High Technology for Sustainable Development of Rural Poor

Introduction There are 3 billion people in the world who earn less than $2/day. With increased access to TV and other mass media, they aspire to an “affluent life style” which is mostly dictated and defined by Western media. As we all know, this life style is unsustainable yet it provides the role model and living standard towards which the developing world aspires. However, for the world’s sustainablity this life style has to change. Becoming spiritual will help us do that. Spirituality is the state of mind that helps us to understand that Truth is beyond the barriers of worldliness, caste, creed, race or geographical boundaries. Spirituality connects us to Universal Consciousness and gives a certain perspective in and towards life. As a person progresses on the path of spirituality, his or her priorities in life change. The focus of life shifts more towards getting personal happiness through mental peace and less on material needs and desires and hence more towards sustainability. Spirituality also helps us become more secure. Increased internal security helps in reducing greed. When each one of us become less greedy then the world will become more sustainable. Sustainability should therefore be practised by each of us in our daily life. Thus we should try to conserve energy and be more frugal with the resources we use. We however cannot impose it in a democratic society. Nevertheless, we need to talk, cajole, educate and generate spiritual awareness in young people in different fora, schools and colleges. It is a long process but it will have its effect. All of us have to be actively involved in this process, especially because of the tremendous onslaught by big companies, corporations and advertising media on people’s sensibilities, exhorting them to buy more and more goods, to drive bigger cars, to consume more of the earth’s resources. The 3 billion poor nevertheless cannot wait for the rest of the world to become spiritual and use fewer resources. They need the basic necessities of life right now and want to improve their life style. Thus, greed reduction in West and technology development for poor people should take place simultaneously.