1. Present Scenario of Our Nation.
India is going through an era where she is struggling to come out of a strange situation which never came across in her history. We see every where the disappointments in governing India in every walk of life. People with high profile, struggling hard with their limited mental approaches find the way out. Every one wants solution, but unable to decide through unending debates, which way to proceed.
To every problems there are always various ways to solutions. Our national psyche has become such that decision makers are not ready to look impartially without sidelining our petty interests. There are lots of things in our cultural heritage which can provide immediate and long term remedies. Such options can be debated seriously on the national level through government, burocretes, judiciary and media without giving them religious odor. Such remedies are confined themselves to small groups away from the media glitter, not being able to understand its significance in nation building.
Now a days electronic media is playing a vital role in our national thought provoking activities. Other three i.e. Government, burocrets and judiciary are bound to express their views. Depending upon the public opinion created by media the authorities has to act temporarily without considering long term consequences. This is done on a very superficial way and matter is forgotten without sensing the long term boomerangs. For it, visionaries must be respected and encouraged in the society.
The action taken in any particular situation is again should be examined from various dimensions. There is a trend among the crisis managers to sail out smoothly first with least blows. Such decisions are generally seen from the immediate effect point of view. It is a sort of mopping the floor where the dirt is. We should think beyond this approach. Mopping floor is an immediate remedy but on a long term, we should look for least gathering of dirt on the floor.
2. Search for a real remedy.
The remedies thus can be divided into the short term and long term. Our national life must be influenced by strong personalities devoted for the respective causes. They should put forth as an ideal to follow instead of following mad trends set by celebrities for instant relief. Their personal integrity must be accounted for. The Human Resource at present available in India does not look beyond the five years ahead. There is the urgent need of visionary who can think of hundred years head. Moreover, the citizens must be made to think beyond five years. This needs proper grooming of our citizens specially school and college going age group. Our education system must be addressed with human values. More and more students are required to direct their vital energies towards the future of India. We can mould out of this fresh blood, the future visionaries. Whatever is good in the western civilization must be accepted. At the same time whatever is good in our traditional national lives i.e. cultural values must not be thrown away under the pretext of modernization.
The problem lies here. We give least thought to the good values which are already in our blood. Our parents gave least thought for that because their parents never gave importance to it. Those who gave importance to it called out dated, resulting into finding it difficult to decide what exactly is the cause of the problem.
Short term remedies are to develop fear of law, police, vigilance departments, curbing the financial advantages etc. But it ultimately encourages short cuts, like bribing and getting work done either by hook or crook. Thus one problem gets converted into another form.
After independence by now, we have adjusted mentally with the mechanism to govern ourselves by electing the decision makers. Machinery is ready but the man behind machinery must be given serious thought upon. It is the need of the hour that men behind this machine should be of better human quality than the previous. Unless we give importance to new generation’s grooming, such problems will always persist. Rather, confusion regarding how to address problems will always persist. We are loosing ourselves in the intricacies of this machine itself.
Now a day negative things are exposed more through print and electronic media for the sensational news which yields money. Media persons must think national interest first. India has to learn to curb the negative impact of such news by directing children’s mind in proper direction. Rather the remedies for such things must be imbibed in the minds of younger generation along with the news. Media should be taught to address the minds of younger generation in proper direction. The negative news can be converted into positive gurus.
Every family should pay attention to what and how their children think. Their approaches may be redirected in achieving higher thought provoking activities. In order to teach proper approach to children, the role of parents is very significant.
In this cut throat competition era, parents are more focused on their carrier, leaving children to address their emotions on their own or by the schools. Parents send their children to school and there it ends. School authorities find it difficult to manage students in school coming with the ideas confronted in the TV. They simply carry forward the syllabus, but show least interest to win the heart of the students. Teachers are also under the sway of modernization and their personal life shows inclination towards the trend of the day, which impact sensitive minds of their pupils. They can do so by filtering the things. After all teachers are also the parents. Thus the role of a teacher is vital. They shape the future citizens of any nation. Their duty is most important and responsible. But the trend is they simply cover the syllabus and leave remaining things unaddressed, shifting it back on the parents. Parents leave things on the school and blame the modern trends and keep quiet. It is necessary to help teachers and parents to bring up their children in proper way. This is missing in India now days. Parents must be guided to curb their temptations, which affect the children. They should be mindful when they talk in front of their children. It affects the subconscious mind of the children and come out back to the society as boomerangs after a long period.
7. Teach to Resist the Temptations.
Here our time tested cultural traditions play an important role. Parents must be guided by the time tested, eternal values which gave India strong foundation to survive in the days of miseries for centuries. Our culture has provided a strong platform to hold upon in every odd era. Unfortunately this fact is not paid necessary attention, thinking it is not practical in this era. With some amendments those time tasted values can be a great help. They forget, eternal values itself means applicable to every era. There is a fashion to see everything through the eyes of orthodox religion which we fail to understand the relevance behind it. Temptations, tolerance, etc. are bringing much ruin to our society. Habit to forget and forgive is treated as a mere weakness, where as it is a strength to rectify. There are very significant traditions which give moral support to resist oneself from temptations. Such things must be highlighted in front of the masses through electronic media.
Society is as if lead by the blind men (Andhenaiva Niyamana Yathandha). Nobody is there to show the way. It seems, nobody is there to trust upon. Parents, teachers and children must be encouraged towards what great people has said and practiced. Swami Vivekananda says, “Goodness pays but people do not have patience to believe in it.” Three things are necessary to become every person great, every nation great. Viz 1) Power of goodness 2) 3) Helping to those who want to do good and be good. Three Ps are necessary viz 1) Patience 2) Purity, 3) Perseverance. Our society has patience and perseverance but purity towards the cause is missing. They think purity is an unyielding character. Rather very less people can be shown who have pure goal. Some are sincere at the beginning but are bent down due to the lack of moral support to their cause by society. The parents should teach their children that unselfishness is more paying than any short cut to the goal. But they themselves are not sure about it. Hence children find it hard to digest, since they do not find in their parents which are the immediate role model for any child. Parents must set example of their own like a role model for their children. Children should be looked upon as investment. If you do not plan your investment properly, you are sure to loose. Likewise children are the vital human resource investment in any national life. At present this investment is taken least care of. The fault lies with the parents. Better parents surely will bring up their children better way. This is the major fault left unaddressed in our society. Money is necessary no doubt about it. But that does not mean we should pay less attention in grooming our children. If you help your child to become emotionally and morally strong, surely he will be eligible for most coveted job, which will bring more money. Failing to understand the practical gains of emotional and cultural up gradation of our children, such values are left unaddressed now a day. That’s why new supply to the society in the form of government, private, corporate employees is less moral and less ethical. All will agree morality and ethics brings peace in ones life and ultimately in society we live in. Students are encouraged becoming more and more carrier oriented leavings such qualities unaddressed. But if your carrier is not built on strong foundations of human values you can not enjoy your carrier in spite of your achievements. National life stream of western countries are example of this. They are always under the threat of missing of job and resources. They have increased their requirements so much that they run untiringly to achieve it and dying mid way. Children should be taught that our daily and future requirements must be made least. If you enjoy and are sincere towards your job there is less chances of missing the job. If you are good enough, balanced in addressing emotions, you will be a great help to the management. Thus, you will have fewer chances to loose the job ultimately enjoy the cut throt completion in right way.
8. Need to increase number of good people in the society.
It can be done by highlighting the good people in the society by electronic media. No doubt, there are good people in every society in every era. We have to highlight such people and their character in front of the society. Our social heroes are best example of it. Children follow parents quickly. By highlighting those in front of the parents children can be influenced. The urgent necessity of our society is to address the human values and civic sense. Our life is much influenced by the heroes from bolywood. Slowly we have to teach to the children that there is least in their example which can make them secure in future. It is nothing but to waste our energy in imaginary stories. Here comes the role of the teaching of Swami Vivekananda, the cyclonic monk of India.
9. Significance of Swami Vivekananda’s teaching.
Swami Vivekananda says, “The aim of Vedanta to make man better. If he is a doctor, the teaching of Vedanta will make him a good doctor, if he is a lawyer, the Vedanta will make best lawyer out of him, and if he is a laborer Vedanta will make him a good labor, and so on.” This is the need of hour to highlight the practicality of such teaching in front of the masses.
If we imbibe such things on the minds of younger generations, they can be saved by ill influence of the unsocial things. School and colleges are the best institutions to do this. The students can be brought closer to the teachings of Swami Vivekananda in younger age. Their vital energy can be directed to work out the teachings of Swami Vivekananda in the social front. Through Vivekananda study circles with the help of monks, devotees and well wishers of Swami Vivekananda, we can shape the young minds of future India. This is the need of time that such people should not shy away their national responsibility. There may come difficulties in the form of ridicule. But such people must join hands to increase the number of such people in society. Great things can not be achieved without criticism. If we can develop such mechanism in society, India’s future can be made secure quickly through younger generation.
The aim of competition is to enjoy maximum before death. Is it that after the death nothing is? What about the concept of rebirth? Is rebirth really exist? This has to be debated on proper line. Swami Vivekananda has dealt this subject in a very rational way. It has to put forward in front of the masses and let them think and decide. Rebirth concept provides equal opportunities to all to attain all in a phase manner. If it can be explained properly unhealthy competition can be minimized. Society will be more content and peace will prevail. Thus this beautiful earth can be saved.
Let us think upon. These ideas should be highlighted in a very systematically in front of the Indian citizens, in every nook and corner of the country. The media of our country will be blessed if they help India to come out of it. Let us begin with our family. Everybody must come forward a step and try to influence their children, very patiently, untiringly and in spite of ridicule and criticism. That is the need of hour. Swami Vivekananda’s 150 birth anniversary is very significant. Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission is going to celebrate it by serving the masses through its 150 branch centers throughout India from 2010 to 2014 on a large scale. Every monk is ready to sacrifice himself for this idea. If it is so, then it is the national duty of every house holder to help monks in this endeavor. I think it is a divine providence. Government is encouraging to serve the nation on this line. Let us use this opportunity and sort out the things of national importance.
Regards.
Swami Supradiptananda
Vice Principal
Ramakrishna Mission Narottam Nagar
Arunachal Pradesh, India. - 786 629
