Becoming Wealthy on $2 a Day

It is a natural tendency of people to see everything in terms of the world that they are accustomed to. We call this “cultural bias.” Cultural bias is manifest many ways, one for example, when the people of the so-called economically prosperous countries set out to both measure, and fix, poverty. Because in their world, their conception of poverty, or lack thereof, is determined by monetary income, they project such a perception on the remainder of the world. Looking at the entire world in terms of income they find that the better half of humanity is poor. Good souls that they are, they want to fix it.

One of the difficulties is that poverty is a cultural conception, and it is perceived in different ways by different people. Does a poor person in a poor country experience the same thing as a poor person in a rich country? Experience says no. Instead, the experience of life relative to income is different in each culture. However, a general observation has been made that in “poor countries” most people are relatively comfortable, but in “rich countries” the poor are not.

I have personally met Indian villagers who would be classified as poor under United Nations guidelines of having less than $1.25 daily income per capita, and I can say from direct experience that these people do not think of themselves as poor, nor do they feel the effects of poverty as a person in America would at the same level of income. The same is true of the “poor” people I know in E. Europe.

What makes the difference? In a word, culture. The culture of an Indian village is vastly different in terms of values and expectations of life. Neither better nor worse, it is simply, different. For example, what passes as an acceptable house in an Indian or Ukrainian village is vastly different than that of urban or suburban America or Europe. Regardless of the contrast in appearance and amenities it is still considered an adequate house, and people will live there just as happily as the wealthier people live in their house. The same is true for other daily needs. Moreover, villagers in India and Ukraine produce a good deal of their own food, have less clothing requirements than their Western counterparts, and fewer other financial demands for things such as cars, insurance, or frivolous consumer goods, because these things are not a necessary part of their culture. Nonetheless the UN wants to change their culture, and that of many other people around the world, in order to raise them above “poverty” by making sure that they have more than $2 a day. That seems like a nice goal, but perhaps we might pause to consider just what having more money is likely to do.

We have an example from recent history. Anthropologist Helena Norberg-Hodge was the first foreigner accepted to make her home in Ladakh (Kashmir). She had the privilege of living there over the course of three decades, coming to know life in the traditional villages before the intrusion of Western culture, and she documented what it was like. The Ladakhis lived in a agrarian subsistence economy.  Though not an easy lifestyle by Western standards, people met their basic physical, social, spiritual and creative needs within the security of a caring, sharing community, and experienced evident joy. Their happiness was not dependent upon anything external, such as income or possessions; it was simply experienced as a matter of daily living. Being mutually dependent they maintained a deep-rooted respect for each other’s fundamental needs, and an acceptance of the natural limitations of the environment kept the Ladakhi people free from misplacing values of worth.

At the time when this was observed, the Ladakhis might well have been considered poor by international standards because their income was minimal and most of their needs were obtained as a product of their own hands. While international observers might have classified the Ladhakis as poor, they themselves certainly did not. They were a satisfied and joyful people. But something happened to change that—the introduction of Western culture along with its money. Norbert-Hodge explains how it was the tourists who brought poverty to Ladakh:

“A Western tourist can spend more money in a day than what a Ladakhi family might in one year. Seeing this, Ladakhis suddenly feel poor. The new comparison creates a gap that never existed before because in traditional Ladakh, people didn’t need money in order to lead rich and fulfilling lives. Ladakhi society was based on mutual aid and cooperation; no one needed money for labor, food, clothing, or shelter . . . In the traditional economy, Ladakhis knew that they had to depend on other people, and that others in turn depend on them. In the new economic system, local interdependence disintegrates along with traditional levels of tolerance. In place of cooperative systems meeting needs, competition and scarcity become determinants for survival. Perhaps the most tragic of all the changes I have observed in Ladakh is the vicious circle in which individual insecurity contributes to a weakening of family and community ties, which in turn further shakes individual self-esteem. Consumerism plays a central role in this whole process, since emotional insecurity generates hunger for material status symbols. The need for recognition and acceptance fuels the drive to acquire possessions that will presumably make you somebody . . . It is heartbreaking to see people buying things to be admired, respected and ultimately loved, when in fact the effect is almost always the opposite . . . [they are] set apart which furthers the need  to be accepted.”[1]

It is interesting to observe how it was the introduction of money that brought poverty to Ladakh. Prior to Westerners arriving with a lot of money to spend, nobody thought of themselves as poverty-stricken, although it was likely that their income was less than $1.25 per day. Only by comparing themselves to these foreigners, what they possessed and how they lived, did the Ladakhis begin to see themselves in a different light, as being in poverty and needing what they didn’t need before—money and whatever it buys. Sadly, at the same time, they were purchasing alienation and isolation.

Is it due to our cultural bias that we want to eliminate poverty in the sense that we know it? Will that actually eliminate poverty or create it where it didn’t exist before? One of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, the elimination of global poverty, includes these three targets:

1. To halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1/day
2. To achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people, and
3. To halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Although these seem to be worthwhile goals arguments can be made that the manner in which the goals and targets are stated are culturally biased, in effect determining the approach, and thereby limiting the means of attaining the targets. The manner in which the targets are stated presupposes a business development model of production for the market economy, employing people to work for others’ interests. Last year, in a vague report, the UN Secretary General said that although “significant progress” had been made, urgent and increased efforts were needed to meet the Goals by 2015. Needless to say hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in accomplishing these goals. But if the cultural bias were lifted these same goals could be accomplished with much less money. Here is an example.

In the past half-century, nearly every development model has failed to bring Sub-Saharan Africa to a level where it can compete in an international market, and at the same time give people needed jobs. But all of these international development concepts have been stood on their head by the single-handed efforts of one young man. A second generation devotee of Krishna, Alexander Petroff,[2] 25 years of age, went to the war-torn, economically destitute Democratic Republic of Congo with a proposition for the government. He wanted to build a self-sufficient, environmentally sustainable village. The government agreed to his proposal and he was given 40 hectares of land on which his organization, Working Villages International (WVI), created a development model called Village Self Reliance. Village Self Reliance is founded on the two ideas of swadeshi and sustainable agriculture. The Gandhian principle swadeshi, or “localized economics,” refers to local production for local consumption—people producing for their own needs. According to the principle of swadeshi, whatever is made or produced in the village must be used first and foremost by the members of the village. Any excess can then be sold. At the very least in this approach, people have jobs and they are fed. Sustainable agriculture is accomplished by using organic methods without external inputs, and using bullocks for plowing instead of fuel-thirsty tractors.

Starting with $70,000 from private donations, within two years WVI employed 400 workers supporting 350 families, and producing 50,000 lbs. of rice per month, becoming the second-largest rice producer in the province. Besides the rice they also grew tons of other vegetables. Instead of solving problems at the symptom level, WVI addressed the root causes of hunger, unemployment and violence using a development model that can be adjusted to almost any region in the world. So in two years, not fifteen, one young man working with local people on a very modest budget accomplished not only the economic targets of the MDG, but many of the other targets as well.

The point that I am trying to make is that instead of jumping through a lot of hoops to adjust the income, why not simply adjust the culture by removing the external demands? This is easier because in many parts of the world a simple culture already exists. We have an uphill battle however, if we want to change the culture by luring people into being consumers, having jobs, commuting to work each day, and changing their lifestyle to one of artificial dependence on others. In fact, by choosing the latter approach, it is likely that although external economic targets may be realized the people themselves will be less happy and less secure, just as the Ladakhis were after the arrival of Western culture.

Changing the culture to one of simplicity is actually the easiest way to achieve security and happiness. That is what ISKCON’s founder-acarya, Srila Prabhupada, encouraged his followers to do. He called it simple living and high thinking—living simply in order to sufficiently care for the needs of the body, and reap the benefits of doing so in terms of time to be used in activities of self-realization. If our time is properly utilized in worship of the Lord, then our simple living can also be very fulfilling and satisfying. Devotees of Krishna all around the world have experienced the satisfaction that comes from devotional service to the Supreme Lord.  

But, we may protest, we can’t all go backward to a simple village life. It’s not possible!” Not everyone will of course, but certainly many can. And why not, if we can actually become secure and fulfilled there? In my experience, having lived in villages both in India and Ukraine, I have found that it’s actually not so difficult, and there are many enjoyable aspects of village life that are impossible to achieve in cities. Right now I live in a simple 3-room house. The central wood stove heats the house, the water, and cooks our meals. There is no running water in the house, meaning no bathroom, and the toilet is outside. Why am I, an American formerly accustomed to modern amenities, living in such “primitive” conditions? Because I want to follow the instructions of my spiritual master, and to learn first-hand the challenges and advantages of simple living.

The village of Ryabuino, about an hours drive outside of the city of Kharkov, Ukraine, is the site of our developing eco-spiritual community Gitagrad. Our effort here is to live a simple life of Krishna Consciousness. Actually, it is one of our goals is to become self-sufficient to the point where we can achieve what the UN considers poverty, living on less than $2 a day. Ironically however, we need money to achieve that goal since we need to buy our way out of the system, building our infrastructure to the point of self sufficiency.

Like poverty, the concept of wealth is also a cultural consideration. All wealth is not measured in terms of dollars. Wealth is also be measured in terms of personal happiness and fulfillment. We think that the internal, non-tangible experiences of happiness and fulfillment are more worthy goals to attain than an external income of $2 a day, or even $500 a day. When we can live a simple natural life in Krishna Consciousness we believe that we will have then become very wealthy.

Keep up with my adventures in simple living by subscribing to my blog: Gitagrad.blogspot.com

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[1] Helena Norberg-Hodge, The Pressure to Modernize and Globalize, from Case Against the Global Economy, by David Korten, p. 41

[2] Alexander is the son of Noma Petroff, aka Hare Krishna Dasi, a frequent contributor to Back to Godhead magazine.

Conceptions of Gitagrad

In an article appearing in Back to Godhead magazine in 1956 Srila Prabhupada wrote an explanation of what that place would be like where everything was done as an act of devotional service to the Supreme Lord. This paper is titled “Conceptions of Gita Nagari.” The Sanskrit word “nagar” means place, so the title means “the place of Bhagavad-gita.” Similarly the suffix “grad” in the Russian language also refers to place, and hence the name “Gitagrad” has the same meaning as “Gita Nagari.” The plan and activities of Gita Nagari, already having been established by His Divine Grace, there is no actual need to speculate further about what to do or how to live. We need only take up the activities as he has directed.

The intention and purpose of Gitograd is to fulfill the desire of Srila Prabhupada to establish a transcendental place of activity dedicated to, and focused on the Supreme Lord, the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita, Sri Partha Sarathi. Below are the main points covering the philosophy and activities of Gitagrad, which are essentially the main points that Srila Prabhupada mentions regarding Gita Nagari. Srila Prabhupada had intended that Gita Nagari remain as a transcendental village whose inhabitants are engaged in pure devotional service. As such it is understood to be functioning on the basis of daiva-varnashrama. At this point in time, the early 21^st century, and in this place of Ukraine, we feel it necessary to accommodate persons who are not able to live at that high standard. Thus we have allowed for the expansion of the community to include those who will follow the principles of varnashrama dharma, leading eventually to the standard of daiva-varnashrama. A detailed explanation of these terms and principles can be found in the Gitagrad Charter.

The Foundational Principles of Gitagrad are as follows:

1. The concepts and activities of Gitagrad are to be based on the Bhagavad-gita, and on Srila Prabhupada’s statements of Gita Nagari.
2. Those who have abandoned all fruitive work and speculative thinking based on empiric knowledge, and have taken to pure devotional work and knowledge, transcendentally engaging all their wealth, attention, intelligence and words in the service of Godhead, are called Bhakta Yogis, or devotees of the Lord. The main function of Sri Gitagrad shall be to increase the number of such devotees.
3. Gitagrad’s residents will exclusively follow the social arrangement of daiva-varnashrama. For those unable to attain this standard of pure devotion, the principles of varnashrama dharma will apply for neighboring residents.
4. Sri Krishna will be worshipped in His transcendental form as Partha Sarathi along with His transcendental associate Sri Arjuna. Krishna and Arjuna will be the presiding Deities of Gitagrad, along with Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, and Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Lady Subhadra.
5. All activities at Gitagrad shall be so done on account of Sri Partha Sarathi, Who shall remain eternally the sole Enjoyer of the results out of such activities.
6. Sri Partha Sarathi shall remain eternally the sole proprietor of the lands and facilities of Gitagrad.
7. All residents of Gitagrad will be given boarding and lodging as prasadam of the Deity, and will perform their activities in loving reciprocation, without expectation of material gain, as the Lord’s servants.
8. A gurukula, The Abhidheya Cultural Academy, will be established at Gitagrad for training the children of the inhabitants. This school will teach the parents as well as the children in responsibilities of varna, ashrama, and other aspects of Vedic culture. Efforts will be made to raise the boys to the level of brahmana as far as possible, for the purpose of fulfilling the lack of such qualified men to lead society. Cultural lessons will also be offered to non-residents such as may come to Gitagrad for training.
9. Gitagrad will arrange for distribution of Krishna prasadam as far and wide as possible.
10. The qualified and empowered preachers of Gitagrad will preach the mission of Gitagrad as far as possible in Ukraine, but also in other parts of the world, as circumstances will allow.
11. All available facilities for the preaching work of Gitagrad shall be accepted as long as they do not interfere with the principles of Gitagrad. Among such facilities, the following can be accepted immediately:
1. Broadcasting the message of Gitagrad using all technologies, such as internet, etc.
2. To answer all the inquiries from all parts of the world English and Russian languages.
3. Production of literature explaining the principles of Gitagrad as the solution to the problems of modern society.
4. Traveling festivals, drama, etc.
12. Holy days such as the birth day anniversaries of Lord Krishna, Sri Ramacandra, Lord Caitanya, Sri Nrisimha Chaturdasi, and similar other functions shall be properly celebrated, and Ekadasi shall be strictly observed by cessation of all unnecessary activity for focus on hearing and chanting the holy names of the Lord.
13. As far as we are able to accommodate new residents, facility shall be offered to inquisitive and sincere souls who shall endeavor for transcendental profit by the use of such facilities, and who agree to strictly follow the rules and regulations of Gitagrad. The governors of the community shall remain vigilant that no person will be allowed to enter who has some motive other than the pure service of Sri Partha Sarathi.

