detected a slight amount of cesium 137 in the shirt exposed to “black rain”.
This horrible bombing was done in the name of peace to stop the relentless Axis Powers from continuing to wage WW II since 1939. Today a new kind of attack by a non-visible, mass killing power is creating global disorder – COVID-19. Yesterday’s chemical atomic power was localized to Japan, but arguably, murderous agents like today’s frontier-less corona virus (and others like SARS and Ebola earlier with different scales of contamination) has the same killing effect, but it is now globalized and individualized, irrespective of poor or rich. Do scientists realize that this unplanned virus spread, the genesis of which is yet to be pinpointed, is somehow a continuation of planned human destruction that was executed 85 years ago?
Don't you think COVID-19’s global attack is compelling us to opt for a new positive direction, that of ELIMINATE-ISM = “Eliminatism” with nature friendly science (NFS)? My idea of "Eliminatism” infused with NFS is for harmonious happy living for all classes of people in the world. It’s a bottom-up ideology that calls not just for change, but for total displacement of thought and action against pre-existing or current systems of mass destruction.
Today’s proficient scientists can do anything if they have a clear picture of the social context, purpose and objective driven by NFS. “Eliminatism” with NFS is about embracing quality, and individually, consciously, choosing to reject excessive unwanted quantity. In no way will “Eliminatism” destroy people’s desire level ranging from pleasure to hedonism, but it will drastically turn up-side-down our lifestyle and means of livelihood. I am absolutely in favour of ultra-modern science and technology, I am definitely not preaching regression to return to manual labour. I am saying, embrace “Eliminatism” with NFS. It is diametrically different from the “decline” that extreme political parties and the ecology movement profess.
Isn’t it time to find an alternative from the two extreme ends of our social behaviour spectrum, Communism and Capitalism, to arrive at “Eliminatism”? Communism is restriction, Capitalism is excess. Being extremely democratic, “Eliminatism” spans across basic needs to hedonistic desire for the underprivileged to privileged classes. As “Eliminatism” starts bottom-up, basic needs like food, dress, shelter and medication have to be affordable with NFS. At the same time there has to be choice of costly livelihood and lifestyle ways, also with NFS, but which may not be affordable to all. Moneyed people with NFS awareness are already making choices like becoming vegan or using cycles instead of burning petrol. But “Eliminatism” is not a sophisticated costly platform that only the rich can enjoy. It has to start bottom up from poor people who have no choice today for affordable NFS lifestyle.
Was the Roman Empire more nature-friendly? The masses today are a victim of science and scientists. That’s because eventual environmental problems have arisen when the masses have enjoyed the convenience of inventions. The inventors never did care to examine how their inventions will damage the earth. A few examples:
- At the end of the 19th century when the automobile was invented, it became the world’s most advanced transportation instrument. A luxury of convenience later became mass mobility, and an initiator of nature-destruction.
- In 1907 when plastic was invented it mesmerized the world to boost up mass market convenience, leading to environment destruction by society.
- Boosting agricultural products from pesticides to genetically modified plants was another convenience for agricultural growth which has led to contamination and human destruction.
- For fashion that artificially makes a pair of jeans cowboy style with holes in them, we have to go to poor countries like Bangladesh to stone-wash denim in harmful chemicals to create the ruggedly-worn effect. Isn’t this chemical destruction for both the poor and rich?
- In today’s situation, the electric car is another example of deferring the nature-destruction problem by saying it is environment friendly. This is only half the truth. It is obviously superior to petroleum or gas, but what about its dangerous chemical battery which is not biodegradable and has to be changed every 5 -6 years? This is non-NFS as it would create destructive garbage in future.
From 1900 to December 2019, economists and investors have used the upshot of all mishaps like epidemics, science, war and recession to boost the economy. Economic growth happened by adding anti-nature methods for the convenience of the masses; it made money for a few global business leaders, and severely damaged the planet. As “Eliminatism” with NFS is a bottom-up movement, shouldn’t we learn to deploy it as our radically displaced socio-cultural, political and industrial way of life?
In these last 119 years, apart from medical science advance for a longer lifespan, did we get anything better to cherish to keep our planet in equilibrium? Isn’t Bhutan, the world’s only carbon negative country, the benchmark of better living? Should we not remove unnecessary excess and learn from this virus attack on how to live a decent life of “Eliminatism” with NFS on planet Earth?
SO ISN’T “ELIMINATISM” OUR FUTURE? What outcome can we expect after this frontier-less, deadly corona virus? Is this the only killer, or will something similar happen again or more often in future? “Eliminatism” definitely does not ask us to go back to the Middle Ages. Nor does it recommend the Communist system of flat earning and same living standard. Everyone has to be incentivized and rewarded for merit, intelligence and inventive power. Of course “Eliminatism” would always endorse the freedom of expression we enjoy in a democratic political system.
Since the last 119 years it’s been proved that struggle leads to innovation. As society-destroying corona virus is struggle enough, isn’t it obvious that invention has to support and incentivize “Eliminatism” with NFS? I am confident that the highly inventive power of the world’s scientists today can easily show us a new path of “Eliminatism” science which will enable us to live in a nature-friendly world now and in the future.
Currently, the rich distance their garbage from themselves to sleep well, but about 2 billion of the world’s poor people (of whom 1.6 billion are slum dwellers) sleep on this garbage. So on both sides, garbage is the biggest destroyer of the world’s environment leading to severe health issues. Also, the poor countries are the garbage dump yard of the rich countries.
Why should we accept global companies controlling money and people globally? It is not the masses who wish to become a global leader or richest person in the world; a limited number of power-hungry people who have statistics and economic analysis running in their blood want to see the world as their own pocket. Can we not become a planet of SME (small-medium enterprises) productivity? Isn’t that the right choice for living in a virus-proof environment?
- Have localized industrial units in every 200 km circumference to manufacture food, beverage and lifestyle products of day to day usage.
- In this way, jobs will be created and health issues contained.
- Each entrepreneur can specialize on craftsmanship and inventive knowhow and skill to support better productivity and better profitability.
- Some exceptional lifestyle or utility products could perhaps be global due to their requirement of intense inventive power and special knowhow, but “Eliminatism” productivity has to become extremely local.
- “Eliminatism” productivity can avoid the convenience of plastic or other non-bio-degradable material for packaging perishable food and beverage products.
- Reusable bio-degradable containers can be among the big “Eliminatism” factors. Being reusable it can reduce garbage.
When this horrible corona mass killer is stalking the world just now, this is the time to avoid destructive science that excessively multiplies economic growth for big MNC industries to profit. We will be better off driving SMEs across all countries. This bottom-up social and living structure of “Eliminatism” will discard unnecessary want in our societies in future. Shouldn’t we start planning for “Eliminatism” with NFS right away and not give any scope for the addition of big industries? Today’s troubled times is giving us our best opportunity to eradicate illiteracy and poverty from the world even as we achieve equilibrium through “Eliminatism” with Nature Friendly Science.
Wish you Love and Courage to see the world of “Eliminatism” with NFS as the aftermath of this corona virus attack.