A Metaphysical reconstructive insight into the modern-day
problems of humanity
Introduction
Man is making every attempt to be happy. Who does not want to be happy? However, this quest for happiness always appears to be endless. We are happy one moment and the next moment happiness fades away. He, thus, gets perplexed and agitated at the futility of his efforts.
The prime reason for this is that man has not been able to truly understand the meaning of
‘Happiness’ and is, therefore, ignorant of how it can
be attained. He relates happiness with the
satisfaction or fulfilment of his desires and is thus
ceaselessly engaged in the pursuit of acquiring or
amassing objects of comfort and pleasure, thinking
that they are capable of granting happiness. Of
course, they may appear to make him happy, but it
is a mere delusion as such pleasures are very short lived and in turn, only contribute to a craving for further pleasures or comforts. Real happiness results in contentment and not further craving for
pleasure.
In his misguided quest for this illusory
happiness coupled with a self-centred approach,
Man has today endangered his own survival by
recklessly exploiting nature and usurping the
happiness of his fellow human being.
Man thinks that he can be happy at the cost of
the happiness of all others.
He does not realise that it is only a myth. An individual cannot remain happy without all others around him being happy. Each individual is a unit of this creation and every one of us is strung together with each other by the invisible cosmic thread of universal consciousness just as the beads of a rosary are strung together with the thread which is not visible but is the fundamental truth and basis of the rosary. Therefore, if one bead suffers or struggles for survival, the existence of the rosary and consequently the other beads is verily threatened.
He does not realise that it is only a myth. An individual cannot remain happy without all others around him being happy. Each individual is a unit of this creation and every one of us is strung together with each other by the invisible cosmic thread of universal consciousness just as the beads of a rosary are strung together with the thread which is not visible but is the fundamental truth and basis of the rosary. Therefore, if one bead suffers or struggles for survival, the existence of the rosary and consequently the other beads is verily threatened.
Nature is more progressive than man, and to protect Nature, man has to exploit it within limits. When man tampers with Nature recklessly, it reacts adversely and trouble arises. In order to protect Nature, man has to practise ceiling on desires. He should not trigger the negative aspect of Nature. In this respect, scientists have no concern for the harmful effects that may accrue to society by their inventions. They do not care for the welfare of mankind and go on making use of intelligence to produce their weapons of destruction. Care should be exercised in providing comforts, as excessive comforts may spoil man's mind and cause misery instead of happiness. "Na Shreyo Niyamam Vina" (Nothing good can be achieved without certain restraints).
– Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, 21 January 1993
Desires - What Are They?
Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “Desire is like the
shadow caused by the morning sun; it gets longer
when you run to catch; it makes you a fool.”
To understand the nature of
desires, we must understand how
they are born. Desires are
essentially born in our mind when
we interact or come in contact
with the world through our
senses. The primary nature of
desire is that it never gets
satiated. A desire when fulfilled
breeds more desires. You fulfil
one, and you have many more
automatedly born. It is a bonfire
that burns with greater fury,
asking for more fuel. If not
controlled, they continue to
manifest themselves manifold and
are capable of ruining human life.
Uncontrolled Desires and Their Consequences
If we deeply contemplate, we will realise that desire is the sole cause of sorrow and distress. Any unfulfilled desire steals away peace and creates an imbalance within, making us restless to the extent that we lose discrimination and end up fulfilling the desire even through undesirable means. Thus, desires are capable of leading Man astray.
Most often, desires ultimately turn into greed and result in anger. It is the fuel for the furnace in which attachment, ego and jealousy are produced. Thus, out of the six enemies of Man that keep him away from progressing on the path of righteousness and happiness, desire lies at the bedrock and that is why Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “Desire is storm, Greed is whirlpool, Pride is precipice, Attachment is avalanche, and Ego is volcano. Discard desire and you will be liberated.”
