THE ETERNAL MARCH OF EVOLUTION
by Dr. Rashmi Mayur

Once I dreamt that I would live in a paradise, where everyone experienced Nirvana -- ultimate liberation and salvation. At that time I was only a child and day-dreaming was my preoccupation.

Then, as I grew up, I discovered a different world-a world of cruelty, diseases, ignorance, exploitation, and death. As I traveled around the world and saw more and more of humanity, my dream became a nightmare. I became sad, pessimistic, and hopeless. I felt no future existed for us or for our sacred Earth which was being plundered, that one day it would devolve into a mass graveyard, its future dead the byproduct of human carnage.

Then, one day as I was passing through the Amazon forests, suddenly at dawn I had a vision. All life around me had just awakened. The sweet music of birds and animals filled the fresh air, the rays of the sun peeped through the trees and everywhere life seemed to dance and sing in joy. A truth and hope also became apparent to me. I discovered that even though the world has many ills, humans need not be enemies of truth, and that truth is expressed in the laws of nature that govern earth, life, and the future. Humanity is not an exception. But I also experienced that within the larger design of the universe, we have a special purpose -- a responsibility to preserve all that has evolved through eons of complex evolution.

Since that day, life has been a perpetual challenge to me. True, the state of the world remains tragic and insanities are ubiquitous. After 16 tortuous days a 14-year-old girl dies of hunger, millions of hectares of trees are cut to clear land for highways, cities, construction, and cooking, resulting in the extinctions of some of the most beautiful species of plants, birds, and other animals. The list of tragedies seems endless.

But life need not be tragic. We can hope that what we do will make a difference, that we can build an earth from our fondest dreams and visions. Now I've stopped searching for a utopia --a final destination. That does not exist. Our purpose is to dedicate our lives to regenerating the earth and building a new human order. If we devote our common energies to our common future, then we cannot fail to realize our hopes.

Our vision is to integrate ourselves with the larger web of life. We must avoid the arrogance of dominating or conquering nature. Technological prowess is only superficial and temporary, while we are only a humble link in life's complex chain.

Nature teaches us the lessons of simplicity, reverence, and unity. Therefore, let us build a world of recycling, renewable energy, non-exploitation, equity, sharing, and creative purposes. Such a world is not a dream or fantasy but is well within our means. It is a world worth dedicating our blood to construct. Activists around the world already are devoting their lives to these noble goals. They want to experience the ultimate fulfillment of life's purpose. They, as I, envision a new earthly order where every child -- -no matter where -- will experience joyful existence, happiness in unity with the universe, and the ecstasy of being a pilgrim in the eternal march of evolution.

Kawasaki - An Agora of the Future

This piece consists of excerpts from Dr. Mayur's award-winning proposal to build an Information City in Kawasala, Japan.

The Kawasaki city will be designed on the following assumptions: protection of the natural environment -- gardens, parks, rivers, and mountains; reduction and control of pollution; an abundance of places to facilitate easy human interaction and access to nature -- water, trees, birds, and other animals; and an emphasis on human creativity being fostered in all activities, especially in the intellectual, cultural, and social arenas. In short, Kawasaki will be the first innovative city to facilitate a natural "meeting of minds" of its citizens, being the "Agora of the future" (Agora is Greek for "plaza"). When duplicated, it can convert the planet into a global cottage. Using computers, telecommunications, and satellites, it can set the stage for not only solving the present problems of hunger, poverty, pollution, war, ignorance and declining resources, but will also serve as the base for fulfilling our human aspirations to live in a joyous, knowledgeable society.

The basic elements of the Information City will be Intelligent Buildings, Information Plazas, the Information Network, automated offices, and a terminal consisting of a desk computer, a telephone, and a printer in every home. There will also be an Information Generating Center where a Super Information Computer will contain all the information required to run and organize the Information City.

In this city, access to news will replace newspapers. Letters aren't carried by postal workers, but are transmitted electronically, making every home a post office. Computer libraries are also available in each home. Already many American students access the library through their Apple computers and a telephone at minimal cost. Shopping, banking, education, and many other activities will be conducted through the Information Network. The service sector will employ 80% of the workforce and 70% of the people will work at home. A secretary won't have to travel to the office to type a letter. It's inputted at home and transmitted anywhere in the world without any travel or transportation. Buildings won't burn down, because intelligent buildings will automatically alert the fire department at the first sniff of smoke and trouble. Doors won't be opened by clumsy keys. Voice activators will do the trick.

The residents of Kawasaki will not be passive or stay-at-homers. Festival Gardens, interactive parks and sports arenas, peace shrines, and children's story centers will attract many people, especially during the warm, mid-day hours, since working at home will give them more flexible schedules to harmonize their lives with the rhythms of nature and family life. Of course, entertainment from around the world will always be available for all.

While Japan can afford to build this Angora today, the benefits of this advance need to spread globally to all peoples as a fundamental right to civilized living and full creative development. Naturally, Agoras will also come with their own set of difficulties -- many of them perhaps more intractable than our own, but this is the challenge of the evolutionary process. Those who fail to envision the future and work towards its realization with discipline, commitment, and knowledge, will become extinct in the cesspool of yesterday. The Information Society is only one way to enter the 21st century. Kawasaki, the first Information City of the future, is still an experiment, but a hopeful experiment worthy of notice.

Rashmi Mayur is the President of Global Futures Network, headquartered in Bombay. He has served as an advisor to the UN Environment Programme, the UN Fund for Population Activities and the government of Costa Rica, Mexico, and Sri Lanka, among others.

Dr. Rashmi Mayur, Global Futures Network, 73A Mittal Tower, Nariman Point, Bombay 400021 India. Phone 204-57-58.

Copyright © 1996. The Light Party.