Change : Social Conflict Or Harmony?
Values
lie at the heart of human behaviour.
They determine what we do and how we do it. Values are based on what
people consider to be “of social value” or of important in their lives. They can be categorised as social, human,
moral or spiritual values etc. Goodwill,
kindness and mercy are a few essential human values. Respect, integrity and
non-violence are examples of moral values.
Spiritual values such as inner peace and contentment are related to a
higher transcendent order of
consciousness.
The
ironies of modern ‘progress’ are only now becoming apparent. The planet at large has witnessed a growing
democrastisation, greater scientific achievements, unimaginable advances in
communication technology and a heightened global awareness, yet inspite of all
these miracles, less than two-fifths of the world’s population benefits from
them. Another one-fifths lives below the
poverty line with insufficient food, water and shelter. In India alone more than 2.5 million people
live their entire lives on the street.
It
has been said “There is enough for man’s need, but not for man’s greed.” Consumerism and the greed which drives it,
prohibit the world’s poor from being properly fed, even when the planet has
sufficient resources to feed them. The
problem is not one of supply but of the economic self-interest which prohibits
more equitable distribution.
Americans,
for instance, comprise five percent of the world’s population, but use 30
percent of the world’s resources and 25 percent of the world’s annual
consumption of fossil fuel. One third of the world’s grain harvest is fed to
animals in order to produce eggs, milk and meat for the American-style diet. If
everyone were to switch to a vegetarian diet, it would allow another billion
people to be fed-in other words, the billion who are currently without enough
to eat.
The
scientific age with all its many advantages has led us away from kindness and
compassion. Human relationships are
falling apart. Community seems to be something we all keep striving for, yet
rarely manager to attain The image which
sticks in my mind of the inner cities is of cold, concrete housing blocks
ravaged by stone throwing and graffiti.
No neighbourly feeling there. Family life too, is under threat. One in
every three marriages in the UK ends in divorce; it is predicted to be one in
two by the end of the decade.
EROSION OF
VALUES
The
noticeable decline in public and global morality and its accompanying
lawlessness can be seen as the direct result of the erosion of human and moral
values.
These
values are formed within the individual from two primary sources. The first of these is an intrinsic sense of
right and wrong, which moral philosophers have called the ‘conscience’. The conscience is the inner mediator of the
human psyche. It is the ultimate guide
for human behaviour. The second way a person’s values are formed is according
to influences from the outside, for example from parental guidance, peer
pressure, religion, education, the media etc.
When
the conscience is strong, an individual is self aware. In other words, he or she understands and
realises the self as a thinking, discriminating being and acts according to
high principles. Observing his or her own thought patterns, attitudes and
beliefs contributes to self-control and the ability to make value-based
decisions. All individuals possess the
capacity for self-awareness.
However, as attention is drawn away from the self and focussed more and more on the external and the material, the memory of goodness slips away. Negativity enters and begins to erode human and moral values. This in turn impacts on human behaviour, leading to negative trends which ultimately affect the social fabric in a negative way.
Sustained exposure to
negative influences leads a person to negative thinking which further weakens
the conscience, in the way that dis-ease weakens the body. The conscience is
then rendered ineffective in its ability to influence decisions and behaviour.
When this happens, an individual becomes truly the product of his or her
society and external conditioning.
Today,
external influences have become so strong that people often find it difficult
to decide a correct course of action. Even when one knows what is right, there
often isn’t the strength of character to withstand such external forces. This stress leads to a loss of self-respect
(which in itself is an inverted form of ego) and therefore a need to replenish
the self through external support systems.
All
negative human behaviour can be linked to a spiritual lacking. Anger is the absence of peace, violence the
off-shoot of anger. Waste or exploitation of resources as an attitude or action
is linked to dissatisfaction and greed.
Jealousy and possessiveness are the absence of contentment and inner
satisfaction; they can eventually lead to abuse or murder. Ego is the lack of respect for the self. This results in a lack of respect for others
as well as the planet and an attempt to dominate and control.
Whilst
it might seem as a little wacky to think of mounting a campaign to stop greed
and ego in the world, this is what the world sorely needs. A return to a more simple lifestyle is not
some puritanical measure to curb happiness and the pursuit of pleasure Rather, it is based on a more holistic
understanding of the way life operates.
If
we are to reverse the decline of morality, we need to regenerate human and
moral values within society as well as strengthen individual conscience. There is need for a total spiritual
re-education, a transformation of the
ego energy, whereby individuals can gain sufficient inner power to judge right
from wrong.
A REVIVAL
The
process of strengthening individual conscience in order to promote acceptable
human behaviour and ultimately social harmony, begins with strengthening the
human psyche. Mental mindsets which lock
people into destructive forms of behaviour need to be changed so that people
can learn to construct more positive ones.
It
is one thing to recognise the importance of such spiritual principles and
another to live by them. Positive change
can only occur when people are prepared to take full responsibility for their
actions on both individual and societal levels.
You are whole heartedly welcome to
Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya
