Erosion of values among adolescent student-a study

One of the greatest challenges of modern society is the challenge of character building of the youth, who constitute the source of energy and power in society but unfortunately just like an ordinary Mahout is able to frighten a mighty elephant into submission, since the elephant is not aware of its own strength, it sits when he is asked to sit and stands when he is ordered to stand. In the same way the youth of today subject themselves to all kinds of wordly delusions and undergo all sorts of sufferings as they do not recognise their true worth or true strength. The youth of today are in the grip of bondages. The bondages of riches, properties, possessions, the bondages of attractions, aversions and the biggest bondage is the ignorance of where they are heading who they are and what is the true purpose of life. Virtues like sacrifice justice righteousness and service have lost their meaning &they have degenerated. Selfishness, treachery, dishonesty and cheating looms large in the lives of our students and education and educational institutions, the clamour for power, prestige, money are upper most in the minds of the youngsters. And this is one of the significant reasons for the country’s afflictions and ailments. The fundamental cause of this degeneration is the system of education. Modern education is only related to man’s outer world– it can teach the young student to earn money to fill his stomach. It caters only to his physical and ephemeral need. Therefore while he earns money he loses his peace. It provides him materialistic comforts but denies him spiritual bliss. Modern Education leads to argument but not to wisdom. Modern education is for living and not for life. Modern education truly promotes selfishness and greed in students. Society is in dire need of men & women with sterling character and high moral stature . Education has to emphasise on spiritual regeneration and charater building. Education that emphasis on human values & virtues like sathya, Dharma, Shanthi, prema, Ahimisa, acquisition of knowledge and information has to result in the transformation of the individual. Education has to be such that students coming out of the halls of universities not only become competent professionals but also role models for their moral behaviour and service to society. The adolescents and the youth are generally idealistic and dreamers. The energy in them assures them that, in a short span of time, they will attain this, that and the other goal but they find that lack of the power of mental concentration, or attraction to the opposite gender, or non-congenial atmosphere at home and at their place of study are great obstacles which frustrate them. So, out of frustration, they become only ordinary citizens or some of them fall into the deep and dirty ditch of the vagabonds, the unruly and the morally depraved group or they take to drugs, bad films and such other disorienting and degrading habits. It is, therefore, the duty of the society to arrange not only for their secular education but also for such moral and spiritual education as gives them the power to develop the power of concentration of mind and the strength of character that can ward off the temptations to which the youth fall an easy prey or the negative influences to which they are otherwise liable to give in. The Youth also should awaken to the truth that the secular studies will enable them only to be earning members of the family and be literate citizens but they require education in Values and Meditation also that can equip them for a peaceful, happy and characterful life and can enable them to face the challenges of life. So, on their own, they should pay some attention to such study that serves well their purpose to have good mental concentration and good memory that facilitates their process of learning, and saves them from their energy being wasted, mind being polluted, character being deformed, habits being negative and emotions being deceptive. If they do that, then it means that they take the necessary action to ensure better future for themselves and for their country. If they fail in this effort or remain negligent to this aspect of education, then it would mean that they do not themselves care for their betterment, for, this is the period when they lay down the foundation of, or raise the pillars for their future. It has been found that during the period, proceeding youth, i.e. during adolescence, most of the boys and girls have high ideals and have a strong voice of clear conscience that constantly asks them to keep away from bad things but when they see their elders telling lies, earning by dishonest means and doing all sorts of negative works and yet justifying their bad actions by asserting that life cannot be sustained without such bad actions, then they get confused, corrupted, and compelled to adopt bad ways of life. So, it is the duty of the elders to guard against playing a negative role or saying and doing such things as spoil the adolescents and the youth. Or, at least, they can suggest, persuade and guide their boys and girls to visit such places where they find an atmosphere or encouragement to be good and to do well. Youth constitute the nerve centre of the nation, the heart of a society or the life and blood of a country or a community. They form the force that can build a nation or bulldoze all the development achieved over centuries. They are the ones who can either preserve the culture and the Values or maintain law and order and can lead a civilization to new heights and it is they who can push the society downhill. But what the youth do, depends actually on what they think, and what they think depends on what they learn, listen or read and see. So, it is of outmost importance to make provision for their exposure to what is good if the society does not take such steps, it works for its own doom. Contrariwise, we can say that the world can be a better place if the youth become better. The youth can be better if their education is better, their elders are better and all these get sufficient exposure to those teachings and also have contact with those persons who can serve as example of better principles and better practices. The youth generally have the physical power. They have the guts to do what they say or what they decide. But they easily get agitated, especially when they find injustice, hypocrisy, dishonesty, deceit or a challenge to their self-respect. All people around them cannot be prevented from having anyone of these provocative traits. What can, however, be done is to train the youth in such acts or ways that can maintain in them a constant supply of peace and calmness and can strengthen their will not to give in to anyone of these bad tendencies but to prepare to root out these evils. This can be done by educating them in such ways and mental techniques that can enable them to maintain equanimity, human dignity, humility, honesty, obedience and attitude of service. So, education in these and others Values and in Meditation is the way to give to the youth a better way of living and to have their constructive services to make the world better. Also, it is necessary to give the youth the family-love and not to be repressive in dealing with.... Them but to provide them with opportunities to be creative. There is lot of indiscipline among the youth leading to turbulent mind, sense of frustration and rejection of the idea of control. Whether it is self control or control by elders. Indiscipline is sign of restlessness of mind and a tendency to disobey and overthrow all codes of conduct. Indiscipline has a current of vanity, an impulse of disobedience and an attitude of total disrespect for authorities. This roughness in behavior and the spirit or revolt is not really a thirst for freedom but it is an attempt to over-assert oneself and to yearn for recognition. All these are symptoms of mind that is void of peace and contentment. It also shows a deep scorn for the government for the administration or the society. If the educational system cannot inspire the youth by their love, sacrifice, character, spirit of service and understanding, then the youth, who have superfluous physical energy and stamina, become restless and that tend to overthrow the system, the system that has become out- dated and time-worn and is hollow from within like a dry and dying tree which gives neither shadow nor fruit and standing in the way