PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN VALUE ADOPTION

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. They can be categorized as social, human, moral or spiritual values etc. 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 irony of 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, about one-fifths of the poor live with insufficient food, water and shelter. In India alone more than 2.5 million people live on the street. According to a government report 65 per cent of the urban poor have no tap water, 37 per cent have no electricity and 50 per cent defecate in the fields. 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 neighbourly feeling is there. Family life too is under threat. 9 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, 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 higher 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 weakness 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 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 is the off-shoot of anger. Waste or exploitation of resources is an attitude or action which is linked to dissatisfaction and greed. Jealousy and possessiveness are the absence of contentment and inner satisfaction; they can eventually lead to abuse or murder. Ego is the lack of respect for the self. This results in a lack of respect for others as well as the planet and an attempt to dominate and control. 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. Some people profess to have values but are they clear about what these values mean? So many of us are expressing a painful and widening gap between our ideal values and the values we live by. We are forced every day to make choices that compromise or undermine our values and belief systems. Human beings are deceiving themselves if they believe they can live by different rules and values in their personal lives versus their public or professional lives. That creates stress, tension, peacelessness, disharmony or conflict within, which, of course has an impact on interactions and relations. Yet, it is not so easy to answer the question: Are we really willing to make choices in which we lose approval, attention, recognition, safety, worth and status in the external world. Another challenging question: is it possible to live a life embodying utmost integrity, in which our thoughts, words and actions are in alignment with fundamental values, which in turn are linked directly to universal principles governing human nature and conduct? Answering that, would require deep inner absence of peace and violence is the off-shoot of anger. Waste or exploitation of resources is an attitude or action which is linked to dissatisfaction and greed. Jealousy and possessiveness are the absence of contentment and inner satisfaction; they can eventually lead to abuse or murder. Ego is the lack of respect for the self. This results in a lack of respect for others as well as the planet and an attempt to dominate and control. 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. Some people profess to have values but are they clear about what these values mean? So many of us are expressing a painful and widening gap between our ideal values and the values we live by. We are forced every day to make choices that compromise or undermine our values and belief systems. Human beings are deceiving themselves if they believe they can live by different rules and values in their personal lives versus their public or professional lives. That creates stress, tension, peacelessness, disharmony or conflict within, which, of course has an impact on interactions and relations. Yet, it is not so easy to answer the question: Are we really willing to make choices in which we lose approval, attention, recognition, safety, worth and status in the external world. Another challenging question: is it possible to live a life embodying utmost integrity, in which our thoughts, words and actions are in alignment with fundamental values, which in turn are linked directly to universal principles governing human nature and conduct? Answering that, would require deep inner 11 exploration, including identifying values which are the motivation for our behaviour as well as examining and being honest about our intentions. The benefits of that inner search: We, as individuals, can begin to recognize who we really are and to discover a capacity to create something for ourselves beyond the limits of our current reality. The concern: So few people see value in doing that. The irony: the process brings such benefit. Attention to intentions and reflection on breaking old moods or patterns and creating new habits and behaviour which ‘feel right’ have an effect. That active process is the impetus for positive change. Positivity reflects back on an individual as surely as night turns to day. It’s a law that what one sows one reaps and it applies not only to our actions but also to our words and thoughts. Life has a value. It is not accidental having no purpose or aim. If it is reduced to a meaningless non-entity, we waste it through morbid sense enjoyment, addiction or such other aimless activities which will result in mental depression and in turn, one commits suicide. When we do not value our own life, we don’t value others lives either and the result is an aggressive tendency which manifests itself in the form of violence, terrorism and war. Life is valuable for achieving some higher ideals, the highest of which is God realization. This feeling of being valuable is the corner stone of self discipline, because when one considers himself valuable, he will take care of himself in all respects that are necessary. We cannot educate children in human values until we ourselves put these values into practice.