THE MALAISE OF MATERIALISM

Vijay Mallya is a name the whole country seems to be familiar with. Particularly after the news that he has defaulted on bank loans and left the country. These issues, however, are subject to scrutiny and investigation. But for our purpose, Mallya is not just a name. He is not just a person also. He is a symbol — symbol of all that has gone wrong in the present times, from banking to economy, from philosophy to psychology. He is also a symptom. Symptom of a deeper malaise called materialism.

As the so-called global economy, if there is one, continues to reel under recession and we try to put a brave front by quoting statistics of high growth rate, anxieties mount. Anxieties about the future of economy, if not economics. These anxieties as of now are affecting anybody who is somebody. But will subsequently effect everybody if not contained soon.

The question is how? Certainly not by changing economic policies, though they are the root cause. This is a million dollar question, the answer to which lies in philosophy. Philosophy of society that has contaminated the thought processes of the individuals. The philosophy is rather old and is called the School of Materialism or Charvaka Philosophy.

This school of Indian philosophy can be found mentioned in the epics and even early Buddhist literature. While its origin may be attributed to many reasons, its practice is based on just one concept: “Eat, drink and be merry’’. Though this is purely materialist doctrine to life did not find much favour as a metaphysic in the Indian scheme of things in the past, it is unfortunate that the present society is seemingly enamoured with the idea. The result is our obsession with ourselves and our craving for sensual pleasure.

While doubts may be raised on the veracity of this claim, the fact that there is rampant hankering for the so-called good things in life cannot be refuted. This is the reason why the entire value system of the Indian society seems to stand on its head. The Indian society never approved of living beyond means. In fact, simple living and high thinking was the norm.

What has happened today? Lavish living without thinking. Debt or loans that were never approved in the Indian society in the past have become the ‘in’ thing. The society that maintained that “only he is happy who does not owe anything to anybody” is now exhorting people to take loans. People are enjoying life by taking loans and banks are enjoying profits by giving loans.

This enjoyment, however, is a perceived state and mythical. The reality is that both the people as well as the banks are unhappy. And this is what Mallya symbolises. This is the symptom of the ailment that has inflicted society due to vulgar materialism.

To understand the idea of this vulgar materialism, it is important to understand the basic tenets of Charvaka Philosophy as given in Sarva-Darshan-Sangrah. It says that there is no heaven, no final liberation, nor any soul in the other world… As long as life is there, let a man live happily, let him feed on ghee even if he needs to take a debt for that. Now if everyone starts thinking like this there can be no other outcome but chaos. And that is where we are heading to. Thanks to materialism. It is wrong philosophy that leads to bad economics.