Restoration Of Morality, Tolerance And Humanity

Our society, today is faced with many gigantic problems. Some of these are so serious that the very survival of humankind is tied to the satisfactory and timely solution of those problems. The problems of environmental pollution, nuclear weapons - their tests and the threat of their use - high and rapid rise in human population are some of those that give the feeling that life is hanging by a slender thread or is at the end of a precipice.

 Growing violence, crime and corruption at all levels of society, the fissiparous and centrifugal tendencies that are evident in the forms of disintegration of our society on ethnic, religious or cultural grounds and the break-up of families, serious decline in standards of professional ethics, awful increase in the use of narcotics, intoxicants and drugs that result in altered states of consciousness, militancy, deviant behaviour etc. are some of the signs that show how chaotic and perverse our society has become and how artificial our civilisation is.

There is as much stress and mental tension that a very large number of people suffer from many psychosomatic diseases. There is so much poverty, illness and peacelessness that one cannot but conclude that our attitudes, our philosophy of life, if any, and our actions are violative of some healthy norms, values and principles of living. All this clearly points to the truth that there is something basically wrong with our ways of thinking, our life-style and our inter-personal relationships.

GROWING AWARENESS

However, there is a silver lining in the dark clouds. There is a growing realisation among an increasing number of people that all our problems have arisen due to lack or infringement of moral, spiritual or human values it is now being felt that our ultra-materialistic outlook has resulted in our present predicament. Of late, this awareness is now beginning to dawn that our craze for machine-culture has hardened our hearts into machines so that we have been gradually losing the human aspect in life.

We have been so caught up with the notions and ideas of competition, consumerism and rush-rush that we have lost touch with inner tranquillity and mutual sympathy. We have now developed such materialistic values that we have lost the spirit of friendship, fellow-feeling and love. As a result of all this, we have been drifting away from such values which could give us peace, contentment and concern for the well-being of others besides ourselves.

 There are many values which we must observe for a harmonious and peaceful living. Not less important is tolerance. Many of our troubles, turmoils and traumas are due to intolerance. Lately, people have become aware of this fact but yet there is a lot more need for educating people to cultivate this value which, when lost, makes human behaviour uncivilised and barbaric and makes a hell of one’s family, professional and community life. If a nation has, as its leaders, such persons who are intolerant, they can land their nation in great conflicts and conflagration.

They can embroil their country in a war or can lead it even to disintegration. For, when tolerance is lost, temper is also lost and the loss of both means the loss of mental balance, calm judgment and composure. Without tolerance human beings, though human in form cannot be human or humane in their conduct. And, in this state of affairs, there can neither be security , nor safety, neither peace nor sustained development because intolerance lets loose the forces of destruction and deprivation.

INNER POWER

Tolerance is where love and regard are, or where mutual goodwill and understanding of the stand point and difficulties of others are. You may believe it or not but it is true that the resolve to solve problems by tolerance, based on goodwill, understanding and adjustment to the changed situation can succeed where all other methods-political, diplomatic, legal, militaristic, economic, etc. have earlier failed. Tolerance is exhausted when the feeling of mutual well-being, understanding and mutual adjustment are exhausted. And, these are exhausted, when man’s sanity and good judgment are exhausted and the long-term and broader perspectives are lost.

 These having been lost, man puts aside his good conscience, good counsel of the wise and the well-wishers and the inner and outer voices of goodness and virtue and is carried by the tornado of hatred, anger, frustration and vengeance, and recklessly takes the blind alley of lawlessness and violence and marshland of troubles. From that there is no escape unless man returns or is extricated back to the terra firma of tolerance.

 The chronicles of mankind or of various civilisation or nations bear witness to the truth that property worth inestimable and incalculable amount, and millions of men have been lost in the slaughter house of intolerance during the last 2000 years or so; because of intolerance that ensued from a hurt ego, an unfulfilled selfish motive or narrow-mindedness that could not stand the existence of different views, different life-styles, different cultures and different self-interests.

Tolerance easily returned when a person realised that, in this universe, which is, in truth, a multiverse also, we have to exist like flowers of different hues and designs in a nursery or a garden.

 Can anyone calculate or imagine how many families lost their peace and harmony and how many cities and civilisations were ruined because of intolerance? If only this virtue, called tolerance, had been sustained, all or many other virtues also would have survived, for when, tolerance is lost man loses his patience, self-control, spirit of non-violence, etc. or you can say that tolerance is lost when these are lost.

 So, tolerance is an inner power; it is the power to control the self, to keep at bay the negative forces of hatred, anger, etc. And to keep active one’s saner judgment. If a person or a nation has tolerance, it is very powerful because it is the weak who are afraid or who cannot adjust with others or who cannot see that the diversity and differences also have their place in life. Thus, it is necessary to inculcate the virtue of tolerance, for it is of great value and gives great power.

A MORAL DIMENSION

Tolerance is a virtue and a fruit of wisdom that can come and stay if we firmly believe that all have the basic right to live peacefully, enjoying their own culture, tradition or religion. If we are self-righteous and think that our own culture and religion are the best of the whole lot and the beliefs of others are only third grade, then we develop narrow-mindedness, hatred and intolerance, resulting in conflicts of various sorts.

 So, if we wish to have peace and harmony, we have to learn to respect others and adjust ourselves with them to co-exist. We have also to learn to forget and forgive some lapses and shortcomings of others in the spirit of friendliness or brotherhood, else we cannot have goodwill, amity, cooperation and peace.

It is here that the role of education, media and religion becomes very important. For, unless and until education is value-based and media, especially the electronic and the film media and religion make their contribution in creating awareness for values, there will not be any peace and harmony in the society nor will there be tolerance, humility or family-love. We must understand that there is a basic difference between physical, chemical and mechanical action on the one hand and action done by a human being on the other hand. Physical actions are studied in physics, chemical action in chemistry and mechanical actions in engineering. Actions done by human beings have a moral dimension.

They are the result of intent, purpose and goal. They have emotions. They are based on the awareness of relationships. They have a desire behind them and also a will and a feeling or an experience. So, they are qualitatively and categorically different from all other kinds of actions.

They are either morally good or bad because these cause happiness or sufferings to the society and also to the doer. So, our actions have to be judged from the point of view of morality. Its is here that all our actions have or have not moral values according as they result in peace and happiness or in conflict, crime and suffering. Education, media and religion must make people aware of this basic difference and must educate people about this.

It has been found from experience that practice of mediation enables a person to have full moral growth or development and to have bliss. So, it would be very useful to the cause of peace harmony and values if people practice, meditation. This will help professions to observe their code of conduct and will thus build a better society.

POWER OF TOLERANCE

Tolerance does not mean cowardice, because tolerance requires tremendous courage. Flexibility (content with any changes) and humour are also prerequisites for the power of tolerance. In order to achieve success one must learn to tolerate. Because the mental state can not remain constant in diverse circumstances like inadequacy, hurt, disgrace, loss, despair and other adversities. With tolerance it’s easy to remain satisfied in any adverse situation.

 Tolerance is the main sign of a knowledgeful soul. It’s the acid test by which the ignorant and the wise can be judged. Tolerance does not mean that allegation of any sort should be accepted to upset the state of the mind, but to disprove the imputations by remaining in the unaffected state. It takes two hands to clap, therefore, if one soul is quiet and tolerant then the other will be calmed automatically. True tolerance only comes through the power of Rajyoga mediation and the understanding of Godly knowledge.

You are whole heartedly welcome to
Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya