VALUES ARE NOT WHAT HUMANITY IS, BUT WHAT HUMANITY OUGHT TO BE | UPSC

 

Lord Ram who left his throne and go for a 14 years of forest life on a single order of his father Dashrath. In forest he fought for her wife Sita who was kidnapped by Ravana. Later he left his wife on demand of his people who comes under him as he was the king. It shows some of the values that lord Ram consist of like ‘respecting elders’ (his father), ‘love’ towards his wife, fulfilling his ‘duty’ of safety of his wife, ‘respecting his citizens’ as he is the king.

As values are what an individual gives most importance in his/ her life, it can be either positive like honesty, discipline, love, ethical, rational etc. or negative like corruption, lie, hatred, irrational etc. A writer has rightly said that “Values are deep beliefs that drive and direct your behaviour.”

Humanity includes all human beings on earth and intrinsically consist of ‘human nature’. As for Thomas Hobbes human nature are selfish and ignorant, but on the other hand, for Gandhiji human nature are non-violent and helpful and humans become violent due to social environment or prevailing culture. And social environment or culture changes with the values of individuals and society at large, and brings changes in to humanity.

In ancient and medieval period values like shyness, taking pardah (covering face with cloth), dependent on male (father, husband, son), sati etc was taken as important values of women. But in present context it changed a lot, now the values prevailing for women are equality, hard-working, independent, have voice etc. It shows that with values, humanity also change, as in earlier times it was taken as a very bad conduct if one is not willing to do sati but in present context as the humanity has changed it became just opposite.

The values differ with place like eating habits, customs, family values etc. Values differ with time like earlier days untouchability are given preference by society but in present time it is abolished not taken as right conduct, it differ with religion like in Hinduism eating non veg are prohibited but not in Islam or Christianity etc but there are some universal values like honesty, gratitude, truthfulness, tolerance, trust etc that are accepted by all and these are the values which help an individual to behave in a ethical manner and help to choose a right path.

Not only values affect humanity but humanity also affect values as the society at large condemned the acts like sati which led to changes in the values of many people who earlier favours the acts like sati, but slowly and gradually it got change and at present time there can be hardly any one found which support sati open as somewhere, it became the act which is just opposite to humanity. But is everything gone in a right manner with time?

No, it is not, one hand we see that humanity left out many mis guided values in the past but at the same time there are other values also which is taken as a wrong conduct and became part of humanity. Although every one condemns such values but still, they are prevailing in the society. These values are like corruption, lack of respect toward elders, family is taking back seat, lie, absence of love towards nature, becoming less societal etc and taking humanity towards a way of more problems like poverty, hunger, selfishness, lack of love etc.

So, there is a need to inculcate good values among people and coming generations which could be best achieved by providing inspirations, love, support, appreciation, punishment if needed, love etc so that humanity will reach to its highest level which was considered as what humanity ought to be.

As when Edison was a child he came back from his school and gave a slip given by his teacher to his mother. She read the note loudly that your child is genius and our school is too small for him to study. After many years when Edison was looking through his old things, he found this letter and when he read this he started crying as it was written that your child is mentally ill, and we can’t let him come to our school.

Edison said in an interview that, “Thomas Edison was a mentally abled child, by his great mother he was made a genius of the century.

Above incident shows that how good values can be inculcated which will lead towards a better and good humanity. Having the presence of some negative values doesn’t mean that positive values are not present or can not be promoted, there are many incidents in present also which shows tha presence of positive values and humanity in real sense.

During recent covid-19 outbreak an old man aged around his 80s left his bed for a young patient, as he said that he has already seen his life, now is the time for this young patient. After 2-3 days that old man died, but his positive values helped many people to know there means of life and it also inculcated the positive value of helping others in many peoples, which is helping to save humanity.

So is this that values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be which is free from corruption, lies, hatred, untruthfulness, dishonesty, intolerance etc. But rather than looking for an ideal condition to exist it is much better that we see start changing current perception and values slowly and gradually which will lead towards a good humanity.

Even Gandhiji has rightly said that, “You must not lose faith in humanity, humanity is an ocean, if a few drops of ocean are dirty, ocean will not become dirty.”

 So rather that looking for others to do good deeds, it is important we will start doing good acts and start promulgating good values which will also affect humanity in a positive way by and large.