There is no doubt that the present-day society that we live in is rife with many kinds of conflicts and predicaments. Like, there is communal discord at its ignition point that can flare up even at the slightest show of heat. There are casteist tensions that rise to the point of flash at the slightest provocation. There is grave dissidence and internal strife in every ruling party that keep the party bosses on tenterhooks.
There are also morbid intra-party fights for capturing levers of power. All these promote political instability and uncertainty and keep the people constantly guessing. All this hot lava provides enough grit to the mills of the media that work overtime to rake up the rubble and keep institutions and groups astir. Similarly, the youth seem to have ceased to be inspired by lofty ideals, and parents seem to feel very little responsibility to nourish their children with moral and human values.
It also appears that though the percentage of literates is rising, moral illiteracy is increasing and those who frame educational policy are in a quandary. In pursuit of high profits and the face of hard competition and bureaucrats' demands, business and industry have been losing their grip on integrity. There is nothing left but only unabashed selfishness. Religious discourse has lost its impact and ethics its essence.
Where is our society going? What is to be done? Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? A clear-thinking would lead us to conclude that only six steps, taken in time, can save us from the impending peril. To start with, the timely realisation that our own benefit lies in the betterment of all, that the goal of our lives is neither blind power nor ill-earned money, position or property but happiness and peace that comes from a clear conscience and the concern for the well-being of others.
We have a responsibility for our actions. Hence if we neglect our duty, we will incur sorrow for our own selves sooner or later. We have not descended from apes, but from divine ancestry and, so, we should awaken our inherent divine potential. We must bring love and moral values to our relationships. Universal love in our relationships can come from the realisation of our real identity: we are souls, children of God, and are, therefore, brothers. This is the six-point formula for universal harmony
(The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and UK. You can write to him at nikunjji@gmail.com)
