Ghandis views on modern civilization

From http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/20111112135744718390.html

Gandhi had said: "Life will not be a pyramid with the apex sustained by the bottom. But it will be an oceanic circle whose centre will be the individual always ready to perish for the village, the latter ready to perish for the circle of villages till at last the whole becomes one life composed of individuals, never aggressive in their arrogance, but ever humble, sharing the majesty of the oceanic circle of which they are integral units. Therefore, the outermost circumference will not wield power to crush the inner circle, but will give strength to all within and will derive its own strength from it."

Gandhi identified "modern civilisation" as the real cause for loss of freedom: "Let us first consider what state of things is described by the word 'civilisation'. Its true test lies in the fact that people living in it make bodily welfare the object of life ... Civilisation seeks to increase bodily comforts and it fails miserably even in doing so ... This civilisation is such that one has only to be patient and it will be self-destroyed."

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I'm no expert on his views, but I find myself in sympathy with a lot of what he said.

onq said:

From http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/20111112135744718390.html

I'm no expert on his views, but I find myself in sympathy with a lot of what he said.

Click to expand...

And yet the more modern the civilisation is the freer the people are and the better their material quality of life is (spiritual or psychological wellbeing is so utterly subjective that it’s meaningless trying to quantify or compare it).
Gandhi sounds a lot like Dev there, doesn’t he?

I'm a firm believer in individual freedom and that the freer a society the more prosperous it becomes. This can be backed by many studies, including www.freetheworld.com
The success of the "West" started with a gradual move away from monarchy and serfdom ultimately resulting in the most prosperous and free period in history, the industrial revolution.
However, I believe that in the last 40 years freedom in the west has been very much deteriorating through ever larger governments and interventions in people's personal and economic lives. In my opinion this has culminated in the pretty much economic stagnancy of the last 10-15 years.
This reminds me of last night's Now it's personal program on rte where an Irish Muslim convert said that Islam does not believe in any kind of freedom. That certainly would explain why there is not a single country on earth run under strict Islamic laws that is even remotely prosperous.