CLASS ROOM ACTIVITY 5 (CRA-5): Video Session

• Watch a 20 minute video "Story of Stuff".

• write down your observations about the following issues in the Note
Book after you watch Video.

• What is the program of the people shown in the video?

• Is this program similar to your own program?
• What is the outcome from this program?

• Take around 5 to 10 minutes to write your observations in your

Practice Session Note Book.

• We will discuss your observations in the Class.

Slide 1 of 13
Discussion

• Students can express their views on the issues while the Discussion is
going on in the Class with the Teacher/Facilitator.

Slide 2 of 13
Problem (as shown in video) Solution (as shown in video)
Production of unhealthy products ??
with focus on profit vs purpose
(eg. carcinogenic pillows)

Exploitation of the people involved ??

in production, consumption

Over exploitation of natural ??

resources

Linear production process Cyclic production process

Indulgence (influenced by media & ??

marketing)

99% waste Recycling can help (but it will

never be enough)
Slide 3 of 13
What is your Natural Acceptance:
1. Indulgence (bhog) - Use physical facility for sensation
2. Abstinence (tyag) - Abstain from physical facility use
3. Right Utilization (sadupyog) - Purposeful use of physical facility

Symptoms of Indulgence:
▪ One is significantly influenced by external inputs (sensation,
preconditioning)
▪ Over indulgence, copious consumption (ati bhog), 99% waste
▪ Profit-centric production
▪ Linear (not cyclic) production process
▪ Exploitation of the people involved in production, consumption
▪ Over exploitation of natural resources…

Slide 4 of 13
What is your Natural Acceptance:
1. Indulgence (bhog) Use of physical facility, other for sensation
2. Abstinence (tyag) Abstain from physical facility, sensation, other
#1 – Developing Right
Understanding

3. Right Utilization (sadupyog) Purposeful use of physical facility,

sensation, other

Slide 5 of 13
Prevailing Notions of Happiness & Prosperity
• Happiness = Fulfillment of Desire?
• Happiness = Excitement?
• Happiness = Sensation?
• Happiness = Domination?
• Happiness = To be Unique?
• Continuous Happiness = Fulfillment of all Desires, Maximisation of
Excitement, Maximisation of Pleasing Sensation, To be Most
Dominant, To be Most Exclusive/Unique?

• Prosperity = Physical Facility?

• Continuous Prosperity = Maximum (Unlimited) Accumulation of
Physical Facility?
• (even if it means struggling to meet the unlimited wants, since
resources are limited)

Slide 6 of 13
An Appraisal of the Current Scenario
• At the level of the individual – rising problems of depression,
psychological disorders, stress, insecurity, trauma, health problems,
loneliness...

• At the level of the family – breaking of joint families, mistrust and

insecurity in relationships, divorce, family feuds, legal suits.

• At the level of the society – growing incidences of terrorism and

naxalism, rising communalism, spreading casteism, racial and ethnic
struggle, wars between nations, attempts of genocide, fear of nuclear
and genetic warfare.

• At the level of nature – global warming, water, air, soil, noise pollution,
resource depletion of minerals and mineral oils, sizeable
deforestations, loss of fertility of soil...

Slide 7 of 13
Animal Consciousness
1. Physical Facility →
Sensation → “Happiness”
2. Physical Facility → Respect
→ “Happiness”
Undefined Quantity of Physical
Facility (by any means) →
Accumulation of Physical
Facility → “Prosperity”
Assumptions
Production of any Physical
Facility by almost any means
for profit (undefined limit)
Slide 8 of 13
Human Consciousness
Right Understanding & Right
Feelings → Happiness
1. Identification of Required
Physical Facility
2. Production / Availability of
Required Physical Facility
→ Prosperity
Right Understanding & Right
Feeling
Production of required Physical
Facility by Avartansheel
process for mutual fulfillment
Transformation (ladze.k) = Development (fodkl)

Slide 9 of 13
• I desire for happiness

• If I am not aware that right understanding and right feelings (trust

respect … love) in me is a source of happiness for me, Then

• I have only one option, i.e. to draw happiness from sensation, physical
facility [even though I can see that the happiness by this method is not
continuous]

• e.g. While I do not want to fight, a fight takes place…

• I try to resolve it by giving a gift (tasty food, nice clothes etc.).

Sometimes this used to work…

• Now I can see that it only shifts the attention from the fight to the gift,
and only for a short time… In a few days, another fight takes place,
and this time it is of greater intensity…
Slide 10 of 13
• Now I can see that it is due to lack of right understanding about
relationship, and therefore, lack of fulfillment in relationship

• I have been trying to fill this gap by more & more sensation, physical
facility

• The happiness I draw out of sensation, physical facility is not long

lasting; I get bored by one sensation, physical facility… so I go for
another, yet another…

• Now I can see that the happiness from having the right understanding
and right feelings in myself is long lasting. I can now start paying
attention to it

• I can also rightly evaluate the role of sensation, physical facility

Slide 11 of 13
• Expressing these feelings to the other can be a source of happiness
for the other leading to mutual happiness

Slide 12 of 13
• Summary/Conclusions of this Video Session – "Story of Stuff".

• You can Watch this full video at the website:

http://www.storyofstuff.org/

Slide 13 of 13