It has been widely recognised around the world that Social Services — in areas such as health, education, care, water and sanitation — can enhance individual well-being and contribute to overall quality of life. Now, no one would deny that providing food, shelter, clothing and health-care to the needy are various kinds of social service and that these are immediately needed to relieve a person from the pain of starvation or ailment. But no one can either deny that one has to find a short-term and also a long-term remedy for such a situation of human suffering besides finding the immediate remedy. Hence, it is now being increasingly realised that mere immediate remedy, however necessary, is not enough, for it does not eradicate the problems which, in the absence of short-term and long-term remedies, ultimately go out of hand or do not abate in occurrence, extent and acuteness. Furthermore, an important development that is now taking place is that it is now being increasingly realised by opinion-leaders that education in values, and for proper diet and behaviour is the most important and effective, if not the only and the ultimate remedy. It would be noticed, in this connection, that in the recent past, persons of the stature of the Director General of the World Health Organization, and the Surgeon General of the United States, and also the Secretary General of the United Nations have made statements which clearly indicate these trends. Words from these high-ranking officials like “Most of the world’s major health problems and premature deaths are preventable through change in human behaviour and at low cost,” clearly shows that the problem of disease is not being looked at in this new light and it is now being increasingly realised that education is the main tool to prevent disease and to eliminate them.
So, in order to set right the situation, human behaviour will have to be changed. Let us be clear in our mind that all kinds of sufferings are a kind of punishment for our misdeeds, misbehaviour or anti-Nature acts. So, the real remedy for the eradication of these lies in the right type of education of the people to cease doing such actions as invoke punishment from Nature. If a person continues to have mental and physical lethargy to action or is confused and incompetent to do something, which can enable him to earn for his livelihood, how can poverty be effaced from the face of the earth? It is in this context that the utmost importance of education that cultivates values can be realised. And, finally, the importance of education as a tool of social change and social service can be properly understood.
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and the UK, and has written more than 8,000 columns. He can be contacted at nikunjji@gmail.com / www.brahmakumaris.com
