GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT BASED ON VALUES - AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

Values are the beauty and grace of life. Values are central to the moral philosophy of moral civilization and its legal institutions .In an ideal society moral, ethical and spiritual values would be espoused and respected by its people. Values represent the aspirations of religions and philosophies that aim to guide people along the path to a better existence. People who practice values develop inner strength and can resist common human weaknesses. Values are treasures of life, making us wealthy and rich. Values are our friends bringing happiness. A life filled with values is a life of self-respect and dignity. The soul is able to come closer to God and the life becomes real and meaningful. Values bring independence and freedom, expand our capacity to be self sufficient and protect us from external influences. Values are principles, standards or qualities regarded as worthwhile or desirable. Values lie at the heart of human behaviour. They determine what we do and how we do it. Values are based on what people consider to be “of social value” or of importance in their life. Goodwill, kindness and mercy are a few essential human values. Respect, integrity and non-violence are examples of moral values. Peace, contentment and purity etc are spiritual values which are related to a higher transcendent order of consciousness. The values we are considering are neither based on physical perceptions nor on the material values: they are spiritual values applied in the material world. Values are those principles which are essential to participate in life as a social being. The true “development” of human beings involves much more then mere economic growth. At its heart there must be a sense of empowerment and the inner fulfillment. This alone will ensure that human and cultural values remain paramount in a world where political leadership is often synonymous with tyranny and the rule of narrow elite. People’s participation in social transformation is the central issue of our time. This can only be achieved through the establishment of societies, which place human worth above power and libration above control. So that “Development” requires democracy and the genuine empowerment of people. The “development” of human nature is now being increasingly realized that a person is employed because of his special skill and qualifications and is paid for work relating to his skill or job. Optimising individual performance through progressive personal development significantly improves business performance. Holistic education is fundamental to a culture of peace and true democracy. It is based on the understanding of the human personality or human nature and its development. We must learn to trust human nature and educate children in such a way that they can develop their human potential. This is the only way we can bring real peace to the world. The principle and practice of Management have now growth into a vast area of special knowledge, the subject has now attended quite a bit of maturity and also its proper place among other field of study and practice. It is now widely accepted that man’s attitude, outlook and behaviour are based on his beliefs. A person’s faith gives actions the form. Shrimad Bhagawad Gita also says that “a man is as his faith is”. If a person believes that all mankind is bad and that man is dishonest of trust, then his behaviour towards others would be based on suspicion and hatred. On the other hand if a person thinks that man can be good and he can also be bad, then he uses his power of judgment to see each man on his own merits and behave accordingly .So one’s world view and belief in the innate nature of man greatly determine one’s outlook and action. For leading a successful life, one needs certain mental, moral and spiritual powers to develop one’s character. These are very essential in developing inner and outer harmony, for better relationship, for one’s own peace of mind, for facing difficult situation and for doing one’s personal and professional duties successfully. Such powers are . Power of tolerance Power of love and co-operation . Power of assessment and evaluation . Power of judgment . Power of pack and wind up. . Power to expand and to spread. Power to face difficulty. . Power to withdraw like a tortoise. Power of purity and self control. Power of maintaining unity with others. Power to bend or focus thought according to own will Power of unity of our own mind and intellect. The best condition for the development occur when the principle are demonstrated. People believe and trust us if our action correspond with our words. Such integrity means that we deal with others with tact and respect. Our attitude is reflecting with our own principles. Reflecting and learning about values will affect our attitude. “Integrity” is internal consistency that comes from rigorous honesty and strong moral principles. It involves recognizing our self as a whole and undivided being. Integrity follows from understanding that we can resist character weaknesses such as giving away our power, coming under the influence of others and self doubt. We feel secure that we are not susceptible to corruption. In planning, problem solving, conflict resolution, selection of proper person for specific jobs and facing rapid changes that occur due to altered condition, one needs to make quick decision and be a one minute manager. One’s success and failure in management definitely depends on his ability to take right decision quickly. Development of the ability to manage time is essential for human life. Time is valuable. Therefore, time lost is money lost. Loss of time is also loss of opportunity and curtailment of success. For making best use of time and for managing successfully we should imbibe the values. So that we can achieve our goal. The modern ‘progress’ is now only becoming apparent. The planet at large was witnessed a growing democratization, greater scientific achievements, unimaginable advances in communication technology and a heightened global awareness. Yet in spite of all these miracles, less than two-fifths of the poverty line live with insufficient food, water and shelter .It has been said, “There is enough for man’s need, but not for man’s greed.” Consumerism does not allow the world’s poor from being properly fed, even when the planet has sufficient resources to feed them. The problem is not one of supply but of the economic self interest which prohibits more equitable distribution. The scientific age with all its many advantages has led us away from kindness and compassion. Human relationships are falling apart. The image which sticks in our mind of the inner cities is of cold, concrete housing blocks ravaged by stone throwing and graffiti. No neighborly feeling is there. Family life too is under threat. The noticeable decline in public and global morality and its accompanying lawlessness can be seen as the direct result of the erosion of human and moral values. These values are formed within the individual from two primary sources. The first of these is an intrinsic sense of right and wrong, which moral philosophers have called the ‘conscience’. The conscience is the inner mediator of the human psyche. It is the ultimate guide for human behaviour. The second way a person’s values are formed according to influence from the outside. For example from parental guidance, peer pressure, religion, education, the media etc. When the conscience is strong, an individual becomes self-aware. In other words, he or she understands and realizes the self as a thinking, discriminating being and acts according to high principles. Observing his or her thought patterns, attitudes and beliefs contributes to self-control and the ability to make value-based decisions. All individuals possess the capacity for self-awareness. However, as attention is drawn away from the self and focused more and more on the external and the material, the memory of goodness slips away. Negativity enters and begins to erode human and moral values. This in turn impacts on human behaviour, leading to negative trends which ultimately affect the social fabric in a negative way. Sustained exposure to negative influences leads a person to negative thinking which further weakens the conscience, in the way that disease weakens the body. The conscience is then rendered ineffective in its ability to influence decisions and behaviour. When this happens, an individual becomes truly the by-product of his or her society and external conditioning. Today, external influences have become so strong that people often find it difficult to decide a correct course of action. Even when one knows what is right, there often isn’t the strength of character to withstand such external forces. This stress leads to a loss of self-respect (which in itself is an inverted form of ego) and therefore a need to replenish the self through external support systems. All negative human behaviour can be linked to lack of spirituality. Anger is the absence of peace and violence the off-shoot of anger. Waste or exploitation of resources is an attitude or action that is linked to dissatisfaction and greed. In our own experience, when we are talking to good, wholesome, sincere people about core values we, often get the feeling that they believe in the worth of true values and perhaps think it is nice that we have devoted time and energy to values. Yet, we sense a discrepancy between what they may believe deep down and how that manifests in their thoughts, words or actions. Sometimes we feel as if they want to pat on the head and say, “That’s nice what you’re doing about values. Now run along.” There’s disinterest. It’s as if such values have no bearing on their lives.