A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ADOPTION OF VALUES IN YOUTH-YESTERDAY & TODAY

Values and spirituality are central to the moral philosophy of human civilization and its legal instructions. Values and spirituality are considered traditionally to be the prerogatives of the religions and they are viewed as being embodied in the family unit. Yet the great and the little known civilizations have been struggling with the issues of human frailty for the last 25 centuries. Our collective in ability to live of to our espoused values and moral principles , with the exception of a few out standing individuals, has paved the way for a long but slow moral decline. Today we face a crisis of values. Conventional education in the present economic frame work has become oriented toward acquiring specialized skills and knowledge for the purpose of obtaining remunerative work. Competition has become so intense that higher education has either chosen or been forced to compromise on education about life, values, culture, integrity, and other skills and dimensions of under standing that make you a better man or woman who can qualitatively contribute to a civilized world. When you find adults emerge from their educational Alma matter, it is important that they have qualifications to facilitate financially rewarding employment. Many other elements, however, are essential as a preparation to meet social challenges and the stresses and expectations of life in the family, the community and the workplace. If an individual has not had the opportunity to develop character, inner strength and the powers of good judgement and discrimination, they are at a disadvantage in any social and professional environment. Unless individuals take the time to think about their values, to form an ethical policy for themselves, and to determine their priorities, they remain ill equipped to deal with the tests they will face as the years go by. Swami Vivekananda defined education as, ‘the manifestation of the perfection ‘. By using the expression perfection, he directed attention to the divinity inherent in every one. An institution or educational when it turns its attention inward, towards the discovery of the self in relation to the vast, infinite creation of the divine. Value education aims at supplementing conventional education, supplying important information and teaching skills without which your chances of experiencing success in your physical, emotional, social and spiritual life are diminished. This course is secular although many of the ideas and recommendation presented are recognized as truths and revered by the six faiths which have the largest following in India. “Values are the treasures of life, making us wealthy and rich. Values are our friends having happiness. A life filled with values is a life of self-respect and dignity. The soul is able to come closer to GOD and life becomes real and meaningful.