Desires and Mother Nature
Man is intrinsically related to nature and human
life is sustained only through the inherent balance
in nature and its elements.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba reminds us, “Man is a limb
of society, society is a limb of nature, and nature
is a limb of the cosmic form of the Lord, and all
are just one.” Thus, every action of Man affects
nature, be it positive or otherwise
Every desire that a man tries to satisfy, entails
the consumption of natural resources. Resource
consumption is therefore a function of the number
of desires, the attachment to satisfy desires and the
capability to consume. Thus, the more the number
of desires, the more the toll on the natural
resources. With a population of nearly 7.8 billion
people and each trying to satisfy one desire every
day, can we comprehend the extent of demand and
exploitation of natural resources that takes place
daily?
According to the Ecological Footprint Metric,
which compares the resource demand of
individuals, governments and businesses against
Earth’s capacity for biological regeneration,
humans use as much ecological resources as if
we lived on 1.75 Earths.
(https://footprintcalculator.org). Yet, we remain
indifferent to the plight of mother nature.
Mahatma Gandhi rightly said “The earth has
enough to satisfy everyone’s need, but not
enough to satisfy anyone’s greed”.
While Sri Sathya Sai Baba has always emphasised the need for ensuring balance in nature and its five elements and its susceptibility to Man’s conduct, experts off-late, widely agree that human activities are harming the global environment. Since
the Industrial Revolution, the world economy has
grown dramatically. Overall, this is a success story
since rising incomes have lifted millions of people out of poverty but it has been fuelled by
increasingly unmindful consumption of natural
resources. Rising demands to meet the needs of
nearly 7.8 billion people have transformed land use
and generated unprecedented levels of pollution,
affecting biodiversity, forests, wetlands, water
bodies, soils and air quality.
It is remarkable to note, that before the
Industrial Revolution, people had to look after the
environment around them because that’s where
they got their products from and if they didn’t look
after it, they would face the consequences. Now with globalisation, there are massive environmental
impacts but we are under a misconception that we
are insulated and therefore remain indifferent.
If we turn to the latest statistics that have been released as part of ‘The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022’ published by the United Nations, which reviews the progress of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development using the latest available data and estimates to track global progress of the 17 Goals, out of which six goals are related to Environment and Green Jobs, we will realise that Man’s conduct has been totally in contrast with the promises that he has made. For the sake of brevity, the statistics are not presented here. However, the report can be sourced from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/ and the summary overview through infographics can be referred to at
https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/SDG_report_2022_infographics.pdf.
https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/SDG_report_2022_infographics.pdf.
The result is that the resources of our planet are
depleting at a rate faster than they can be
replenished.
Therefore, it would not be wrong to
state that, “Humans are the real threat to Earth”.
We may not be doing it on purpose, but our
presence is harming our environment. Whatever we do affects everything around us – our air, our
water, the land, our natural resources and even
the animals. Did we fail to realise that the
Earth’s supply was not infinite? It would rather
be more appropriate to ask ourselves – Have we been careless and insensitive towards our planet
and its well-being in the pursuit of fulfilling our
demands and wants?
Once a greedy person owned a duck, which used to lay a golden egg every day. One day, he ripped open the stomach of the duck thinking that he would get many golden eggs at a time. Today man also is indulging in such foolish and greedy acts. Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him, he aspires for more and more, and in the process, he is creating imbalance in Nature.
– Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, 21 February 2001
Ceiling on Desires – the Only Sustainable & Effective Solution
If we analyse the evolution of the problems that
mankind is faced with today, we will certainly agree
somewhere that it is the insatiable and limitless
desires for comfort and pleasures that are
responsible for the gloomy state of affairs. The
spiritual quotient, which is founded in the ethos of
righteous living and used to be an integral part of
our daily living, has been eroded by our unending
and indiscriminate pursuit of fulfilling our desires.
This is at the root of man’s irresponsible and
insensitive way of living.
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires. There are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property. But you have no ceiling on your desires. Ceiling on desires means exercising control over them. You can be happy once the desires are controlled
- Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, 14 March 1999
Your life is a long journey. You should have less luggage (desires) in this long journey of life. Therefore it is said, “Less luggage, more comfort, makes travel a pleasure.” So, ceiling on desires is what you have to adopt today. You have to cut short your desires day by day. You are under the mistaken notion that happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires. But, in fact, happiness begins to dawn when desires are totally eradicated
- Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, 14 March 1999
According to Ernst Friedrich Schumacher, a
German-British statistician and economist who is
best known for his proposals for human-scale, decentralised and appropriate technologies, “The
problems of our civilization can be traced to a failure
of metaphysics, the loss of a “vertical dimension,”
which means that while we have the answers to all
kinds of technical questions we no longer know how
to answer the question, “What am I to do with my
life?” The task of the current generation, is, therefore,
one of metaphysical reconstruction.” (Schumacher
E.F, 1977, A Guide for the Perplexed, Harper and
Row).
While the Indian ethos, from time immemorial,
has always centred around this metaphysical
essence, its endorsement from modern-day western
intellectuals is only a testimony to the fact that in
order to be effective and sustainable, true solutions have to be found in the deeper insights of
spirituality and metaphysics, that are enshrined in
the cultural heritage of this land of Bharat. This goes
without any debate as all our endeavours based on
worldly pragmatism and sophistically crafted
theories or approaches, as is evident from various information that is in the public domain, have
miserably failed both in restoring the glory and
dignity of our planet as well as in ensuring peace and
happiness for man, which is his most basic need and
true nature.
The fundamentals of the required solution,
therefore, have to be undoubtedly crafted
around controlling the human mind and putting
a ceiling on desires. This would entail a drastic
change in the outlook and the lifestyles of modern
man. It will automatically contribute to a better
happiness quotient in one’s life while also restoring
the balance in and glory of nature. Hence, control of
desires by Man lies at the bedrock of any
sustainable solution.
The Toll of Man’s Desire on Environment
Every year, we extract an estimated 55 billion tons of fossil energy, minerals, metals and biomass from the Earth.
The world has already lost 80% of its forests and we’re continually losing them at a rate of 375 km2 per day!
At the current rate of deforestation, 5-10% of tropical forest species will become extinct every decade.
Every hour, 1,692 acres of productive dry land become desert.
27% of our coral reefs have been destroyed. If the rate continues, remaining 60% will be gone in 30 years.
We have a garbage island floating in our ocean, mostly comprised of plastics - the size of India, Europe and Mexico combined!
Wherever you look today, there are only desires, desires, and more desires. Put a ceiling on these desires! Only then will your mind become steady. You say, “I want this, I want that,” etc. Thus you develop many wants. They are like passing clouds. Why should you multiply your wants, these passing clouds? Ultimately, nothing accompanies you at the time of your leaving this mortal body.
- Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, 25 December 2008
Ceiling on Desires – How?
While knowledge of the root cause is important
the problem to address it, the ‘how’ aspect of the
solution is equally significant, if not more.
‘Waste not; Want not’ is the mantra given by Sri Sathya Sai Baba which is the underpinning of the concept of ‘Ceiling on Desires’.
‘Ceiling on desires’ does not mean that one has
to give up all desires in life or achieve complete
annihilation of desires. Based on the dictum of
‘Waste not, Want not’, the concept revolves around
two fundamental pillars as stated below:
Pillar I : ‘Needs or Wants’ - exercising control over
excessive desires
Pillar II : Conservation and efficient use of resources
The first pillar calls for detachment and refraining from unnecessary indulgence in worldly
or materialistic pleasure while the second underscores the need for being responsible and
sensitive in consuming resources. One relates to
drawing a ‘contentment threshold’ while the other
relates to adopting a more disciplined way of life.
There is a limit for everything in this world. There is nothing without limit. In fact, the world is a "limited company". What will happen to the limited company if it crosses its limits? Hence, everyone should conduct himself within his limits. When a doctor prescribes a particular medicine to a patient, he also indicates the dosage. If the patient takes the medicine without regard to the dosage and exceeds the limit, he may contract another disease. Similarly, God has set a limit for every individual. But modern man has limitless desires. It is necessary that he keeps his desires within limits. He will be put to great danger if he exceeds this limit out of his ego. Whether it is the individual or society or the world, all should observe the prescribed limits.
- Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, 02 May 2006
Practising Pillar I
The contentment threshold for every individual
is different and there is no single metric that can
define it for everyone. This requires personal
judgement, sincere introspection and a strong
determination to refrain from gratifying the desires
that provide momentary pleasure but ultimately
result in increased craving; or desires. These, if not
fulfilled do not affect our living and can therefore be done away with. For instance, when a new model
of a mobile phone is launched, one may get
tempted to acquire it despite having a working
mobile phone or when one sees a very attractive
saree or dress, one may get enticed to purchase it,
irrespective of the fact that he/she may already have
enough sarees or dresses to lead life comfortably.
Both may be avoided.
Of course, if left unsatiated, these desires may
cause discontentment and restlessness which is a
‘natural’ consequence and is related to disciplining
the mind by exercising sense-control. Such
discontentment is bound to wane gradually and the
‘contentment quotient’ is bound to increase.
Thus, fundamentally speaking, we need to
differentiate between our ‘Needs’ and ‘Wants’.
‘Needs’ should be assessed judicially and addressed through righteous means but ‘Wants’ should be
curbed even if one has the wealth to afford it.
Gradually, we should work towards decreasing our
needs as well. It is not a one-day exercise but a way
of life that is critical to our collective survival and
happy living.
Practising Pillar II
Under this pillar, judicious use and avoiding
wastage of resources is how the concept of ‘Ceiling
on Desires’ aims to address the problem that is
looming over mankind today.
To understand it objectively, we must first
correctly comprehend the meaning of the word
‘Waste’. Waste generally means ‘spending
thoughtlessly or using inefficiently or
inappropriately’. Thus, in the context of Ceiling on
Desires, ‘Waste’ would encompass inefficient use of
any resource that is at our disposal. ‘Inefficient use’
would mean, using or consuming the resources in
excess of what is essentially needed or required. For
instance, one needs two chapatis but three are
cooked and to avoid wasting it, the third chapatti is
eaten. In this scenario also, would it amount to
waste? The answer is ‘yes’. Prevention of waste of
resources does not only mean preventing them
from being thrown away without being used. It also
includes using or consuming those resources in
excess of what is optimally required, and this is
intrinsically related to the first pillar where we have
highlighted the necessity to discriminate between
‘Needs’ and Wants’.
Waste of resources is also directly linked to the
impact of our living on the environment and nature.
Environmental destruction takes place when people
consume more than what they need.
To practically imbibe this practice in our daily
living, four key focus areas need to be emphasised:
Do not waste Food; consume optimally
Do not waste Money, spend it diligently
Do not waste Time, utilise it effectively
Do not waste Energy, conserve it assiduously
If Man can practise these four principles in his
daily living, not only will the environmental issues
be addressed forever, but he will also be able to
elevate himself as happier, contended and a better
human being compared to what he currently is.
Let’s understand these in a little more detail.
Do not waste Food, consume optimally
Food is considered as God for it sustains life. It is the
main source of man’s life, body, mind, and
character. Despite the abundance of resources that
our planet has, millions of people go without food
daily. Hunger and poverty are the two major issues
that the Sustainable Development Goals 2030
adopted by the United Nations aim to address. The
divide is so big that on one side there are people in
the society whose lavishness knows no boundaries
while on the other side, there are many who do not
know when they will have their next meal.
As per the United Nation’s latest report on
Sustainable Development Goals, around 14 percent
of the world’s food is lost after harvest, up to – but
not including the retail stage of the supply chain,
and an estimated 17 per cent is wasted in retail and
at the consumption level.
This food loss and waste account for 8 -10 per
cent of the total global GHGs (Green House Gas) –
contributing to an unstable climate and extreme
weather events such as droughts and flooding.
These changes negatively impact crop yields,
reduce the nutritional quality of crops, cause supply
chain disruptions and threaten food security and
nutrition.
Thus, the wastage of food is inherently related
to the overall well-being of the earth and humanity.
When we waste food, all the resources used for
growing, processing, transporting and marketing
that food are wasted too. We must not forget that
even those having enough money to secure meals for
themselves and their families are affected by the
wastage of food.
When it comes to Food, the following cautions
may be integrated into our daily lives:
Eat only what you need to eat.
Don’t be greedy
Do not take more than you can eat and waste the rest
Share food with those in need
Do not waste Money, spend it diligently
Money is one of the primary basis for our living.
Without money, one cannot think of even getting
water today, leave aside other fundamental needs
of life.
However, instead of treating money as a
necessity, Man tends to seek money and power in
his pursuit of success without realising that it may
be getting in the way of the things that really matter
– happiness and love.
The ‘addiction’, if it can be called as, of amassing
wealth and its unrestrained spending makes Man
blind to the universally accepted truth that after a
certain level of income that can take care of basic
needs and relieve strain, wealth makes hardly any
difference to overall well-being and happiness and,
in turn, only harms well-being. Scientists have
proved and it is well-accepted that there is no direct
correlation between income and happiness.
While money is essential, it is also important to
realise that money if not used in moderation,
impacts our sense of morality, our relationships with
others, and our mental health too. Psychologists
who study the impact of wealth and inequality on
human behaviour have found that money can
powerfully influence our thoughts and actions in
ways that we are often not aware of, no matter what
our economic circumstances may be.
Injudicious use of money acts as fuel for our
desires and results in their exponential
multiplication. Thus, restraint in spending
money is one of the key aspects of putting
‘Ceiling on Desires’ into practice.
Don’t waste money. God is wealth.” Since God is wealth, misuseof money is evil. Practice charity by gifting away money, food, clothes, houses, etc., instead of misusing money in extravagance. Misuse of money is not only evil but a sin as well
– Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, 14 March 1999
A few pointers that may help us in ensuring that
money is used diligently are:
- Plan your essential expenses and set a budget; strive not to exceed the set amount.
- Do not spend on things that are not needed; put an end to making impulsive purchases
- Do not spend all that you earn; put some money into savings
- Do not take loans for unproductive expenses; avoid credit cards
- Help others in need.
Today our lives are tainted by a desire for wealth. Wealth makes a man intoxicated and mad. Money is necessary but it must have a limit. Excessive money can be harmful to the 'mind. It is more difficult to spend money than to earn it. It is even more difficult to take care of money. This difficulty has an advantage - put the money to good use by spending it for the rural folk and people in distress. It is not 'Dhanamoolam idham jagath' (money is the basis of this mundane world) but 'Dharmamoolam idham jagath' (righteousness is the basis of this world). If money grows, unrest also grows.
- Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, Ugadi, 28 March 1979
Do not waste Time, utilise it effectively
‘Time and tide wait for none!’ is the age-old
saying. ‘Time waste is life waste’, says Sri Sathya
Sai Baba.
We all have time to either spend wisely or waste
and it is our decision that determines the outcome
but once passed, the moment is gone forever. Time
is the yardstick of life. Secon ds become hours,
hours become years, years make ages and so on.
Thus one should not waste this most valuable
resource called ‘time’. Time lost in wasteful pursuits
cannot be regained by any means.
Though we all fully understand this, we are
unable to practice this important virtue and often
struggle in its attempt.
Wasting time creates ripple effects by
jeopardising important priorities in life. It is
important that we consciously start the practice of
putting time to proper and effective use early in life.
