We all dream of a better world where there is peace, happiness, and harmony. However, when we look at the present world scenario, we come to the conclusion that certain things have gone wrong, and we feel that something is definitely amiss. We infer that lapses on our part have led to our present state of increasing mess.
It is either our ignorance of the principles of happy living that holds us away from our cherished goals, or wilful violation of certain basic laws of life and living in a society has led us into this sorry state of affairs. Otherwise, how would we explain why we are sinking ever deeper into the marshland of poverty and pollution, or into the morass of corruption and crime? In spite of achieving the highest-ever level of scientific and technological development, a significant percentage of our people are still living in a state of trauma, tension, turmoil, poverty, squalor, and disease. Our managerial skills have become so sophisticated that we can run mega-industries and multinational corporations, yet we are unable to manage ourselves; as a result, our families and society continuously struggle for existence. We have achieved a great fund of knowledge and learnt methods of human resource development, yet there is a steep downfall in civil life and deterioration in human relations, leaving only make — believe love and showy co-operation with expectations of return.
In short, there is increasing environmental deterioration, economic stagnation in advanced countries, unemployment, inflation, and misery in less-developed countries, hunger and malnutrition in many parts of the world, and urban deterioration and crime rise everywhere. Do these not point to either our ignorance of basic laws of happy living or actions that contradict essential principles of life? It should not be difficult to understand that certain laws govern our mutual relationships and human behaviour. These are known as moral laws or ethical principles. Based on these are norms, codes of conduct, or rules and regulations to be followed in an organised society. If we follow these laws, the quality and quantity of happiness in our life is enhanced; if we violate them, we face many problems and disturbances. Observance of moral norms is of great value if we wish to be happy and build a society free from friction in human relations and tensions in day-to-day life. These are therefore called values. Our present sorry state is the result of neglect or violation of those values. We have gradually lost the human aspect of our life and become more or less like machines; as a result, there is no spirit of friendship, fellow-feeling, and love in our life. In other words, there has been rapid erosion of social, moral, and family values. It is not that science, technology, or management skills have caused our present sufferings; on the contrary, it is the fall in moral standards that prevents even science, technology, and management or administrative ability from giving their full fruits.
Moreover, it is not that people do not know moral values are necessary to build a happy and peaceful society. People wish to have moral qualities but lack spiritual knowledge that enables them to follow these values successfully, nor do they know the kind of meditation that helps retain these values and gives deep experience of peace and happiness. Thus, the need of the hour is to create mass awareness of values like tolerance and mutual respect in order to realise our dream of a world with peace and harmony.
The writer is a spiritual educator and a popular columnist