The Really Clean (and good) Dirt of Ryabuino

It’s a dirty world. There’s dirt everywhere that requires constant cleaning. Many people become obsessed with cleaning. For this purpose modern man has invented so many chemicals to clean that dirt away. In recent years we have added handiwipes to the list of essentials that we previously did without. These are little pre-moistened towelettes that we can use to clean our hands and face anywhere where there is no water. These are especially nice for babies and children who are always getting themselves dirty through their natural curiosity of investigating the world they live in. People seem to like these to disinfect the many things that they come into contact with in modern life that have been touched by untold numbers, such as: door and toilet handles, the handles of gasoline pumps and grocery carts, public telephones, as well as computer keyboards, and even money (the dirtiest of all).

The disinfecting fever caught on a few years ago with a consumer assault on germs and bacteria. Those nasty germs, lurking anywhere and everywhere, became the enemy, especially on your hands! It became the business of almost every soap product to rid your hands of germs and bacteria using anti-bacterial disinfectants, typically alcohol, never mind the fact that simple hand washing with normal soap accomplished the very same thing. Later doctors were writing to warn us against this.

While the concern about cleanliness in order to avoid communicable diseases is valid, much of the paranoia and phobia about bacteria is misplaced. Actually, the bacteria colonies found on human skin are essential to proper health.[1] The National Human Genome Research Institute reports that healthy human epidermis is colonized by roughly 1,000 species of bacteria, which thrive on the eyelids, the forearms, the groin and the armpit. Everywhere actually. Their presence, far from being harmful, is essential to the proper functioning of the body. Our bodies are actually ecosystems, home to bacteria, fungi, and other microbes. They live on our skin and in the digestive tract from the mouth, through the intestines and colon. They help digest our food, synthesize vitamins, and are necessary for the healthy function of our immune system.[2]

From this we can understand that the idea that bacteria are boogeymen is actually quite bogus. Only about 5% of bacteria are pathogenic—the other 95% are beneficial.  Bacteria are also the foundation of the planet's garbage disposal system that breaks down dead plant and animal tissue returning it to the soil. And the humus that the bacteria make is the food for plants. Incredibly, just one single gram of healthy soil contains some 600 million microorganisms including thousands of species of bacteria and fungi.  This process is destroyed when farmers spray their fields with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. In the process they kill the microorganisms leaving the soil dead, requiring the help of chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers result in unhealthy plants.

When we eat these dead processed, denatured, sugar and chemically laden foods that came from dead soil, what to speak of putting chlorine and fluoride in the water we drink, caffeine, birth control pills and other drugs into our bodies, the beneficial bacteria in our gut becomes 85% pathogenic and only 15% of the good bacteria remain. Actually, the ratio should be the other way around. Symptoms of  poor quality bacteria in the gut include an inability to lose weight, carbohydrate cravings, recurrent candida or yeast problems, frequent constipation or diarrhea, digestion or acid reflux problems, joint pain and stiffness, frequent colds or flu, and skin problems like acne or eczema. Interestingly researchers have found that the makeup of the community of microbes in the intestines changes in people with disease. Unhealthy soil results in unhealthy plants, which results in unhealthy people.

What is nature’s way of curing such problems? Would you be surprised if I said “eating dirt?” That’s right—in certain parts of the world, plain old dirt is sold as a therapeutic agent. This is due to the bacteria present called probiotics, which is defined as live microbial food ingredients that have beneficial health effects. Certain bacteria and yeasts have been used for this purpose in many cultures around the world. Probiotics may prevent or shorten the duration of some contagious illnesses. One study of healthy working adults found that those who took probiotics had half the number of sick days as those receiving a placebo.

