It is generally felt that those who believe in values, lose in the race for the stars. But this is a misplaced belief because, progress which lacks the moral imperative is dangerous for human society.
Dr. Jernail S. Anand
When we talk of values, it refers to the moral code of our society, and moral values change with times. Even the word ‘morality’ has as its base word, ‘mores’, which means the customs, behaviour and norms acceptable to a social group. Morality means living according to these mores prevalent in a social set up.
Conformism
If we follow what is expected of us according to the social mores, we will become conformists. It will make us decent citizens of a society, who have no faith in novelty, because novelty means transgressing the set code of conduct. I may mention here that the great reformers like Guru Nanak Dev ji, were all non-conformists, who preached their own ideas, which deviated from the set traditions of their times. That is why the great Guru was able to found a new religious identity called Sikhism. The question that we need to address here is: how far can conformism be accepted, particularly, when it is associated with status quo.
The values of a society are those benchmarks which impart decency and acceptability to human behaviour. Commitment to morality suggests the person concerned believes in honesty, truth, goodness of behaviour and a respect for the set pattern of the society. While the older generations believe in status quo, and preserving the moral statutes of society, the younger generations, who have scant grounding in social and moral values, want immediate results, and don’t believe in following the values which slow down their pace. They do not believe in change, but overnight transformation, and therefore, they sidetrack the moral considerations, and take the fast forward route. Moral values are like brakes on a fast moving vehicle. If we remove the brakes, the vehicle of civilization is sooner or later bound to crash.
A consideration for values means taking steps forward after due consideration, taking care of the right and the wrong. There used to be a time when a major portion of the society believed in decency of human behaviour, and lived by the set standards of the society, which however resulted in the slow march of the civilization. But, now, things have gone in reverse gear. The people who believed in goodness have declined in number and their place has been taken by the young generation, in which majority of the population believes in moving forward without caring for any value system.
Causes of Unscrupulous Conduct
It is important to find out why our modern generation has scant regard for values, rules and regulations, and the virtues like truth, honesty, integrity and love for the right. In other words, we can say, these are the times when we lack decent citizens, who believe in righteous behaviour. A surprising development of modern times is that generally, it was felt that people who were rooted in religion and spirituality, also had complete faith in values which they upheld in their preaching and their actions too. Things are in decline at every step. The spiritual gurus have registered a decline in the charts of morality. Religion has now come to be confused with fundamentalism. In the guise of religion, unruly elements take to crime, and the law enforcing machinery also finds itself helpless when they receive flak from religious groups.
The Failure of the Value System
The failure of the value system is apparent and complete. Whether it is education or medicine, or any other field of human activity, you will find facilitators. In fact, nothing is sacrosanct now. You can get anything for a price. It appears we are living in a ‘pricious society’ where everything has a tag. Pay the price and get the service. Question papers are leaked. And religion has been turned into a subject of social engineering.
The essential questions before us are: who is responsible for this fall. And another conjoined question is: can we make progress if we go on pressing hard with moral values?
Addressing the first question, it can be said that the fall of the family, the school and the religious places is responsible for the overall decline of interest in morality. There are subjects which deal with ethics and moral science, but they are not compulsory, but optional, in which students get hundred percent marks in theory but fail, whenever they are faced with real time situations. In papers, honesty is the best policy. But in reality, it is not so. Our young men are confused what to believe. Here, we need proper training to convince them that the honesty is decidedly the best policy.
Read – GOING SOLO: BETTER ALONE THAN IN A BAD COMPANY
If we wish to make a real change, we will have to ensure that the style of thinking of the people must change. Priorities must change. The idea of instant success is at the root of all the trouble. This idea needs to be replaced with decent living.
Our newspapers are full of negative news. There is hardly any coverage of people who are doing good to society. Literature is being eliminated from the syllabus, which needs to be reintroduced. Ethics should be introduced as a full-fledged subject in all classes. If a student fails in Ethics, he should not be allowed to go to next class.
The question of progress is very important, because it is generally felt that those who believe in values, lose in the race for the stars. But this is a misplaced belief because, progress which lacks the moral imperative is dangerous for human society. It needs to be checked with an iron hand. Moreover, the most important issue here is what type of leaders we have. If the examples set by the leaders are such that crime graph goes spiraling, then it is idle talk to talk of morals and values. If we want a great society, which is rooted in moral values, we have to connect ourselves to the great traditions of our past. And we need to go ahead with careful steps. Galloping forward without caring for the ground realities can be dangerous.
Take away
Our penchant for instant success is a misplaced passion. No success is socially and spiritually enriching unless it is carried out according to the moral code of the society. However, it is important that the moral strands need to be examined from time to time, and a change in moral standards is essential as the times change. Finally, we must discourage our younger generation from compromising on the essentials of moral values, because, personal happiness of man, and the wellbeing of society are based on a people who have faith in the moral patterns set by the society. If any reformer wants to challenge the moral code, he must be rational in his approach, and convince the people with his reasoning power. People who are educated cannot be treated like dumb driven cattle, as our ‘spiritual’ leaders are now treating them. Values and morality are the fundamentals of the functioning of a society, and to keep up its progression into the future, all these codes have to be dynamic in nature. No improvement in the stock of the people can take place, if we stick to set norms, and refuse to change, even when the change is desirable and otherwise necessitated by the changing times.
Read – SINKING IN: THE WORLD WHICH DEVILS LOOK FOR
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Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, President of the International Academy of Ethics, is author of 167 books in English poetry, fiction, non-fiction, philosophy and spirituality. He was awarded Charter of Morava, the great Award by Serbian Writers Association, Belgrade and his name was engraved on the Poets’ Rock in Serbia. The Academy of Arts and philosophical Sciences of Bari [Italy] honored him with the award of an Honorable Academic. Recently, he was awarded Doctor of Philosophy [Honoris Causa] by the University of Engineering and Management, Jaipur. Recently, he organized an International Conference on Contemporary Ethics at Chandigarh. His most phenomenal book is Lustus: The Prince of Darkness [first epic of the Mahkaal Trilogy]. Email: anandjs55@yahoo.com
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