Mehak Gupta Grover
“It is in giving that we receive”
A short sentence teaches us so much. India- known for its moral values, but where are these values demolishing? Are these values vanishing or is it we ‘the humans’ are getting blind- folded? Moral values or ethics are the standards of human behaviour; principle of right and wrong. However, in the present day, degeneration of values has become very rampant. Today ‘moral’ is a word that is just limited to the moral books in schools.
Reverences, obedience, kindness, love were some of the values but in the present scenario these have been substituted by lust, greed, hypocrisy, hatred. Younger generation is coming up with an ‘ I don’t care’ attitude. The most important value is being ignored- ‘taking care of our parents’. It is our duty to take care of our parents but with changing times, it is becoming a burden. Earlier, people lived with their children when they were too old to work, but society no longer is parent- oriented. With the rising trend we notice that the elderly are moving out of their homes to places that cater to their need. They are not themselves moving out, but with the verbal and physical abuse, they are left with no other way out. Elderly parents being abused and abandoned is not just an urban phenomenon . In rural India, the family system is eroding, with the younger generation increasingly heading off to cities with their spouses and children to start a new life leaving their parents and grand-parents alone. Statistics show that one in every three senior citizens in India is a victim of abuse- that can be verbal or physical, can be even beating and even tied to chairs. Why are the elderly being left in the cold by their families in a land that reveres old?
Help age India ‘s chief executive says that with the changing trends, there aren’t enough old age homes in India to house all the abandoned elderly people. More than half of India’s population is younger than 25 and two- third ‘s is below the age of 35. The number of seniors is growing. By 2018, a large number of people will be older than 60 and if elderly people will be getting abandoned like this, there won’t be enough old age homes to cater them.
After reading this, can one make out that these statistics are of India? Is this real India? What is happening in our county- a place known for its values and culture? Why are Indian values shivering from its peak? Our parents give us birth. They go through all the torture we give them at our infancy. They take pains to put us in good schools. They take care of our minutest needs like food, books, extra curricular skills. They give us best medical attention, buy us toys, games and all entertainment items. They spend so much money, energy, effort, time and sacrifice so much things in life for us. This is their duty. Agreed! And what we give them back? Send them out of the houses, make them live alone, ignore them; specially when they are in need of little amount of help. Now, where is our duty?
In words of Albert Einstein- ” Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of values”.
Always do what is right not what is easy. These days talking about values is not tough; what is tough is implementing on them. Everyone thinks of changing the world, but nobody thinks of changing oneself. There are some things that money can’t buy -MANNERS, MORALS and INTELLIGENCE. People are running to make money these days and in the rat race, they are forgetting their basic instinct. So if one believes that building money is important by leaving one’s parents alone, we would not go anywhere in life. This is where India is heading? People who value their priveledges above their principles soon loses both. No matter how educted, talented, rich or cool one believe he is, how we treat people ultimately tells everything.
Make India the same country that is rich in values. Don’t copy western culture just for the sake of imitating. Always adopt the good of others and don’t sideline your good deeds. Kindness doesn’t cost a penny, but it’s value is beyond measure. One day, our life will flash in front of our eyes- make it worth watching. Good moral values are mostly molded from a place where love, faith and hope exist- this is India!
mehakgrover@amartex.com
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel