E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

193 Contextualising Gandhian Thoughtshould distinguish between needs and wants, reduce one'swants to the barest minimum, and content oneself with appropriatingwhat one needs to satisfy one's current need. One willnot appropriate more than what is necessary for current use,with the thought of the future, or the desire for wealth orpower. Gandhi cited five reasons to explain why one shouldabstain from such appropriation:1. It is against what he calls the Fundamental Law of Nature."The profound truth upon which this observance is basedis that God never creates more than what is strictly neededfor the moment. Therefore, whoever appropriates morethan the minimum that is really necessary is guilty oftheft.” 32. When man is born into the world he gains access toresources that he did not create. In fact, he depends onresources that nature and society have created. If heappropriates or uses any part of these resources withoutreplacing it or contributing in commensurate measure tothe replenishing of the social heritage, he is guilty ofappropriating the fruits of someone else's labour. In thecase of nature, he is guilty of predatory spoliation anddepletion of exhaustible and non-replaceable resources. Infact, he owes a debt to society when he is born, and unlesshe works to repay this debt, he will be guilty of theft. Inother words, his inherited right to enjoy the fruits of otherpeople's labour depends on his duty to repay his debt withphysical labour. This is a duty that he may not abdicatewithout attracting the charge of delinquency or the guilt oftheft. Even those who earn their livelihood through intellectuallabour cannot escape the ambit of this law.3. Sequestration for future use is cornering what someoneelse may need urgently, what may well spell the differencebetween life and death to someone. That such a potentialbeneficiary is not physically present before one does not