Amit Kumar
The social scenario at present is disturbing and dismal because the values and ideals, by which a family and the society at large grow and stand firm, have deteriorated thereby shaking the very foundation of the social set-up. People have become the victims of moral and spiritual blindness. Materialism and pursuit of money have turned the people especially the youth into cold and callous machines in search of worldly comforts. Man has lost peace of mind and quietude. He doesn’t cherish religiosity and spirituality. In the past social norms bound the society together but now the attitudes are changing. These disturbing trends are eating up the vitals of the families and the society so much so that one wonders whether the future of the society is safe or not. Questions are asked about the erosion of the values in the family and society.
What do we do under such conditions? What measures should be taken so that things don’t fall apart and we move towards an ideal state where goodness and truthfulness and beauty rule?
We have to inculcate higher values of life into the minds of the youths and make them conscious of the tenets that constitute a family and society. It should start right from childhood. Moral education is very important because it is through this that we can save the ethos of a family and society. The youths are to be made aware of the termite that is eating up the society. When you see defects, you take steps to remove them. Ignorance of these defects and apathy towards them can lead to disaster and total annihilation of our age-old culture. The symptoms of a diseased society can be found in the way the people talk, interact and behave in the families. If the disease is not treated we will atrophy and rot and contaminate the whole atmosphere around us. We have to set the man right. Only then can the world be set right. The balm of love, concern and mutual respect will cure the disease that can devastate societies.
Faith and idealism are essential for the survival of a family. Society is an extension of the family. We have start right from the beginning. And for this we have to go back to the days when an infant lies in the lap of its mother. Mother’s lullabies and then the bedtime stories can and will definitely create inner beauty in the child. Stories from Hindu and other myths, sermons of great religious men, stories and events from the lives of noble men, legends about men’s sacrifices for societies and things like these can go a long way in creating love of the family in the young boys and girls. Buddha’s Fire Sermon, Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, Donne’s Sermons, histories of the shapers of world events and the study of the great epics will surely give birth to a new man who will metamorphose life according to his heart’s desire. But the pre-condition is the awareness of the social moorings and family culture. The families will get a wash and the societies will have a new look. The base and structure of the social set-up will be strong and firm.
We can’t separate family from society. In fact the two are one. You protect the family; you are protecting and saving the society and the entire mankind. What is of utmost importance is the awareness of the need to change both so as to translate dreams into realities. The dream is more important. When you dream you are aware. When you change you act. So the dream gives rise to action. And action means only good action.
A family means a small social unit whose members cherish the higher values of life. They should be truthful, frank, open, well-meaning and above board. They should stand together and face the challenges of life with courage and determination. They are supposed to discuss everything in an atmosphere of freedom. There is no scope for devious methods and diplomacy. The ways adopted to live happily should be noble and based on dharma. Therein lies the strength of the superstructure. When the superstructure is strong the bonds will flourish and progress. Love, understanding and mutual help will bloom and flower. Democratic attitude towards family life will lead towards co-operation and goodwill. Consciousness of the needs of the family alone can make the means and ends one. When the means adopted are good the end will be good. Parents have got to be truthful towards their children. Ultimately children emulate the good qualities of their elders. Besides the children must be far away from falsehood and hypocrisy so that the persons living under one roof lead meaningful and useful lives. In a congenial atmosphere civilizations flourish, cultures thrive and lives of men, women and children shine.
Rich culture and civilization progress and prosper where there is stability of life. They are not possible where there is instability and insecurity. All these things are possible if the cultural moorings are rooted in the family life. Since family is a concrete metaphor of the large society importance is to be given to the family values. The society will in that case contribute towards the development of the nation and the world. We find that we are moving fast towards world culture. The man-made boundaries are changing. They are falling giving rise to a brave new world where art, music, philosophy, dance, drama and allied things are changing the outlook of modern man. What this modern man needs is refinement of taste and change in the outdated and outmoded and effete elements which are detrimental to social set-up. Lao Tse said: ‘All is clear. I alone am clouded.’ We have to remove the clouds because only then we can create a balance between man and nature. The middle path can be cultivated provided there is clarity of thought, spirituality and removal of narrow-mindedness, bigotry and backwardness.
Keeping in view the value and importance of family and society we have to work for their preservation and for the conservation of the features that can sustain life on this earth. The family life should be based on values. Good and efficient governance is possible if the young and the old think seriously and set a metamorphosis on the chess-board of life. Inculcation of right thought and right action is the need of the hour. It will filter to all the segments of society. It will give us a NEW MAN who can eschew all that is brutish and negative. It will create ideal children and ideal parents. Therein lies the salvation of society. We have to redeem our pledge of transforming society and family. We are sure that in that case hatred, cruelty and violence will disappear and man will seek for the attainment of permanent bliss and run like a musk deer mad with its own perfume.
The system of education will change and find its rightful place if the families cultivate a broad vision and the right perspective and work for the fulfillment of their dreams. All men of vision have throughout realized the importance of the family and society. They have all along laid stress on value-based system…..social, political, scientific, industrial and economic. It is through the guidance of those great seers, statesmen and sociologists that we can take a lead in transforming mankind. Politics should be based on idealism and goodness. We misunderstand the word ‘political’. Political world and climate can change if the negative trends crept into the system are removed and eschewed. This again is possible if the family values are revived. This is of utmost importance if the society is to be cleansed. All should work for the growth of values which can give birth to the ideal members in a society.
The history of mankind is the history of sacrifice. We have moved forward because of the dreams dreamt by great men. Their desires and visions have percolated in the society because of their value. What we need now is the revival of those visions. Families produce societies and societies struggle and face trials and tribulations because stagnation is death. Change is the law of life. A dynamic society is possible when there are challenges to face and the will to do what you want to do. So let all forces in the world unite and work together for a better tomorrow. And this better tomorrow is possible through positive attitude towards family and society.
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