Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh

I recently read the book on Ladakh "Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh" by Helena Norberg-Hodge. She illustrates the changes taking place in Ladakh over the past 30 years.

Some of the interesting observations from the book that I wanted to share:

Ladakh was once a completely self contained, sustainable and happy society in a harshest environment. But it is rapidly adopting an unsustainable model that is destroying their community and identity.

Industrial development, the western way:
"Most westerners have come to believe that ignorance, disease and constant drudgery were part of the pre-industrial societies and developing countries need to industrialize to get around them. The fact is, however that many, if not most of the problems of 3rd world are to a great extent the consequences of colonialism and misguided development.

We treat technological change as more natural than the changing weather, and seem locked in the belief that where ever scientific inventiveness goes, we must follow. But Ladakh has shown that this process exacerbates greed, competition and aggression while vastly increasing the potential for destruction. Development (western) causes artificial scarcity, which inevitably leads to greater competition, and puts pressure on people to conform to a standard western model that they simply cannot emulate. The resulting dissatisfaction and inferiority complex leads to more problems."

Buddhism as a way of life in Ladakh:
There is nothing that has independent existence. Everything is interdependent. We need to accept that and respect it.

As long as there is ignorance, there is a need for ritual. It is a ladder that may be discarded once we have attained a certain level of spiritual development.

Attitude to life and death seems to be based on an intuitive understanding of impermanence and a consequent lack of attachment. Rather than clinging to the idea of how things should be, they seem blessed with an ability to actively welcome things as they are. Even death is more readily accepted.

Future Sustainability:
Neglect of rural and agricultural economy has created destitution on a massive and unprecedented scale.

Economists and technological optimists assume that we will be able to invent our way out of any resource shortage, that science will somehow stretch the earth's bounty ad infinitum.

Human race would probably survive no matter what, but the question is how many will perish in the process and how many more will have to endure the suffering before perishing.