Hindu statesman Zed asks the world to re-evaluate its economic growth strategy

Nevada, July 21 (ANI): World should re-evaluate its economic growth outlook to save it from environmental crisis, stresses acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that speedy economic development might not bring us the "real success" we were all seeking. A happy and healthier world should be the focus while deciding which road to take on growth and prosperity.

Our consumption culture and blind fascination with statistics involving industrial production, gross domestic product, investment promotion, etc., might lead us to a risky and polluted world, Rajan Zed warned.

Zed emphasized the need of working together for better future of the humankind. To effectively curb environmental degradation and save the planet, religions of the world had to come together to form a joint global strategy.

Rajan Zed pointed out that consumerism had almost acquired the status of a religion for many of us in the world. Saint Augustine (Letter 211) said, "It is better to need less than to have more." Hinduism told us that joy and renunciation needed each other and renunciation was not deprival, it was freedom. Three opening words of Isha Upanishad: "tena tyaktena bhunjita" said it all-"By renouncing it {the world}, enjoy it."

Zed further said that excessive human greed, which was a transgression of spiritual and moral law, blinded the mind and it might bring bigger crisis in the future. All the religions condemned greed and we needed to build a new world free from greed. Zed quoted ancient Hindu scripture, Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), which says: there are three gates to self-destructive ell-greed, anger, and desire. Abandon these three. A person freed from these three gates of darkness, seeks what is best and attains life's highest goal. (ANI)