Like Elephants

“It is important not to eat sad animals that have been raised in battery or tied to a chain their entire life, as this certainly does not help our well-being. We should eat meat that has been fed natural and organic food. For example, cows must eat grass; if they are fed wheat based products then those resources are taken away from people who then suffer malnutrition and often die because of it. Finally, for anybody who counters with the argument that the human body needs meat, I always respond with the example of the elephant: The largest and strongest animal in the world is completely vegetarian.”

Ph. Alessandro Ciccarelli

“The Indian culture that I come from is founded on the concept of restraint.” This last word summarizes the world view of Satish Kumar, Indian philosopher and environmentalist who tries to lead us to a greater respect for nature in its whole by bringing Eastern principles to the Western world. Restraint is to be understood as restriction, moderation and reservation.

“My mother, whose simple common sense is a guide and source of inspiration for me, gave herself a set of limitations each morning during meditation that would guide her behavior throughout the day. For example, one day she fasted and the next she would prepare all her meals with no more than 12 ingredients; or she would decide to walk no more than ten miles throughout the day, and only towards the east. The way she organized her life was based entirely on moderation.”

THE WEAPONS OF NON-VIOLENCE
Today Kumar is best known for the long and adventurous walking trip he took across the world from 1962 to 1964, when he was 26 years old. His goal was to spread a message of peace and non-violence to the capitals of the countries that had the atomic bomb at the time: the USSR, France, England and the USA. The idea came to him when Kumar and a friend read that the 90-year-old philosopher Bertrand Russell had been arrested in London during a demonstration for nuclear disarmament.

The two friends thought, “Despite his age, Russell can take such strong actions and we, young and at the height of our physical and mental capabilities, are just sitting here with our hands in our pockets?” So they came up with the project for a long walk, with two fundamental rules to follow: they would take no money with them and would not eat any meat. “These were our two ‘weapons of non-violence’ that our master Vinoba Bhave had given us.”

“We learned during the walk that the need to be taken in by local people in order receive food, hospitality, shoes and clothes forced us to be in contact with them, presenting ourselves completely disarmed. The moment that we had to explain that we were vegetarian was the occasion to explain the message of peace that we were bringing.”

This was not the only action for peace in Kumar’s life story. At nine years old he decided on his own to become a Jainist monk, while at 18 he left that religion to take up the philosophy of Ghandi and follow Vinoba Bhave. Following his long walk, and after various adventures, he ended up in the English region of Devon where he became the director of Resurgence, the famous British magazine that tackles the spiritual and ecological problems of our time.

It is there that he refined his desire to “marry the West to the East” in order to introduce India’s spirituality and philosophical aspects into Western society. “Science needs a moral compass to guide it, as alone it is not capable of working exclusively for the good of man. Remember that the atomic bomb was invented by well-educated and cultured scientists. And on the other hand, reasoning is important for warding off the dangers of religions becoming fundamentalist.”

It is in this unique mix of cultures that Kumar’s environmentalist theories find their home, as they are based on Indian spiritual principles and on the scientific data that are characteristic of Western thought.

“During my travels I have often seen that men feel at war with nature; but how can there ever be peace among men if we don’t even know how to respect the environment in which we live? For ages man believed that he could freely use the Earth without any limits. But now, with the dangers of an environmental crisis looming, we are beginning to understand how good and useful nature can be for man and that it must not be plundered.”

“In India we believe in Gaia, or the unity of Earth: Gaia, the environment, and the cosmos are all a living organism. Man is but a small part of this whole and thus should introduce laws not only for human rights, but also environmental rights that take account of the value of our planet. These are the pillars of deep ecology that I believe in. The humble know how to live in balance with their environment, like farmers and indigenous peoples. The effects of global warming, which even the scientific community has unanimously perceived, must act as an opportunity for us to radically change our relationship with the Earth.”

THE REASONS FOR VEGETARIANISM

Ph. Alessandro Ciccarelli

One of the main practical aspects of Kumar’s philosophy lies in vegetarianism. In India it is a very common tradition, especially for Jainists: this is the philosophy of non-violence taken to extreme consequences. “Jainist monks, with whom I spent the majority of my youth, have extremely rigorous moral principles which aim to lead the body and soul to an ever more accentuated separation from worldly needs. This path begins with vegetarianism and continues with abstaining from eating tubers and roots, as their harvesting requires a violent act towards the Earth. The next step is to eat only fruit that has fallen off the trees, so as not to pluck them from the plants. Finally, Jainists end up consuming only those natural products that contain the least amount of seeds possible. Naturally, this is a philosophy that is extremely difficult to put into practice.”

Kumar’s eyes, which jump out against his olive skin and white hair, shine with a brilliant light that transmits a profound sense of joy. His wide smile often breaks into quirky laughter. You get the feeling that his attitude towards life could never be severe or accusatory.

“What leads me to be vegetarian, as well as my wife and children, are simple things, but that does not mean they are not important. To start with, vegetarianism itself produces greater well-being, as vegetables are easier to digest than meat. What’s more, it is a form of respect for the animal world, as vegetarians avoid killing living creatures for their meat. Naturally I do not think that everyone should become vegetarian; it would be absurd to ask the Sami people not to eat reindeer. But it is also true that the western diet contains an excessive amount of protein, as has been shown by the FAO’s report Livestock’s Long Shadow, in which the environmental damage caused by intensive livestock breeding is measured.”

“It is important not to eat sad animals that have been raised in battery or tied to a chain their entire life, as this certainly does not help our well-being. We should eat meat that has been fed natural and organic food. For example, cows must eat grass; if they are fed wheat based products then those resources are taken away from people who then suffer malnutrition and often die because of it. Finally, for anybody who counters with the argument that the human body needs meat, I always respond with the example of the elephant: The largest and strongest animal in the world is completely vegetarian.”

Interview with Satish Kumar by Simone Bobbio
Originally published in Slowfood magazine, issue #38, 2010