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Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on March 21st, 2013
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In Uncategorized on April 7, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Oldspeak:“Infinite ‘Growth’ and unfettered consumption is unsustainable on a finite planet. Despite this obvious and basic fact, many civilizations before ours have tried and failed with this toxic economic model as will ours if we don’t make fundamental changes to our cultures now. The stakes are incalculably higher now as our seemingly incurable strain of virulent capitalism has spread across the globe to most all dominant cultures, even those that have thrived for thousands of years like China & India have adopted a view of greed as success. We are exhausting our planet’s resources much faster than it can replenish them, and its finite resources disappearing ever faster. This can only go on for so long before supplies are unable to support our careless and voracious demands. We must free ourselves from the crushing yoke of our transnational corporate overseers, driving us relentlessly via their ubiquitous and insidious consumption propaganda networks to work ever harder and longer for ever more fiat currency to consume ever more things we don’t need, creating ever more waste and pollution we’re running out of places to dump. We need Barefoot Economics. Now.
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By Andrew Hough @ The U.K. Guardian:
The world’s population is burning through the planet’s resources at such a reckless rate – about 28 per cent more last year – it will eventually cause environmental havoc, said the Worldwatch Institute, a US think-tank.
In its annual State of the World 2010 report, it warned any gains from government action on climate change could be wiped out by the cult of consumption and greed unless changes in our lifestyle were made.
Consumerism had become a “powerful driver” for increasing demand for resources and consequent production of waste, with governments, including the British, too readily wanting to promoted it as necessary for job creation and economic well-being.
More than £2.8 trillion of stimulus packages had been poured into economies to pull the world out of the global recession, it found, with only a small amount into green measures.
But the think tank warned that without a “wholesale transformation” of cultural patterns the world would not be able to “prevent the collapse of human civilisation”.
The think tank found that over the past decade consumption of goods and services had risen by 28 per cent to $30.5 trillion (£19bn) – with the world digging up the equivalent of 112 Empire State Buildings of material every day.
The average American consumes more than his or her weight in products each day, many US two year-olds can recognise the McDonald’s “Golden Archers” sign, although they cannot read the letter, and an average western family spends more on their pet than by someone trying to live in Bangladesh.
A cultural shift from consumption to valuing sustainable living was needed because government targets and new technology were not enough to rescue humanity from ecological and social threats.
Without action, humans faced problems including changing climates,obesity epidemics, declines in wildlife, loss of agricultural land and more production of hazardous waste.
Consumerism it said had “taken root in culture upon culture over the past half-century … (and) become a powerful driver of the inexorable increase in demand for resources and production of waste that marks our age”.
Erik Assadourian, the institute’s project director, said it was “no longer enough to change our light bulbs, we must change our very cultures”.
At current consumption rates, 200 square metres of solar panels a second and 24 wind turbines every hour were needed to be built to satisfy energy levels.
The think tank said it was not just the United States that was guilty of a culture of excess with other developing countries such as Brazil, India and China adopting greed as a success symbol.
China, one of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emissions producers, recently overtook the US as the world’s top car market.
“More than 6.8 billion human beings are now demanding ever greater quantities of material resources, decimating the world’s richest ecosystems, and dumping billions of tons of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere each year,” the report said.
This number will only increase as people in the developing world aspire towards a Western-styled consumer lifestyle.
Mr Assadourian added: “Until we recognise that our environmental problems, from climate change to deforestation to species loss, are driven by unsustainable habits, we will not be able to solve the ecological crises that threaten to wash over civilisation.
“We’ve seen some encouraging efforts to combat the world’s climate crisis in the past few years.
“But making policy and technology changes while keeping cultures centered on consumerism and growth can only go so far.”
He said such measures such as banning incandescent light bulbs and steering children away from consumerism through toy libraries would help.
