Human Values - the expectations and the reality

In school, I learnt that History glorified warriors, spoke volumes of warmongers, but rarely mentioned peacemongers who might have stopped many wars. While studying Hindu mythology, I learnt that Ram taught about good governance and good life 7000 years ago. Vedas written 3000 years ago taught me the path of righteousness. Eightfold path given by Gautam Buddha 2500 years ago showed me the right path to live. The life of Jesus, 2000 years ago taught me to love one another. Prophet Muhammad, 1500 years ago, taught us the Halal (correct) way to live. Civics taught me that in a democracy, the voice of the majority is the voice of the group. Statistics taught me to accept the mean and median as representative of the sample set. And when a criminal turned politician visited my school, my teacher taught me to speak highly about his character and his works and touch his feet to show my respect. As I gave an introductory speech highlighting how the Member of Parliament is a role model for us, I remembered my father telling me about how the same person had stepped on dead bodies and black money to reach the seat of power. I wondered whether the teachings of spiritual leaders and prophets was the right way to live, or the life of this politician whom I was then praising.

Faith in Humanity Restored

A recent post, viral on social media, spoke about how hundreds ignored an accident victim lying beside a road before one ‘Good Samaritan’ nursed him and took him to the hospital. The post had a tagline - Faith in Humanity Restored. The act of one human and not the 100 humans was counted as humanity, going against all laws of statistics. This makes one wonder, whether the definition of humanity, based on acts of minority, is correct or have we been believing the reverse for millenia.

The definition of humanity

          A father who knocked the doors of the law to seek justice for his daughter who was raped, was locked behind the bars of law, intimidated, beaten, and killed. The person accused of raping the girl was protected by the arm twisted machinery and pronounced ‘right’ by his supporters and the human who fought the ‘wrong’ lost his being. If the wrong was glorified and the right vilified, it questions the theory of right and wrong that we believe in. Self-proclaimed Godmen who broke laws at will taught preached values.

          

          If statistics and democracy say that the voice of the majority represents the population, and if majority chooses a criminal over an innocent, the definition of a good human needs to be redefined.

If majority ‘humans’ act against the prescribed characteristics of ‘humanity’ maybe what is said to be ‘inhuman’ - murders, rapes, intimidation , hatred- is actually ‘human’ and what’s ‘human’ - love, care, - is actually ‘inhuman’. Maybe we have failed to define ‘humanity’ correctly

Who are humans?

If India’s remote sensing satellite Cartosat could see and think, it would consider humans as a self-destructive species. Missiles leaving from one point on earth and spewing fire and fury on another point on the same earth. Deforestation, desertification, atmosphere pollution, are caused by humans to give their own ‘only home’ a slow death. The Vikram rover, lying on the moon would be wishing that humans do not land on moon, lest they first make it their home and then destroy yet another heavenly body. If humans have the impunity to kill fellow humans - irrespective of age, gender, innocence, destroy their own home, then what is humanity?

Values versus reality

On one hand, we have ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ adorn the posters promoting tourism in India and on the other hand we have lobbies of auto-rickshaw drivers demanding hefty sums from gullible newcomers in a city. While we worship female Goddesses, we also decry the birth of a girl child. While we speak of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ we lynch those who do not speak our language. Many of those who we elect to follow the Constitution of India, reach the hallowed position by mutilating the Fundamental Duty that tells us to promote harmony and spirit of common brotherhood transcending religious and linguistic divides. Enlightened minds who try to take humans from barbaric tantrism are killed and the killers glorified by some sections of the society. People who mocked the smaller number of casualties in terror attacks are given seats of power by ‘we, the people’.

Leaders who ignore the basic responsibility of humans, the smart species, of preserving the earth and living sustainably, speak on behalf of one of the most modern nations and oldest democracies.

Humans harm the environment, humans kill innocent humans, humans exploit other humans, humans hate other humans - if such acts are accepted by majority, then statistically such acts define humanity.

The definition of humanity according to traditional wisdom differs widely from the definition of humanity according to observational wisdom.

The definition of humanity needs a rethink.

What is humanity?

If adults have failed to define humanity, we could look at children. Belief says that children are gift of God and they come from heaven. The birth of a child is a miracle of nature, and hence they can help understand what nature wants humans to be. A child, though unable to speak the human language clearly, understands and responds eagerly to love and affection and detests hatred and pain.

A child does not lie or manipulate as long as he does not learn the ways of man. The human nature that a child is attracted to, could be a reminder of what humanity ought to be. Survival instinct says that protecting the Earth is beneficial for the human race, and hence that is humanity.

National Prosperity Index

When India’s Gross Domestic Product was growing at 9% per annum, Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam called for a National Prosperity Index that included the efforts to reduce poverty and the value system that has been developed throughout the course of Indian civilisation. The current generation of humans is the last hope for the human race. And this generation must check its action before humanity destroys humanity.

What can be done?

Nations, the world over need to institutionalise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 1 to SDG 16 play a role in realising the SDG 17 of having Peace and Justice.Indians needs to remember the perambular ideal of ‘Fraternity’ and assure dignity of an individual and be united to ensure the dignity of the individual.

UNESCO has often recognised the role of teachers and parents in inculcating values among the children. The values that will actually be imbibed by the children will be what they see in actions, and not the words.Hence, the parents and teachers must match their actions with their teachings

Schools, colleges, institutions of higher education and even offices can devote some time each week on value education and spirituality.

As the Preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO says, “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed”, remembering the Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi, through mass mobilization, Indians must come together and insist (agrah) on the truth (Satya).  The land of religions, that has given spiritual wisdom and value education to the world for centuries, must lead the world from Kalyug to Satyug.

We might have to slow down on industrialisation, blind capitalism, sacrifice the growth of GDP to save humanity. We need to replace the values of competition, supremacy, exploitation, destruction, hatred with fraternity, equality, liberty conservation and love. Values should not be what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be - loving, caring, sustainable and true caretakers of the Earth.