THE HUMAN SOCIETY- ITS ETHICS AND VALUES AS YOU SOW, SO YOU REAP

We boast to be the superior, wisest and dominant among all fellow species of the Earth. We have all the right to celebrate our successful journey to establish our supremacy over other creatures. In the wild and wizard race, we have shown the caliber and capability to be unchallengeable and unstoppable among all others. We had fierce and fabulous fights with horrible times and wicked situations. The Nature posed deadening and mortal circumstances and we proved our invincible spirit to overcome all odds and obstacles. Through all trials and errors, we emanated to be the ruler and the owner of the planet. We are the kings of incredible capacity. We are the heroes of long and loathsome battle of survival. Through the weary and vigorous journey to surpass and survive, we had cuts and injuries too. Nevertheless we emphatically and impressively appeared with victory and joy.

During such a vibrant and wonderful race, we achieved millions of milestones in transformation of our primeval conditions into modern one. We invented wheel, fire, iron and above all the social ways of living in settlements. We formed family and society. We started doing agriculture instead of hunting for our livelihood. Now we started living in groups than to live separate and alone, incessantly in search of food and safety.

While living in groups, family and society, several new complexities in interpersonal and intra personal dealings and communications arose. A new kind of chaos and disturbance started assuming form amongst them. We started fighting for the ownership and authority. We started quarrelling for dominance as that is in the very root of human nature. The jungle rule ‘Might is right’ started assuming grounds in the daily life and business.

As the human nature is that molds itself according to the changed scenarios, so we all together cogitated to find a solution for such unruly and unrest atmosphere. We agreed to lay some fundamental guidelines to control our acts and behaviors in personal, family, social and other life. That was the time, when some social and public rules of obligations in various negotiations were originated. The prudence and wisdom of human race has ever taught him to create balance and harmony in life. The man learns from the new challenges. He adapts and adjusts accordingly. This is the root cause of his supremacy and dominance. This is why he has controlled the Nature for his convenience and lavishment.

The journey which was started millions of years back has arrived to manmade time period, the 21^st century. The naked and hungry man is well clad today, and has delicious dishes. The barefooted man with log boats, today has the aero planes and luxury speedy cars. The man living in caves and shades, today has fantabulous sky crappers and glossy and glowing bungalows. The man with stones and sticks today has guns, missiles and nuclear weapons. The man wandering in dense spiky jungles and entangled shrubs have super shining and roaring roads. Moreover he has entered into and mastered information and computer technology. Millions of years, our ancestral men took to reach East Asia from Africa, but today, it takes merely few hours to reach and few seconds to communicate with the person in any corner of the world. Such a fantastic and fabulous journey, the man has covered and completed.

Though update and up gradation is an eternal process. This is universal fact. This lies in the very nature of man to advance and move ahead. No power can stop it. He will grow and grow incessantly. The change is a natural phenomenon. That can neither be stopped nor diverted. That is a force. That is innate and automatic. The speed may vary and forms may differ. The change may be for destructive purposes and inferior intents but it is beyond human reach to control and confine.

The change and growth is eternity but beneath it, there lies some valuable and significant factors, which was once and ever felt by our forefathers, and is great need of our time too. The interpersonal relations should be guided by some moral ethics and values. The danger that looms in all scientific and technological advancement can only be curtailed by magnanimity and benevolence. To save ourselves from the havocs and catastrophes, we should inculcate humane and compassionate attitude towards our fellow beings. We should nurture within ourselves the tendency of love to living and non living world. Tolerance and forgiveness should be our motto of life.

As much growth and advancement the man will make, so much complicate his life will become. As much height a man reaches, so much the possibility of more loss and injury is expected on falling. As fast a man runs, so huge his loss may be, while getting struck and stridden. As high in the planes or mountain peaks one flies or climbs, so enormous his damage may be, when fallen. So there must be symphony and synchronicity between growth, speed, height and above all values. The ethics and values behind all such deadly adventures may miraculously and magically mitigate and manage losses in the life of us.  

Undoubtedly, today we are far ahead and very advanced in the education system and teaching methodology than the Vedic era of guru and Shisya tradition. We have advanced ourselves in the field of science and technology. Today, we are able to easily reach to the millions of kilometers situated mars and other planetary bodies. We have also accessed the unfathomable thousands of kilometers deep oceans. We are boasting of our development.

But something we are lacking in the blind race development i.e. ethics and values. We are slowly and steadily forgetting the value systems that were sometime the very backbone of our social structure.

Because of this, today the crimes rates are increasing. The crimes like kidnapping, murder, rape and loots have become day to day activities in so called developed and advanced metropolitan cities. Beyond that, corruptions, honor killing, child trafficking, communal riots, Naxalism and terrorism have become the daily business of human life. Everybody is rushing toward money and power. Everybody wants it by hooks or crooks. This leads to make the simple man into dishonest and faithless. The healthy social structure gets contaminated and an atmosphere of uneasiness and restlessness prevails all around.