Research scientist Peter Smith spent years investigating soil-based organisms and developed a proprietary formulation whose use healed wounds faster, and cleared up numerous ill health conditions. Smith found that soil-based organisms aggressively attack and kill human parasites. And Dr. Hulda Clark’s book “A Cure for All Diseases” explains how human parasites could be the fundamental cause of cancer, Aids, MS, and many more dreadful illnesses. By eating soil the beneficial bacteria break down the fungi and kill the parasites that can cause health problems

Actually, eating soil is age-old and widespread among animals on all continents. It’s also widespread among people, especially traditional tribal societies. Scientists term the practice of eating dirt geophagy (from the Greek roots geo for earth and phagein for eat). Geophagy has been widespread in peasant communities on all continents, with descriptions going back to Roman times. In such communities, pregnant and lactating women especially crave soil, typically consuming one-and-a-half ounces or more per day. In Zambia and Zimbabwe the main sources of soil, which 90 percent of rural women consume while pregnant, are giant termite mounds. (Indeed, the soil produced from such ant mounds is considered pure and is preferred for use as tilak). The Ottomac Indians of South America made soil balls six inches in diameter and reportedly ate more than one pound per day during the flood season, when it was difficult to find food. Geophagy has also been reported in Western Europe during famines.

One researcher asked soil-eating people about their motives, but they just typically gave replies like: I feel good when I eat it, or I like the taste. If pressed they say they think it cures stomach problems or worms or diarrhea or aids, or that it is good for them during pregnancy, or that it adds a good taste to food or masks bitter tastes, or that it is useful as a pacifier in a baby’s mouth.

Scientists also reported in the journal Neuroscience that soil can actually be a mood enhancer. A bacteria found in soil, called Mycobacterium vaccae was shown to boost serotonin production in the part of the brain that regulates mood. Serotonin is the brain chemical that antidepressants boost. When cancer patients were treated with this bacteria almost all of them reported an increased satisfaction with their quality of life. Serotonin levels are also closely linked to immune function. Researchers have known for years that people with an imbalance in their immune system are more prone to depression, and other mood disorders. So there is precedent to consider serotonin levels and immune functions as tightly linked.

The cleaning power of earth was not lost on the ancients. One of the seven types of bath is called parthiva-snana—using earth. The Manu Samhita thus instructs that a person must purify himself by cleansing the body with earth and water after he contacts the following six impurities: fat, semen, blood, marrow, urine, or stool; although water alone can purify a person after he contacts the second six impurities: nose mucus, phlegm, tears, perspiration, ear wax, and exudations from the eyes. In the Pancaratra-Pradipa we are instructed that upon waking, a devotee should cleanse his body with water and earth (although soap is acceptable).

Now we com back to the title of this article—the good ol’ dirt at Gitagrad. Ukraine is renowned around the world for having wonderfully rich, black earth that is tremendously productive, making it a prime agricultural country and the breadbasket for all of Europe. In other parts of the world there is normally 50 to 300 cm of topsoil with lots of humus, below which there is a significant change to much more sand or clay. Not here. Our boys dug a pit in the back for a privy, about a meter and a half deep. I was amazed upon seeing that hole that it was all topsoil! Unbelievable if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes! Not only that but there are no pebbles or rocks, very little sand, and only a modest amount of clay in small balls.

Earlier I wrote how one can smear a clay mixture on the bottom of the pots to make it easier to clean them when they are used over an open fire. Actually I don’t use clay alone, but simply make a paste with the soil from out back. Well, what if you forget to put such a covering on your pot? The best thing to remove the resultant carbon smudges again, is soil. Indeed, we not only use it to wash the outside of the pot, but the inside as well. It cuts through the grease like magic (better than scouring powder), and makes everything very clean.

I explained some of the benefits to carrying water earlier. But here is another one: when you don’t have plumbing and have to carry clean water in and dirty water out you can use dirt to clean your pots, pans and dishware without having to worry about clogged pipes. Now some people conditioned by artificial modern life might object that using dirt to clean what you eat from is, well, dirty. Just see the cultural conditioning! That is why I prefaced this part of the article with all of the advantages of soil bacteria. If a little stays on the pots or plates, not only is it not going to hurt, but it will probably help. Wouldn’t you know it, it is well documented that children who grow up in rural areas and on farms with close, daily exposure to soil have fewer allergies and autoimmune diseases than their city counterparts. These are some of the advantages to living (literally) close to the land.

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[1] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/29/

[2] the AP (5/29, Neergaard)