In a value-based society, it is important for all kinds of development to be in harmony with each other, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj Ji

We live in a contradictory world where on one hand a group of people show a lot of interest in building a value-based society as they feel that the present malaise is due to deterioration in the societal moral standards. While on the other, there’s a section that talks of scientific, technological, economic or rural development. The paradigm that these people have is more or less often in serious contradiction to the norms of moral development. Not only that, these four areas of development are often in clash with other parameters of development. For example, the industrial development aims at producing and marketing more and more cars, scooters, jeeps, trucks, etc. without caring about its effect on the environment, people’s health and their habits and lifestyles. They do not realise that a large addition of motor vehicles every year would also lead to more pollution, thereby adversely affecting people’s health. So, this kind of development is inimical to the interest of the people. We should hence think of other alternatives of this development model.

Similarly, those people who are concerned with social welfare, open more charitable hospitals and add more beds without caring as to why more and more diseases are spreading and the number of patients visiting hospitals, is increasing. Again, the cities are now expanding and the villages are being modernised. As a result, the agricultural fields are being converted into residential, commercial or industrial buildings. Of course this is a part of development but people do not realise that this has its own share of disadvantages. People migrate to mega cities for jobs and travel on a daily basis. This results in a loss of lot of energy, time and money. Even the government has to spend money on providing the required means of transport. All this also causes grave noise pollution. Instead of this, self-sufficient cities of moderate size, would have been better but nowadays people feel proud of high-rise buildings and great cities, for these are considered as signs of development.

Not many realise this fact that majority of our problems come from high growth-rate of population as well. As population goes on increasing enormously, more and more vehicles for transport, houses for residential accommodation, hospitals for treatment, etc. are required. This nullifies all development. People think that a country which has many hospitals, doctors, courts, judges, etc. is a developed country but do not realise that a developed country in real terms, is one where people commit very little or no crime and where a very large number of people are healthy. So, there is need for a proper paradigm in which the constituting elements are not in conflict with one another. Presently, the society is based on a paradigm which reeks with inner contradiction. Hence, humankind now needs a model that is simple, inspiring, uplifting and without any inner conflicts or contradiction. It is the model of a value-based society in which all kind of development is at its peak and is in harmony with development of other aspects.