-- Ashish Ranjan (Milwaukee), Mokshay Madiman (Boston), Kamayani Swami (Milwaukee)
Over 2000 years ago, the Jain philosopher Bhagwan Mahavira coined three terms that continue to resonate till this day - Ahimsa (nonviolence), Syadvad (assertion of possibilities), Anekantvad (non-absolutism). While the first came to be popularized by the sayings of Gandhiji, how do Syadvad and Anekantvad fit into the discourse of development? Working in the "field" of "development" at a time when the term itself has come to be contested, AID has had to grapple continuously with the idea of development. Even as its organizational understanding continues to evolve through the organic process of volunteer learning, inputs from grassroots partners and internal discussion, it is arguable that AID's (unarticulated) commitment to Syadvad and Anekantvad has been as constant as its (articulated) commitment to Ahimsa. Consider particularly AID's commitment to pluralism: not merely passively tolerating multiple ways of thinking (whether it is about God or development or something else), but actively creating space for multiple viewpoints, even in homogenizing environments. In the context of communalism for example, Anekantvad/pluralism translates into working for communal harmony and against exclusivist ideologies. Or in the context of big dams being touted as the key to economic growth, it translates into articulating the viewpoint of adivasi villages in the Narmada valley. And so on. And AID's projects can similarly be seen as illustrations of the principle of Syadvad - they assert the alternatives to these institutionalized modes of violence. Exploring exactly where these notions of economic growth, religion, spirituality, and development connect and disconnect in the minds of AID volunteers was the objective of a 2004 survey some members of AID's Pluralism cell conducted. These were the findings from the sample of a 101 AID volunteers that took this survey, titled "Relating spirituality to development": More to development than just economic well being. The majority of the respondents (82 percent) agree that ?economic growth is necessary to solve India's problems'. But an almost equal number (79 percent) disagree with the statement that it is ?sufficient to solve India's problems'. More to spirituality than religion. Though 60 percent of the respondents do not think of themselves as religious, an overwhelming majority (81 percent) of those who answered this question describe themselves as spiritual. Not surprisingly 82 percent of respondents think that religion and spirituality are not one and the same. Spirituality and development: Yes, we see the relationship! Nearly two-thirds of respondents agree that ?there is a strong connection between spirituality and development'. But what precisely is the nature of this linkage remains unclear from the responses. Religion and development: Maybe. To further complicate this picture, even though only 40 percent of respondents themselves believe in religious teachings (see above), most did have faith in the inherent goodness of these teachings. So 97 percent think that ?religious teachings have often been misinterpreted for selfish ends' and 96 percent agree that ?misinterpretations of the underlying message have caused violence in the name of religion'. But the final verdict on whether ?All things considered, organized religion is a positive force for development of society' remains split - 47 percent of respondents agreed and 53 percent dissented. Do these 53 percent believe that religion is detrimental to development? Or do they think it is not related to development? The survey does not answer! Development and my life: the connection. It was encouraging to note that 85 percent of the respondents say that ?Making daily-life choices that are consistent with AID philosophies is important'. And almost 96 per cent are willing at least ?to some extent' to make that change ?if it would help the underprivileged [they] are trying to serve'. The efforts include avoiding wastage of ?paper or resources', conserving ?energy by car-pooling, switching off un-needed lights and appliances etc' and buying organic foods. The commitment of these AIDers to developmental issues is further evident from the fact that nearly 67 percent spend some of their spare time reading about these issues, and 62 percent discuss them with friends often or quite often. So, is there a strategy to eliminate injustice? We asked ?Can ... injustices be eliminated by removing the people responsible for these injustices?' More than three-fourths of those who answered the question said ?No, there's no shortcut'. About discussion and dialogue as a strategy 49 percent agreed with its efficacy, and the rest either disagreed or did not know. In many ways the survey threw up as many questions as it answered. But one thing is certain - we need to envision new ways of tackling old developmental issues, and in this envisioning the path of spirituality can play an important part. What would this new vision be like? The Jewish barber in Charlie Chaplin's classic "The Great Dictator" offers a provocative answer: "More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost." AIDers agree. *The survey was conducted by the AID pluralism cell which is a forum for AID volunteers to discuss various issues of religious and economic pluralism.
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