It has been narrated from Abu Hurairah that he said: “We went out together with the Prophet (s) to accompany a funeral. As the Prophet (s) was sitting next to the grave, he said, -Whenever a person comes to this grave it will shout: “Oh son of Adam, have you forgotten me? Do you realize that I am a lonely place to be in, a quiet place, a place for insects, and a narrow place unless Allah makes me wider?” Then the Prophet (s) said, ‘The grave is either part of a garden of Paradise or a hole in Hell’.” [Tabrani]
4) The Difference Between Right and Wrong
In order to live for Islam one must learn the essentials of Islam jurisprudence, which is foundation of Islam and of all Knowledge. Allah the Almighty, has said:
Do not approach the Qur’an in Haste, before it has been revealed to you in full, but say, “O my Sustainer, make me grow in knowledge.” [Qur’an 20:114]
The Prophet (s) said:
Verily, knowledge is obtained by learning while understanding is obtained by experience. Whenever Allah wants to benefit a person, He gives him understanding of the din. [Tabrani]
Verily, the prophets did not want dinars of dirhams, but knowledge. Whoever will accept it, will receive a real wealth. [Abu Da’ud and Tabrani]
5) The Fallacies of Ignorant
The wise man should learn to know his enemies. He should understand their way of thinking, their factional divisions, and their way of fighting. Moreover, should study their defects and shortcomings. Since one’s greatest enemy is ignorance, one must know the fallacies of the ignorant and their direct and indirect consequences, so then one can be prepared confront and fight them. The advice of the Prophet (s) is true:
Whoever learns the language of tribe, will be safe from (their)tricks.
The Characteristics of People who live for Islam
Those who live by Islam and for Islam must follow the teachings of Islam, so that its patterns is their lives are distinguishable form the non-Islamic patterns of others. A life committed to Islam is:
Commitment to practical action is essential because faith is not mere idea by it is rooted in your heart so that its truthfulness can be proved by action. Allah, the Almighty, has said:
Verily man is loss, except such as have faith and do good works. [Qur’an 103:2-3]
Do you enjoin right conduct on people, and forget (to practice it) yourselves, and yet you study the Book? Will you not understand? [Qur’an 3:44]
Grievously odious is it in the sight of Allah that you do not practice what you preach. [Qur’an 61:3]
Al-Ghazali said: “Two men bring disaster to me, a virtuous man with his falsehood and an ignorance man with his adoration. The latter dupes people with his adoration and the former dupes people with his falsehood.” The prophet (s) reminded the believers:
Be a person who practices wisdom and not one who merely talks about it.
A committed activist is aware of problems encountered by other Muslims and joins them in seeking solution. The Prophet (s) said:
Move together with the book of Allah wherever it takes (You).
Whoever does not pay special attention to the problems of Muslims, is not one of us.
You are a corner of the corners of Islam, so don’t let it be attacked from your corner.
In the battle of Uhud, Saad Ibn Al-Rabie died with 70 wounds on his body. Just before he died, he said to Zaid ibn Thabit: “Verily, I have smelt the aroma of Paradise. Tell the Ansar that Allah will honor His promises to those who are sincere toward the Prophet (s) and are able to catch his attention.” Then Allah took his soul.
Pride in one’s faith is one of the characteristics of the Believers. Allah, the Almighty, has said:
But honor belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to the Believers. [Qur’an 63:8]
So lose not heart, nor fall into despair, for you must gain mastery if you are true in faith. [Qur’an 3:139]
It has been narrated that the Believers who were migrating to Ethiopia to gain freedom of religion met the King of Ethiopia, Al Najashi. One of the priests who was there with Al-Najashi started the discussion with the Believers by commanding: “Bow to the King (AI-Najashi). “Ja’afar ibn Abi Talib, who was the leader of the Believers, answered: “We are a group of people who never bow except to Allah.”
The history of Islam is full of anecdotes that show the early Muslims to be excellent in morals, and superb and courageous in action. These have been recorded by members of the first Islamic generation, for example, AI-Khubaib ibn ‘Udai, Zaid ibn Ad-Dathanah, Rub’ie ibn ‘Amir, Masaab ibn ‘Urnair, Said ibn jubair, and Said ibn Musaiyid. We should be well advised to study their history, scrutinize their life stories and follow in their footsteps.
A person who lives for Islam will work with other like-minded people. Believing in Islam means to work in solidarity with others in an activist movement, directed toward teaching the truths of Islam, enjoining right and combatting wrong, establishing the Islamic personality and family, and establishing the Islamic community with Islamic governance. Allah, the almighty, has said:
[Allah to Moses], “We will certainly strengthen your arm through your brother.” [Qur’an 28:35]
Help one another in righteousness and piety, but help not one another in sin and rancor. [Qur’an 5:2]
The Prophet (s) said:
A Muslim working with another Muslim may be compared to a strong building. Everybody is reinforcing each other.
Allah’s help is with the community. Verily, a fox will eat only a sheep who is away from the community.
You must be with the Muslim community and their leader.
Togetherness is a blessing and disunity is destruction.
Idea Courtesy : Kaizer Durrani, Pakistan Think Tank Thinker
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