Let them come to our farms

[Guest guest]

Comment: By Rohita prabhu.

 

> Other things will be activities of the individual, like a cartwright >

duties. There may only be one person doing this work, that is all the >

community requires. That is something that the village and the temple >

managers have to foresee and act accordingly. They may have to offer some >

kind of incentive to have someone do that service that would benefit the >

community.

 

Good point. I would have thought that with a small settlement, the

cartwright (blacksmith, etc.) could also grow some of his food, if there is

not enough demand for his services. It there is a lot of demand, and he has

full time work, he can charge or trade according to the value he loses from

not growing with say, a slight margin for emergencies etc.

 

If you look at the modern value system, in terms of labour costs, land

values etc, it is overinflated beyond its real worth, by an economy that

relies on wealth that does not really exists, i.e. printed currency exists

beyond the actual gold reserves, which is sustained by electronic loan

transfers etc. There is more currency on loan, than exists, if the loans

were called in tommorow, there would not be enough cash to pay.

 

So the real value of land must actualy rest on what that land can produce,

in terms of human requirements, at the sustainable village level. There is a

lot of evidence that shows that we could be facing a major food crisis in

the world quite soon, but I wont go into that now. Our authorities need to

recognise this actual value system, based on natures laws, so that we can be

prepared, when the economies start to crash, and the artifical land prices

subside. (Lets take it for granted that what Srila Prabhupada said is true).

 

It will take time, but services such as our wheelwright, have to be valued,

and the trade value of his work estimated according to a standard of land

production. It may be that the wheelwrights other family members can also

grow food. So the values have to be estimated over time, and fair trade

practises established as the community grows. Certain things can be

legislated, but as much as possible natural adjustment by the community is

best.

 

> The point being we have to cooperate, act like a unit so that there will >

be time for glorifying Krishna. There will be times and actions that are >

best done communally but there must always be room

> for

 

The Amish are held together by their central belief system, and their

economic ties. They are very strict as to the impacts of technology on

community, and rightly so. In ISKCON so far, as far as I can see, we have

never really developed a village community that would face such things, and

until we do, we wont fully understand the dynamics of it. Its about time we

started.

 

> Comment:

> This term King is not much accepted here in America, but everyone can

> understand that the Deity is Krishna and that the brahmanas, the pujaris

> are His personal servants. So to bring the produce to the temple and give

> to the servants of the Lord all can accept this. Of course the temple

> manager will take the produce and utilize it in Krishna's service as he

> sees fit and in return he will arrange for various things that the village

> will require.

 

Along with the lease it would need to be clarified what the ksatria (temple

manager) is duty bound to provide. There would have to be laws, or some

other assurances that these responsibilities can not be changed with a

change of GBC or something. We need long term inalianable social structures

 

The problem is that in order to do this we have surrendered

> some privacy in order to reciprocate with other village members. This is

> not an easy thing and it is the hold up at present. Everyone is thinking

> that 'I am the king in the castle and no one can tell me how to do this

> and that, I can do it all myself.' In addition some comforts have to be

> surrendered.

 

I dont quite follow your tack here. If you have your 'own house' quite a bit

of privacy is assured. Also the land that one 'leases' would also have

boundaries, (not necesarily physical). Or was your idea a kind of communal

lease? That would not work at all, as I am sure you would agree. As long as

one knows the bounds of his leased land there should not be any problem.

 

Areas of cooperation will exist, where one family specialises in certain

crops, and others with different ones, or in areas such as barn raising,

harvests, etc. But independance is an inalianable right. The glory comes

when independant individuals cooperate together for the greater spritual

good. As long as we have individual TV's, and technologies that satisfy our

social needs privateley, it will be very difficult to have good relations.

These are things the amish have recognised as threats to their community.

 

Community does not mean communism, it means indpendant individuals coming

together socialy, to worship the lord: at markets to exchange goods and

services, etc. Control of individuals by the ksatria and brahmin, fall in

the area of decisions regarding the impact of technologies or social

practices, that can be allowed to the individualy independant families, to

ensure social harmony, and cooperation. People who devitate from the

accepted norm are socialy ostracised, until they agree to abide by the

accepted rules.

 

So you can have your house and land, and privacy, but you must accept

certain moral rules, apart from the four regs, alhtough such rules may be

closely related ultimately. I mean, it may not be breaking the principles to

watch pornography, but we all know that a person doing so will have to fall

down. TV today is full of pornography, gross and subtle.

 

So independance is to be cherished, but the individuals also have to accept

certain moral imperatives, if they wish to be valued in society. The

cooperation of independant individuals towards the varnasrama system, and

ultimately pure love of god, is glorious. We can never force any individual

by removing their independance.

 

 

YS Samba das_____________________________