Henceforth all the Development discourses should be limited to self-realization.

Yuba Raj Koirala, Research Analyst, Kathmandu.

As the first three years of the new millennia nears to its close, it makes some sense once again, for us to look back to those bygone years and see in perspective what progresses have been made during these short but much fun faired period? Starting from the spread of mad cow disease and having come up to the age of SARS which has been precipitating like a new age traveler one should take a pause and rethink these achievements in retrospect, before moving further and inventing anew development discourses.

This same period also bears the testimony of massive human suffering extending from the paddy fields of a tiny kingdom –Nepal, where only a decade or so ago killing his fellow was something that the natives would have never heard or comprehend of. It was categorically denied and decreed by the command of almighty, so it seemed; and where man as man in his original form, regardless of his shape, size and collour was conceived to have been the working of God and was treated with utmost respect should he turn up at anybody's doorsteps for a rest or as a overnight staying guest. Now butchering him whenever convenient for whatever reason by his own fellow has become a common phenomena.

Nepal's experience to democracy and her bid to compete for a global partnership offers an unique example as why such countries are either withering away in face of their incompetence to catch up with the developed world and how in that course of action end up being rugged, failed or totalitarian state with recourse to repression, torture, brutality, and arbitrary detention/execution. The parables I wish to draw here is that of a master and slaves, the develop world being the master and the third world countries being compelled to abide by their diktat to deliver its people what the former has set about to deliver globally, mainly the transfer of technology, free flow of good and things, upholding democratic norms, respect for human rights, good governance and transparency etc.

There is nothing wrong with any of those but the question arises why then they are not working here? The answer lies somewhere else and one would have to dive deeper to uncover them. The end of history debate no matter how convincingly advocated in the wake up the abrupt failure of Marxism in its home turf, often props up the post cold war development discourses and fails to appease its antagonist that the non-western civilization in its make up differs fundamentally from that of the Western and to drag them into the former would be both futile and counterproductive. The western values are such they immediately come into conflict with the non- western practices. Most of the third world population are resentful in accepting and acting upon the western values and system seeing that much of it has resulted in the marriages being broken down, divorce rate going up, family ties being broken down, depression rate going up, pattern of daily activities being completely changed.

There is no need to accept the entire argument about the clash of civilizations to see the fundamental importance of differences in the ways that human society is organized. However, fallacy lies in the calculation that economic engagement produces democratic advance as has been argued by the end of history psychic. Prosperity and democracy create their own social problems, because the old disciplines become relaxed creating briskly adverse social conditions that people may find difficult to adjust to. The post cold war US foreign policy in the third world countries with their multitude of "underdeveloped" human and natural resources was organized around the primacy of economic prosperity which having assumed the form of globalization replaced many third world countries belief in religion and god into trade and free market.

Contending for gods seemed within their reach for many of the third world countries population than competing for global trade and marketplace since the former required them to observe restraints, compassion, pity, and forgiveness whereas the later asked for competition, active participation, gender equality, transparency, good governance and democracy. Supposing again that there is nothing wrong with any of those global ideals but a moment's reflection brings to mind issues of enormous importance as how a typical third world mother who used to get up 4 o' clock in the morning and retire in meditation can now cope with that global tide which floods her house round the clock. With her new kids on the block flecking through hundreds of channels, she is having to eat her dinner with rest of the family together where the species girls roar large evading her privacy. Her rights to be at ease and odds within her own confine have been severely curtailed. This is a simple analogy; yet, sufficient enough to see the paradox of the matter we are dealing with.

Crucial to this is also the idea that the moral sense should not differentiate too sharply between civilizations such as family, society and the social order and the task ahead is to apply this philosophical framework to the age in which we live and the only way to move towards this direction is accepting others as they are. Notions of community, social justice, fairness -these are still important and defining values that motivate people to take up politics and fight for political objectives. The image western world has been projecting in the wider world through its cosmopolitan gaze on "development" issues are that of all consuming rather than all encompassing. The social problems of today are those that come with prosperity and neglect of the old virtues of self-restraint wherein man is reduced to the mere status of consumer and a civilization which only shows its appreciation in the promotion and protection of such orientation cannot be said to be working for the global good. The political and philosophical opinions that guide modernity and today’s development resolution will no longer be able to subdue the grudging suspension of distrust on the part of the people, whose concerns of the current millennium are different and subtler which has more to do with moral malaise than with the abject terror.

Some forebodings are as old as the faith which still underpins the modern calendar and if we choose to remain blind to this fact, then at some point, in the not very distant future, time itself my choose to culminate in self-realization before this vast span of human history draws to a close. We should think where we stand today in relation to that Time and Space awe.

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