It is through spending time that we acquire or attain
anything in life. Therefore, spending time in
unproductive, unwise or fruitless acts or tasks not only takes away other better opportunities but also
affects our mind and body negatively.
Today we waste time on unnecessary and unwanted things, in indulging in unnecessary talk and doing meaningless actions. In all these actions we are sacrificing the body to time. Instead we should try to make time our servant. It means spending our time in good thoughts and good deeds. Every second of your daily existence you must ask these questions: “How am I utilizing time? Is it for a good or bad purpose?”
– Sri Sathya Sai,
Divine Discourse, 14 July 1984
It is only by making use of time for satiating our
desires that we contribute to their multiplication.
Hence, to curb desires, we not only need to stop
allocating the resource of time to useless and
uncalled-for desires but use it wisely for those that
would yield positivity and satisfaction. This way, we
can devote more time for undertaking good and
worthy pursuits and also sanctify the time at our
disposal by engaging in service activities to help
others with a pure and unselfish spirit.
A few pointers that may prove beneficial in this
endeavour are:
- Prioritise and allocate time according to priorities
- Plan properly; poor planning is a time waster
- Avoid procrastination; in doing something, the hardest task is to get started.
- Think about what regrets you might have for not accomplishing something that you ought to
- Avoid unnecessary indulgence in social media
- Allocate some time for service activities and helping others.
Do not waste energy, conserve it assiduously
Energy is one of the most wasted resources
available to Man. Man is unable to comprehend that
by making a proper use of energy, he can achieve
the impossible.
For the contextual purpose of Ceiling on
Desires, we may bifurcate energy into two
categories viz. External and Internal.
External energy refers to such forms of energy
that are available to us for consumption such as
electricity, fuel, gas or any other form that is derived
from the consumption of natural resources. It goes
without saying, that misuse or excessive use or
wastage of external energy is certainly a dangerous
practice that takes an unnecessary and
insurmountable toll on the environment and nature.
Thus, we should, by all means, not only stop wasting
it but concertedly and proactively ensure the
conservation of energy.
Internal energy refers to our inherent energy
that is physical, mental and spiritual. We waste our
inherent energy by indulging in excessive talk,
seeing bad or undesirable things, hearing bad
things, speaking evil, thinking evil thoughts, and
doing evil deeds. These, in turn, pollute our minds
and we lose discrimination, which is the
fundamental basis for righteous living. Thus
conservation of internal energy is extremely critical
for responsible and righteous living and is,
therefore, an important factor for practising Ceiling
on Desires.
A few pointers that may help us in conservation
and preventing the wastage of energy are
- Do not leave any electrical equipment like fan or light etc. running unnecessarily
- Do not always use your car to commute. Make use of public transport, where feasible pool, the commute to save energy.
- Do not indulge in gossiping or speaking about others.
- Practice silence whenever possible and if feasible, for a day, every week
- Control and avoid anger
- Indulge in good thoughts
- See good, be good, do good
- Read good literature.
Call to Action: Individual Social Responsibility
When nations and governments are grappling
with the seemingly unending crisis for survival, the
concept of ‘Ceiling on Desires’ given by Sri Sathya
Sai Baba is the only feasible, sustainable and
effective solution. If we revisit the 2030 SDGs, we will
realise that each of the SDGs can be addressed and
achieved by practising Ceiling on Desires.
The current state of the world is like that of a
house that has been put on fire by its inhabitants
without having any means to put it out. In such a
situation, when the vision of mankind is blinded by
the black fumes of this fire, the message of Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the only means that is capable of
extinguishing the fire that is engulfing mankind and
restoring normalcy.
In the following simple words, Sri Sathya Sai
Baba gave humanity, the eternal way of living
peacefully and purposefully:
“When there is righteousness in the heart,
there is beauty in character;
When there is beauty in character,
there is harmony in the home;
When there is harmony in the home,
there is order in the nation;
Where there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.”