Today the world is facing the big challenge of terrorism. Imagine, where from the terrorism has originated? If these rascals would have been given value education, was it possible to make them terrorist and killing thousands innocent people world around? They would have lived a better and simple life than to involve in such terrorist activities. We need to delve deep into the root cause of such acts, which are the abominable blot on the face of civilized race, and find a better and healthier solution. The mind and intent behind such terrorist activities must be exposed. Not only this, if they have some sort of dissatisfactions with something, that must also be well and prudently addressed for making the world a beautiful place to breathe and live.

Such acts are driven by either to disrupt the normal social orders and systems or to gain hidden and inherent benefits. They may also be the methods of showing disagreement with current despotism and bureaucracy. There are many criminal acts which arise out of inability to partake in the current system. Other of the criminal acts also results, as the needs of materialistic world don’t get fulfilled. Above all, such anti social happenings are rather scandalizing the civilized sense of living. Whatever but the prominent factor behind all this is, the loss of ethics and values. This teaches a man to live with honor and dignity. This teaches to give equal importance and due reverence to all other fellow people.

Today, even in the family, society, at workplace and public places we observe the lack of values around us. We don’t respect elders. We don’t do our duties and responsibilities timely and honestly. We give and take bribes. We skip our moral duties and obligations. We don’t follow traffic rules. We don’t help the persons in needs. We don’t help the old and senior persons. Such tendencies are increasing rapidly.

The man is becoming more individual. The extravagant emphasis over individuality is leading to a big schism and rupture in social relationships. The man thinks of own wellness and goodness. He does not have any care and concern for others. He has lost the emotional aspects like sympathy, empathy, pathos, patience and perseverance. He only thinks of his own individual growth. Even in the world of technology, when mobiles and computers are in everyone’s hand, this individuality has increased to worst level. The wife, husband and children, under same roof, sway and soar into a different world with such modern gadgets. The ample stores and stuffs at internet keep him engrossed in a different world. As much we think separate, we live separate and behave separate, the gulf of social and ethical values will rather widen. It will become more hazardous and harmful.

Once we lived in joint family. That had our grandparents, uncles and parents. We had values and respect for each other. We got love and care of all family members. There was not so much rush for money, power and prestige. The fondling of grandparents and scolding of uncles taught us great lessons of living life. They all gave us infallible support whenever we felt weak and fragile. The joint effort of each family member molded the character, nature, habit, thinking, behavior, attitude and tendencies of ours. We fought all odds and evens of life smoothly and successfully because of their wonderful teachings and lessons. They always stood beside us whenever we needed them with all their blessings and backup. They transformed us into a real human being with emotions, love, care, help, kindness, bravery, happiness, harmony and brotherhood.

To become the most influential, prosperous and powerful man has become the ultimate goal of modern man. He works optimum hours to gain success. He sacrifices the dignity of familial terms. He stakes his own happiness for the pursuit of his goal. He frantically chases his dreams which do not exist in reality. He becomes alone in the world. No feeling for the fellow beings is left. He behaves like a stone idol or a robot. He has become a machine at all, beyond all humanness and humanity. His heart is shrunk and dried.

The academic institutions should rethink to restructure the defective social orders. The syllabus must not only focus on the professional growths but also for personal and social growths. Now a day the professional courses acclaiming magnificent attainments are mushrooming at every street. They cry slogans and advertise for quicker and better success. They merely focus to provide materialistic growth into coins and rupees. They only lead us towards glittering gold, luxury cars and beautiful bungalows. They never make even a pretty attempt to human growth. They never endeavor for ethical advancement. They are making man robotic machinery with no human feelings of oneness, togetherness and wellness of all.

The policy makers and administrators of the country have big role in this regard. They should promote the policies and programs of value education. They must incorporate such systems which may regularize the human nature towards ethics and values. They can take initiatives to build the bridge of damaged and defective human bonds. They may make the punishment and reward system to propagate value systems. For example, in the fierce race of life, the senior citizens are being abandoned by the couples after extorting their property. They are rather victim of torture and harassment by new generation. To fulfill the lavish needs, most often the youths even mercilessly kill their parents, for easy gain of resources. To save such elderly citizens, to ensure their safety of life and to enhance reverence towards them, the administrators can enact stricter rules of reward and punishment.

This is because we are missing value systems in ourselves. So we need to introspect within ourselves. We must try to promote value education in our society. The parents should also give value tips to their children. Until ethics and values become the part and parcel of our life, we can never make the world worth living. In lack of values and ethics, the dishonest acts, crimes and anti social happenings will be rampant on every door.  Then, only we shall shout slogans upon each other and try to prove others guilty. Sooner or later, everyone will be victim of such mal practices and inhuman occurrences. Such social abuses and institutional vices must soon be abolished and eradicated.

The lesson of humanity from teachings of saints and sages may help us. They must be our ideals and source of inspiration. The sermons of Lord Buddha may pave our paths. His teaching of Tri Sharanam and Ashtangik Marg may guide us as an illuminating lamp. Our scriptures and life of great masters is abundant of such ideal illustrations. That must be taught to all.

This is not a single man’s business. This is possible only when each hand moves forward with the pledge to make the world a beautiful place to live with all honor and dignity.