The Economy is broken. Let’s start again.

Aryaman Jain

The oil corporations and the government wanted to build the world’s largest oil refinery in Ratnagiri. First they tried to build it at Nanar. The people resisted and the refinery was not built in Nanar. Then they tried to build it at Barsu-Solagaon. The people resisted and the refinery was not built in Barsu-Solagaon. But the project persists. If not in Barsu-Solagaon, the project will be built somewhere else.

This is not just the story of the Aramco Refinery. This has been the story with the Aarey Metro Shed in Mumbai and this has been the story with the Mithi Virdi Nuclear Plant in Gujarat. If they do not mine coal for thermal power generation in Chhattisgarh, they will mine lithium for batteries in Jammu. If this government doesn’t do it, the next one will do it. Somewhere the ideology of human progress has gone wrong and it has brought us to this terrible impasse.

We live in an economy which makes the simple things difficult and the complicated things default. Doing the right thing and doing what we love is often made unviable by the economic system. Exploitation is rewarded.Those who are taking risks to live life on their own terms find themselves coming up against the logic of the economic system, forcing compromise. Many of our efforts towards alternatives in farming, architecture, clothing, education and health are becoming restricted to an audience or client base that can pay.

We need to start asking deeper questions. We have to change our ideas of human prosperity. Somewhere we know that our true prosperity lies with the well being of nature. We know that today we need more cooperation, less competition. We know we need to rethink the ideas we have taken for granted so far. But we are unable to overcome the economics that destroys us. Perhaps, we have been lost for so long, we don’t know where to begin again.

To begin the conversation, we are organising a residential course to reset our understanding of economics. We will gather in a village in central India and spend seven days breaking down modern economic thought and taking a fresh look at the economy as it exists and has existed in India. We will try to understand the origins of modern economics which is eating away at life, and learn to see the real economy which actually keeps us going. This might give us the threads to stop cooperating with structures that don’t work for us, and give us the strength for recovering the possibilities of a healthier future together.

This is an invitation to the Arthvyavastha Course at Jeevika Ashram near Jabalpur from 25th to 31st January 2024. Please see further details and registration here:

https://forms.gle/fciQrUTPHAh1V68V9

This course is being offered in the spirit of daan. If you are unable to attend, please consider making a contribution so we can keep organising such offerings.

https://substack.com/@aryamanjain?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

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