Why is Self-reliance important?

Let's examine 2 situations first.

Until about 20 years ago, jobs were very scarce. One had to tolerate all the tantrums thrown upon one by his superior/employer. Even if that means your self-respect getting hurt. Slightest show of rebellion would have landed one on streets. Why? The mean employer knew the employee was dependent on him.

So, let's assume you are one of those pathetic employees. Would you have suffered if you were self-reliant?

This MeanEmployer-PatheticEmployee situation gave rise to popular beliefs: Employers are bad, Rich are bad, Poor are good, Employees are good, etc., These beliefs were further etched into our minds by popular movies, stories and media.

Though these beliefs are no longer valid, these are still in use as yard sticks. Sometimes by the well-to-do/employers themselves!! I met 3 such idiots in my journeys.

Situation started changing after Y2K. IT & ITES started gathering momentum. Construction industry started booming. The final tilting came after 2006 TN assembly elections. Rs. 2/Kg rice scheme gave them the much-awaited kick.

Salaries increased tremendously. Attrition rate kept increasing. Behavior worsened everyday. It was sheer madness everywhere. Salary increase gave rise to price increase. Price increase gave rise to salary increase. It was one never ending vicious cycle.

Eliciting a simple job from a simple worker like maid requires Himaalayan perseverance. You can imagine the situation with next level workers like masons, painters, etc., They fix their timing. They take offs without intimation. They are not to be questioned. One simple question will break loose all hell. Why? The cunning worker knows your routine life is dependent on him/her. They also know that their lives can go on without you - Government's freebies, 100-days Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, 2 General Elections in 5 years, One Tsunami/Earthquake/Fire per generation. Would you have suffered such humiliation if you were self-reliant?

So, the rule is whoever has the advantage shall oppress the ones with disadvantage.

Here, I talked about just one situation - Employer & Employee. This can be applied to so many other situations like Races (white races oppressing darker races*), Countries (developed country oppressing a developing country*), Sexes (men oppressing women and vice-versa), Ages (elders oppressing youngers and vice-versa) and many more (North oppressing South, City-dwellers oppressing villagers, Villagers oppressing city-breds (in future)).

(* Self-reliancy on basic needs alone won't be enough to face invasions (such as the invasion by Chinese on Tibet or by barbarians like Timur, Ghazini, Gori, etc., on India), aggressions, genocide (such as Sinhalese annihilating Thamizhs). If Self-realization becomes the goal of entire humanity, words like invasion, aggression, genocide, etc. can be safely removed from the world languages.)

Though I have generalized White races & North as oppressors, I do know that not all of them are oppressors. I also know that traitors, unfaithfuls, ingratitudes are abound in the oppressed ones.

Hinduism is still alive largely in North. South & North-East are affected by conversion gangrene. 

The world is a better place now when it comes to communication, individual rights and privacy all because of White races. No one should forget the grand concept of Open Source by America & companies like Google from America. 

My own guru, Bhagavaan Ramana Maharshi, would not have surfaced but for 2 Britishers - FH Humprey & Paul Brunton. Brunton brought world's attention to Bhagavaan. Otherwise, orthodox people (not just Brahmins*) would have buried him deep in Earth with a Ramana Gaayatri Mantraa.

(* Literal meaning is "one who is with Brahmam" or "one who is Brahmam". This means a Jnaani. It is a grand word. But, now it simply denotes a caste. What a shame? In order to save this grand word, we must find a new word for that caste.)

Bhagavaan himself says this in Verse #98 of Akshara Mana Maalai (The Marital Garland of Letters):

வெளிவிட்டேன் உன் செயல் வெறுத்திடாது உன் அருள் வெளிவிட்டு எனைக்கா அருணாச்சலா

I have betrayed Thy (secret) workings. Be not offended. Show me Thy Grace now openly and save me, Oh Arunachala! 

Saadhu Om Swaamigal, a staunch devotee of Bhagavaan, explains that only a selected few would be revealed this secret after an eon of yeomen service to the guru. Bhagavaan has let it be known to the whole world. For this a section of the priest class still grudges him. I have felt it myself. One can find similar examples in western religions too. Here, the westerners brought Bhagavaan out. There, their siblings are hell bent on hiding their founder's eastern connection.

Back to self-reliance.

If you are not dependent on others for all your basic needs (ie. If you are self-reliant on basic needs), can you still be oppressed?

I think not.

Moreover, Self-reliant life-style is eco-friendly.

• You will no longer travel or your travels will come down very much.
• Essentials do not have to travel to come to you. Since you would be growing most of them and you would exchange the balance from your neighbors using Barter system (பண்டமாற்று முறை).
• Your wastes do not have to leave you as you will be recycling them.
• With this lifestyle and with Self-realization as goal, TV will get relegated to dungeons/lofts.
• You will go for a smaller refrigerator or you will do without one as you will be eating fresh picks from your garden/farm.
• Same is the story with your washing machine. What you wear regularly for your farm work can be hand-washed easily.
• You will replace your LPG stove with a bio-gas stove.
• You can sell your Air-conditioner unit as you will be surrounded by green trees.
• You can either surrender your electricity connection or your usage will come down to minimum. Since this lifestyle demands “Rise Early & Sleep Early”, you will no longer burn lights for long in the evening.

Only things you should retain from your present lifestyle are your computer & Internet connection. Without communication, the world will slowly and surely revert to its old ways – stronger class oppressing weaker class.

So, without all those paraphernalia and with less/no travel, there is no global warming. You don't require energy from fossil fuels or coal. You don't have to expend any energy on their extraction, processing, transportation & sales.

Above all, my gut feeling is that this will check population rise. This lifestyle demands involvement. With involvement comes understanding. With understanding comes responsibility. At this stage, you also lose insecurity. You will no longer churn out offspring for your sake (old age, show of strength, etc.)

This lifestyle & goal also promote universal brotherhood. Once you get closer to Mother Nature or once you start losing your unreal self (ie. “Self is already realized. All that needs to be done is to lose the ignorance that you are not Self.” - Bhagavaan Ramanaa), you will understand the real meaning of our ancestors' vision, “Everyplace is ours. Everyone is related.” (யாதும் ஊரே. யாவரும் கேளிர்.) With this vision, all the ills we see in the current world will disappear.

There will only be love. அன்பே சிவம்.