Practice Session5 PS5 Video Session Story of Stuff

Practice Session-5 (PS-5): Video Session “Story of Stuff” • Watch a 20 minute video "Story of Stuff". • write down your observations about the following issues in the Note Book after you watch Video. • • • What is the program of the people shown in the video? Is this program similar to your own program? What is the outcome from this program? • Take around 5 to 10 minutes to write your observations in your Practice Session Note Book. • We will discuss your observations in the Class. Slide 1 of 13

Discussion • Students can express their views on the issues while the Discussion is going on in the Class with the Teacher/Facilitator. Slide 2 of 13

Problem (as shown in video) Solution (as shown in video) Production of unhealthy products with focus on profit vs purpose (eg. carcinogenic pillows) ? ? Exploitation of the people involved in production, consumption ? ? Over exploitation of natural resources ? ? Linear production process Cyclic production process Indulgence (influenced by media & marketing) ? ? 99% waste Recycling can help (but it will never be enough) Slide 3 of 13

What is your Natural Acceptance: 1. Indulgence (bhog) - Use physical facility for sensation 2. Abstinence (tyag) - Abstain from physical facility use 3. Right Utilization (sadupyog) - Purposeful use of physical facility Symptoms of Indulgence: § One is significantly influenced by external inputs (sensation, preconditioning) § Over indulgence, copious consumption (ati bhog), 99% waste § Profit-centric production § Linear (not cyclic) production process § Exploitation of the people involved in production, consumption § Over exploitation of natural resources… Slide 4 of 13

What is your Natural Acceptance: 1. Indulgence (bhog) Use of physical facility, other for sensation 2. Abstinence (tyag) Abstain from physical facility, sensation, other #1 – Developing Right Understanding 3. Right Utilization (sadupyog) Purposeful use of physical facility, sensation, other Slide 5 of 13

Prevailing Notions of Happiness & Prosperity • • • Happiness = Fulfillment of Desire? Happiness = Excitement? Happiness = Sensation? Happiness = Domination? Happiness = To be Unique? Continuous Happiness = Fulfillment of all Desires, Maximisation of Excitement, Maximisation of Pleasing Sensation, To be Most Dominant, To be Most Exclusive/Unique? • Prosperity = Physical Facility? • Continuous Prosperity = Maximum (Unlimited) Accumulation of Physical Facility? • (even if it means struggling to meet the unlimited wants, since resources are limited) Slide 6 of 13

An Appraisal of the Current Scenario • At the level of the individual – rising problems of depression, psychological disorders, stress, insecurity, trauma, health problems, loneliness. . . • At the level of the family – breaking of joint families, mistrust and insecurity in relationships, divorce, family feuds, legal suits. • At the level of the society – growing incidences of terrorism and naxalism, rising communalism, spreading casteism, racial and ethnic struggle, wars between nations, attempts of genocide, fear of nuclear and genetic warfare. • At the level of nature – global warming, water, air, soil, noise pollution, resource depletion of minerals and mineral oils, sizeable deforestations, loss of fertility of soil. . . Slide 7 of 13

Animal Consciousness Human Consciousness 1. Physical Facility Sensation “Happiness” 2. Physical Facility Respect “Happiness” Right Understanding & Right Feelings Happiness Undefined Quantity of Physical Facility (by any means) Accumulation of Physical Facility “Prosperity” 1. Identification of Required Physical Facility 2. Production / Availability of Required Physical Facility Prosperity Assumptions Right Understanding & Right Feeling Production of required Physical Facility by Avartansheel process for mutual fulfillment Production of any Physical Facility by almost any means for profit (undefined limit) Slide 8 of 13

Tr an e. k& ladz sfo rm a tio n& fod Prog kl res s Transformation (ladze. k) = Development (fodkl) Slide 9 of 13

• I desire for happiness • If I am not aware that right understanding and right feelings (trust respect … love) in me is a source of happiness for me, Then • I have only one option, i. e. to draw happiness from sensation, physical facility [even though I can see that the happiness by this method is not continuous] • e. g. While I do not want to fight, a fight takes place… • I try to resolve it by giving a gift (tasty food, nice clothes etc. ). Sometimes this used to work… • Now I can see that it only shifts the attention from the fight to the gift, and only for a short time… In a few days, another fight takes place, and this time it is of greater intensity… Slide 10 of 13

• Now I can see that it is due to lack of right understanding about relationship, and therefore, lack of fulfillment in relationship • I have been trying to fill this gap by more & more sensation, physical facility • The happiness I draw out of sensation, physical facility is not long lasting; I get bored by one sensation, physical facility… so I go for another, yet another… • Now I can see that the happiness from having the right understanding and right feelings in myself is long lasting. I can now start paying attention to it • I can also rightly evaluate the role of sensation, physical facility Slide 11 of 13

• Expressing these feelings to the other can be a source of happiness for the other leading to mutual happiness Slide 12 of 13

· Summary/Conclusions of this Video Session – "Story of Stuff". · You can Watch this full video at the website: http: //www. storyofstuff. org/ Slide 13 of 13