Thus, the journey towards a better world has to
begin with the individual. Despite the efforts of the
governments and all other international bodies,
unless the individual transforms, thinking of reforms
will be merely daydreaming! Hence, the call for
Individual Social Responsibility.
Yes, you read it right – Individual Social
Responsibility! Governments, in order to augment their efforts and to ensure synergy, have been trying
to imbibe the virtue of social responsibility by the
corporates by bringing in, or rather imposing on
them, the concept of ‘Corporate Social
Responsibility’ whereby corporates are made
socially accountable to themselves, their
stakeholders and the public.
However, the missing link in this chain is the Individual’. It is the individuals that constitute or make up the corporate. In fact, the individual is the most basic unit which permeates and surpasses the ‘corporates’. Hence, unless each Individual acts responsibly towards the society, the distance between the dream of achieving the result and
reality shall ever keep increasing.
Therefore, if the solution to the current situation
is to be ensured, each one of us should evaluate our
contribution or otherwise, to improving the
environmental conditions as well as our spiritual
quotient, daily. An indicative list of Individual Social Responsibility Indicators is appended below to promote the first step in this direction
by each one of us. This is merely an indicative list
prepared to provoke more such indicators by
everyone that may vary from person to person.
We must acknowledge that without each one of
us taking responsibility and becoming accountable
for our thoughts and actions, Mankind cannot take
the ‘U-turn’ from the path of its own destruction.
Individual Social Responsibility will result in the
metaphysical reconstruction of mankind and ensure
that Man is able to lead a purposeful and
meaningful life and realise the main purpose of
living.
Individual Social Responsibility Indicators
| Resource | Indicative questions |
|---|---|
| Food | 1. Is my plate left clean without any food going to waste after I have finished eating? |
| 2. How often do I overeat? | |
| 3. How much of the food that I eat is unprocessed, unpackaged or locally grown? | |
| 4. How often does my household trash contain perished food or food items that could not be consumed | |
| 5. Do I share food with the needy and the hungry? | |
| 6. Do I keep the tap of the wash-basin open while shaving or applying soap on my face or brushing my teeth? | |
| 7. Do I throw water as waste? | |
| 8. Can I reduce the amount of water I consume in taking a bath? | |
| Money | 9. Do I have more pairs of shoes or other similar items than I can actually survive with? |
| 10. How many watches do I have? | |
| 11. How many mobile phones do I use? | |
| 12. How often do I change my mobile phone? | |
| 13. How often do I purchase household appliances or electronic gadgets? | |
| 14. How frequently do I eat out? | |
| 15. How often do I purchase new clothes? | |
| 16. Do I regularly use my money for helping people in need? | |
| 17. What is the amount of money that I think I can save annually by avoiding unnecessary expenses? | |
| 18. What percentage of my earnings do I save regularly? | |
| Time | 19. How regular I am in completing my tasks on time? |
| 20. Do I procrastinate? If yes, how often? | |
| 21. How much time do I spend daily on various social media platforms? | |
| 22. Do I spend time on tasks or pursuits that can be avoided or are unnecessary? | |
| 23. Do I allocate time for good deeds and service activities? | |
| 24. How much time do I spend reading unnecessary literature or novels? | |
| Energy | 25. How often do I indulge in gossiping or talking ill about others? |
| 26. Do I spend time watching unnecessary things on TV or other platforms? | |
| 27. How often do I get angry? | |
| 28. Do I think of harming someone? | |
| 29. How much time do I spend praying and thinking good of others? | |
| 30. For what amount of time do I practice silence daily? | |
| 31. How much paper or plastic do I recycle? | |
| 32. How far do I travel by car or motorcycle each week? | |
| 33. Do I drive where I can easily walk? | |
| 34. When I travel by car, how often do I carpool? | |
| 35. How much of my total travel do I undertake on public transportation? | |
| 36. How many hours do I fly each year? | |
| 37. How many hours of air conditioners do I use that can be avoided? |
