It
is
not our property, but God's. Knowing this is knowledge, and thinking
that it is my property is ignorance. We have the right to utilize but
not to claim or hoard.
In 1992, Deng Xiaoping, then ruler of China, put the world on
notice with the following statement:
"There is oil in the Middle East; there is rare earth in China."
What relevance do rare earth elements have in present society? Imagine
your world without: iPod, laptop computers, TVs, cell phones, modern
transportation. Now picture the medical field without: magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scans, contrast
agents that enhance the images. The military requires rare earth in a
significant way as it has become increasingly reliant on its widespread
use: range detectors, lasers, advanced aircraft materials, guided
missiles, smart bombs, protective coatings, blast protection. ...
The world is already addicted to rare earth, with demand projected to
soar from 130,000 tonnes to 200,000 tonnes by 2010. To put it in plain
terms - we are all junkies and there is only one rare earth dealer.
China has effectively all the pieces on the chess board. There is no
viable competition. China will do what it wishes with its own rare
earths, leaving the rest of the world to become beggars at its feet.
China currently has the ability to raise the price of REE, cease
export, or use rare earth strategically by withholding these essential
commodities for political, economic, or military reasons. As the
significance of rare earths grows with each new technological
discovery, China grows stronger in its strategic position.
The crazy thing is that Deng Xiaoping warned us almost 15 years ago.
Jiang Zemin reiterated the warning seven years ago. Meanwhile the US
has closed its only producing mine, shuttered the Rare Earth
Information Center, and ceased stockpiling these essential materials.
When I asked James Hedrick, of the USGS, if we could catch up with the
Chinese he replied, "I don't think the US has the initiative or the
money." full story
Today
there are so many theories, and everyone claims to know the best way to
live; therefore so many "ism's" have evolved. Of these, communism has
become very prominent in the world. But in Srimad-Bhagavatam
we find the seed for spiritual communism. There Narada Muni explains
that in this material universe—whether one be in a lower, middle or
higher planetary system or even in outer space—all natural resources
are manifested by the Supreme Lord. We must understand that whatever
exists in this world was not produced by any human being, but
everything was created by God. No sane man can deny this. Sri
Ishopanishad enjoins:
ishavasyam
idam sarvam
yat kincha jagatyam jagat
tena tyaktena bhunjitha
ma gridhah kasya svid dhanam
"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is
controlled and owned by the Lord. One must therefore accept only those
things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one
must not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong." (Sri
Ishopanishad, Mantra 1)
Consequently
all living entities, beginning from Brahma, the highest demigod, down
to the lowest ant, have the right to use natural resources. Narada Muni
points out that we can use these resources as much as we require, but
if we take more than required, we become thieves. Unfortunately
everyone is trying to conquer and predominate. Countries race to the
moon in order to put up their flags and claim that planet. When
Europeans came to America, they put up their flag and claimed it for
their nation. This flag planting and flag waving is all due to
ignorance. We do not stop to think where we are putting our flag. It is
not our property, but God's. Knowing this is knowledge, and thinking
that it is my property is ignorance. We have the right to utilize but
not to claim or hoard.
If we throw a bag of grain into the street, pigeons may come and eat
four or five small grains and then go away. They will not take more
than they can eat, and having eaten they go freely on their way. But if
we were to put many bags of flour on the sidewalk and invite people to
come and get them, one man would take ten or twenty bags and another
would take fifteen or thirty bags and so on. But those who do not have
the means to carry so much away will not be able to take more than a
bag or two. Thus the distribution will be uneven. This is called
advancement of civilization; we are even lacking in the knowledge which
the pigeons, dogs and cats have. Everything belongs to the Supreme
Lord, and we can accept whatever we need, but not more. That is
knowledge. By the Lord's arrangement the world is so made that there is
no scarcity of anything. Everything is sufficient, provided that we
know how to distribute it. However, the deplorable condition today is
that one is taking more than he needs while another is starving.
Consequently the starving masses are revolting and asking, "Why should
we starve?" But their methods are imperfect. The perfection of
spiritual communism is found in the knowledge that everything belongs
to God. By knowing the science of Krishna, we can easily cross over the
ignorance of false proprietorship.
We are actually suffering due to our ignorance. In the law court
ignorance is no excuse. If we tell the judge that we are not aware of
the law, we will be punished anyway. If one has illegally amassed so
much wealth and yet claims ignorance of his transgression, he will be
punished nonetheless. The whole world is lacking this knowledge, and
therefore thousands of teachers of the science of Krishna are needed.
There is a great necessity for this knowledge now. We should not think
that because Krishna was born in India that the knowledge of
Bhagavad-gétä is sectarian or that Krishna is a sectarian
God. Indeed, in the Fourteenth Chapter Sri Krishna proclaims Himself to
be the father of all beings, as pointed out previously (Bhagavad-gita
14.4).
As spirit souls we are part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit, but due
to our desire to enjoy this material world, we have been put into
material nature. Yet in whatever species of life we may be, Krishna is
the Father. Thus Bhagavad-gita is not meant for any
particular party or nation but for
everyone all over the world—even for the animals. Now that the sons of
the Supreme are committing theft due to ignorance, it is the duty of
one who is conversant with Bhagavad
-gita to spread this supreme knowledge to all beings. In this
way people may realize their true spiritual nature and their
relationship to the supreme spiritual whole.
The
Anchor House, Inc.
- October 10, 2006 - Clint Fox - 