Page 17 - GOTIL (ENG) Sample

Introduction xv

I need.” There were no stocks, shares, market crashes,
currency speculation, budget balancing, inflation, mass
unemployment, or strikes.

Life’s basic necessities — food, clothing, housing materials,
and fuel — were available from the land. Cotton was
spun at home. Every village would have a potter to make
vessels for cooking. In larger villages a blacksmith would
forge simple farming and cooking utensils, razors (one
razor would last a lifetime), and other such items, using
either non-locally produced or recycled metal. Rope and
string were made locally from fibers of plants such as
coconut, jute, and flax. Water was available from rivers,
wells, and ponds. There was no need for waterworks,
sewage systems, lavatories, or taps. Nor was there need of
electricity, for people were accustomed to living without
complex machines. Lamps burning home-produced
vegetable oil supplied light. The heat of summer would
be tolerated, with bamboo hand fans giving a little relief;
winter would be met with extra blankets and wood fires.
Medicines, cosmetics, and dyes were made at home from
plants, rocks, and other natural ingredients. Furniture was
not required, for people would sit, eat, cook, study, and
sleep on the floor.

Those leading such pristine lives tended to be innocent
and unpretentious. They didn’t have strong negative
emotions. Bitterness, depression, and the like were
practically unknown. People tended to be satisfied with
what they had, and considered advancement not in terms
of surrounding oneself with material possessions, but