property resisting entropic decay

When reading this piece, I was quickly stuck by the 19th idea that the Native American would become civilized upon being implanted with some kind of worldly desire. Only when the Native experiences discontent, satisfaction, or aware of some kind of suffering in his or her current situation, will the fire necessary for "civilization" have been sparked. This reminded me instantly of the reading done last week, where we spoke of the Jainist idea that the least amount should be taken from the environment, in order to limit both our own personal suffering and that of the living things that surround us. As a matter of fact, this "western" idea of maximizing consumption and gain, resisting entropy, seems to be a very recurring theme. Also, perhaps not so much in south and southeastern Asia cultures, because Hinduism and Jainism are so common, the consumerist ideology seems to be much more dominant. It requires the participation and/or the destruction of the more passive, entropically favorable culture in order to flourish, because it needs either their goods or their labor to maximize production of the constant turnover of goods.