 Living Pathways Meditations on sustainable cultures and cosmologies in Asia. By M Nadarajah Published by Areca Books, 2014 184pp; 226.6mm x 254mm 90+ colour photographs ISBN: 9789675719097 | “This book |
Living pathways deals with the challenges faced by the ecosystems and way of life as many Asian nations race for first world status and ape western norms. A beautifully presented book, it is full of wonderful pictures of the environment and life in Asia.
The author spent a year travelling through Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines visiting villages where he spoke to the headmen and villagers and spent time in universities where he talked at length with academics. He had discussions with politicians on future plans and elders on how things were in the past and how customs and communities are being threatened. Wherever he went he took many photographs and this book is filled with scenes of life and the environment.
Nadarajah’s 32 meditations link the destructive forces created by urbanisation and sustainable development that has pushed back the forests and destroyed the habitat of many small communities and endangered many of the native animals.
In meditation 21 the author expands on the topic of sustainable development from a western capitalist view point;
The author spent a year travelling through Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines visiting villages where he spoke to the headmen and villagers and spent time in universities where he talked at length with academics. He had discussions with politicians on future plans and elders on how things were in the past and how customs and communities are being threatened. Wherever he went he took many photographs and this book is filled with scenes of life and the environment.
Nadarajah’s 32 meditations link the destructive forces created by urbanisation and sustainable development that has pushed back the forests and destroyed the habitat of many small communities and endangered many of the native animals.
In meditation 21 the author expands on the topic of sustainable development from a western capitalist view point;
- it’s a human centred worldview,
- the emphasis is on growth from a capitalist market approach,
- demonstrates a relative ignorance of the need for radical change in peoples’ demands on the earth,
- it perpetuates the view that nature is merely a collective of natural resources that can be exploited by human beings, and
- a faith that all environmental problems can eventually be solved by technology.
These articles are stipulated in the national development policies of many Asian nations and he continues in following meditations to discuss the consequences of sustainable development on small endangered indigenous communities which are part of the identity of a nation but have been marginalised by the increasing focus on development, consumerism and destruction of their habitats.
This is directly followed by a dissertation on the key differences between the Western way of life and the Asian way and how Western lifestyles and beliefs threatens Asian values. He focuses on the way spiritualisation impacts local communities and how they live in harmony with the environment. They live in integrated family systems where there is respect for the elderly and where consumption is not king.
This is directly followed by a dissertation on the key differences between the Western way of life and the Asian way and how Western lifestyles and beliefs threatens Asian values. He focuses on the way spiritualisation impacts local communities and how they live in harmony with the environment. They live in integrated family systems where there is respect for the elderly and where consumption is not king.
__________________________
M. Nadarajah has spent his life working on the interconnected
issues of communication, process development and
management, culture, spirituality and sustainability. He has
written several books on these issues: Another Malaysia is
Possible and Other Essays: Writings on Culture and Politics for
a Sustainable World (2004) and his co-edited book Urban Crisis:
Culture and the Sustainability of Cities (2007) are noteworthy
contributions. He earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Jawaharlal
Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, in 1993.
M. Nadarajah has spent his life working on the interconnected
issues of communication, process development and
management, culture, spirituality and sustainability. He has
written several books on these issues: Another Malaysia is
Possible and Other Essays: Writings on Culture and Politics for
a Sustainable World (2004) and his co-edited book Urban Crisis:
Culture and the Sustainability of Cities (2007) are noteworthy
contributions. He earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Jawaharlal
Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, in 1993.
CONTACT: Areca Books <arecabooks@gmail.com>
This article first appeared in print in the Malaysia @Frankfurt 2015 tabloid, published by the Majlis Buku Kebangsaan Malaysia (MBKM) - National Book Council of Malaysia as part of their initiative to promote Malaysian companies, authors and books at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2015.
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