Most of us would agree with it that if we have never been here, then the earth would have gone on healthy and the way it should, but since we are here, there are disruptive things on the earth that are causing the destruction. As the world has become more and more industrialised, we have been using up more and more of the world’s natural resources.

So, what will the economies of the future be like? Are we heading towards a global market place where there is one currency? Is it possible to make sure that each community is entirely self-sufficient in terms of energy, agriculture, secondary and tertiary industries and also be able to exchange specialist products with neighbouring economies? These are some of the necessary questions to ask ourselves at this point in time because the most obvious truth in terms of our economic future is the stability of the natural environment.

When the elements of nature are undisturbed by the activities of man, where each community can rely upon the quality of soils and climate to provide its agricultural needs (that is, provide sufficient resources for basic living) and thus be independent, then economies will no longer be under the influence of change, chance and artificial demand. It also means that people will not have to borrow from other people and be in long-term bondageof interest rates and repayments.

But how do we return to this economic eden? Is it really possible to create such a climate in the world today? The answer is YES! When we begin to re-establish our inner value, that is, to place emphasis on our quality as human beings, then this will be reflected into the market place as well. If we place a high value on fairness, freedom of enterprise, friendship and of course, harmony with nature, then we will no longer seek a competitive edge over our neighbours.

Remember! If as individuals we feel content, then we will not seek to satisfy ourselves through business ventures at the expense of poorer economies. Instead of exploiting cheap labour and cheap resources, our emphasis will be to restore nature to her perfect state and to ensure the long-term viability of the local resources. Instead of creating industries that serve no real purpose to the general community, we will endeavour to understand the real needs of the local community and serve those needs first.

By limiting our desires and seeking satisfaction from the quality of our intentions and actions rather than from the quantity of produce, we will constrain our tendency to develop goods and services just for the sake of it. We should understand very clearly that inner stability, and economic stability work together. As much as we respect ourselves and revere the world around us, so too, the natural world will serve our needs in the right way at the right time.

In the absence of greed, nature will not be pressured to supply that which she cannot give and humanbeings will not resort to dishonest methods to achieve their ends. When our primary motive is to share, to exchange, to learn and to grow, then we automatically displace the negative values to take, to hoard, to compete and to exploit.

(The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal & UK. Till Date 9000+ Published Columns have been written by Him.)