Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji claims that self-transformation is the only way to overcome the hollow value-system
Across the globe, almost every leader, today, articulates the need to base the educational system, politics, trade and commerce and all other professions on moral and human values. But when these leaders are themselves faced with real life situations, they discover that there are dissensions galore, even among the elite, about the right type of values and also about who should observe which value. For example, heads of many countries, which are members of the UN or its Security Council, stress upon withdrawal of one powerful country’s troops from a less powerful country, for it is an act of forcible occupation of the territory of another member country and is against the accepted morals or principles of international amity, cooperation, co-existence and non-covetousness, et al. They, therefore, call on the powerful nations to observe moral norms and maintain status quo ante.
But those nations argue vehemently that the UN Security Council, and its member nations, do not themselves put into practice the values of being just and fair in their treatment of all nations because, if they did, they should have earlier declared military blockade of, and economic sanctions against, many such powerful nations who have time and again illegally occupied territory of another member country. Likewise, in India those who are opposing the reservations in many sectors like education, sports, and so on, say that merit should be given the highest value, and selections and promotions should be based on merits, for neglect of merit means putting premium on mediocrity and turning back the wheels of progress at a time when other nations are advancing rapidly. Denying chance to those who deserve it because of merit, they say, is doing injustice to those who work hard to achieve excellence or higher quality. On the other hand, we find that those who, in favour of reservations have been proposed, avow that denying better opportunities to the backward classes and castes is a worse form of injustice. Whereas, others acclaim that promoting the employment prospects of the backward people on the basis of castes is a negative and indirect way of promoting casteism and of converting the present meritorious sections of society into backward classes of tomorrow.
In a similar way, those who are fired with the zeal of building a place of worship at a disputed site say that the minority should respect the feelings of the majority and show regard for a great historical figure of this country and should co-operate to undo a wrong done by the cruel invaders, who, out of religious fanaticism, demolished a place of worship to hurt sentiments of a particular religion. Others who are against this say that the majority community should be more liberal and magnanimous and should not dig out the buried carcasses to stir the religious emotions of the minority community and thus lead to hatred, fear and instability. In short, there is dispute as to who is not observing which value and yet everyone is trying to emphasise that grave moral degeneration has taken place. Each one is raising his or her accusing finger at the other without realising that the rest of the fingers are pointing at him or her and that the real remedy for transforming the society and basing it on cherished values is to work for self-transformation and to fulfill the onus of observing values in one's own life first.
Transformation, as we all know and have experienced it ourselves, is in fact a natural process of life wherein there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of self-discovery where there are moments on mountain tops and moments in deep valleys of despair. One single seed, when sown into the ground and watered and nurtured, grows into a tree, every branch of which gives so many fruits year after year. Imagine, if one transformed seed could fulfill the hopes and aspiration of so many fruit lovers, what would be our world like, if each and every person starts transforming positively from within? Indeed, it would be a much better place to live for sure. So, never think that if x, y or z will change only then will I change, because if I change, others around me will definitely change. So, the whole process is of changing ‘I’ and not ‘them’.