Declining human values
Author : C.P.Hariharan
Email id:- cphari_04@yahoo.co.in
Human value is showing a declining trend like anything and is worsening day by day. The major reason for such a nosedive in human values is that we are more in number and that we tend to be more materialistic in our approach. We evaluate a person by his material possessions and not by his moral traits and wash off our hands in times of need and write him off and wish him away if he is not up to the mark of our expectations as regards financial status. There is a wide chasm between rich and the poor in our society which create disparities between standards of living of people and results in social unrest. Rivalry for accumulation of wealth is conspicuous by it’s presence.
Moral science has a bearing on how people behave. But, unfortunately moral science is no more a part of our school curriculum. Behavior does not have much significance in our society. Rather, we behave at random. We keep on changing our colors just like a chameleon. We blow hot and cold. In the absence of moral science, people have become more and more apathetic towards fellow mortals. They have become much more self centered than ever before. Mutual faith has been completely lost. Human behavior has become highly unpredictable.
People may keep promises they make to their children. But, they just do not take care to keep promises they make to fellow mortals. We do not assign much weight to outspoken words. But, out spoken words are like sent mails which cannot be taken back.
We do not respect our fellow mortals as long as they are alive but we feel the pinch how invaluable the life is only when they are no more with us. Respect the individual is one of the principles of management. That’s why a leader is able to extract better performance from his subordinates than that of a boss. Pedestrians are never respected in our society. But, in foreign countries pedestrians are taken care of. Elderly people are never respected by gen y even if some orthodox people follow the traditions. But, today the concept of respecting the individual and other moral traits have crossed all the mountains and gone forever and will never make a comeback. We have reached a point of no return when it comes to respecting the fellow mortals.
We are expected to behave according to the expectations of our society. Teachers play a very crucial role in molding behavior of pupil. They nip undesirable behaviors of pupil right in the bud as they very well know that only a sapling can be bent but not a tree. What we have learned in the childhood will remain right from the Cradle to the grave.
World has shrunk like anything with the advent of information technology. People think, small is beautiful. Today, people go for mini cars just to accommodate only their own family members. Thus, just as the size of the family becomes small, the size of the cars is also shrinking day by day. Driver less mini cars are on the anvil. These cars look like race cars.
Social inter action has come to a standstill. People have become more materialistic and are leading a secluded life.
We can witness a sea change in the beliefs and attitudes of people.
People have become least tolerant. They do not have any common interests as nefarious and selfish interests overwhelm the common interests.
Work places have become warzones. Fighting over parking and road rages are very common nowadays. Fracas over trivial have become travails of life.
People prefer to live in communities just as birds of same feather flock together.
Somebody has rightly said that a man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.
We should treat others in the same way we would like to be treated.
Human values are neither taught in school nor at home.
Human value has been eroded like anything and it’s debilitating influence on people at large need hardly be over emphasized.
We should be aware of human rights according to universal declaration of human rights 1948 to enhance human values. Human rights are international standards that help all the people of the world at large to secure themselves from political, legal and social exploitation. International human rights day is being observed on December 10.
The basic idea of human right movements is not that of a right itself but the idea of regulating the governments through international norms.
Human rights exist morally and legally at the national and international levels. They are universal by nature. They also exist independently of legal enactments as justified moral norms in the context of interpersonal dealings. Human rights protect people against infringement of people’s dignity and fundamental interests. There are around thirty human rights enshrined in universal declaration. The details of these rights are as follows.
Everyone has a right to be recognized as a person in the eyes of law.
Right to live a life of our own. We are free to adopt our own ways of life. Human rights ensure providing minimal requirements for leading a peaceful life like food, clothing and shelter. In fact this is what a govt. is bound to deliver by setting up goal like social rights. Monitoring of progress is rather gradual than in other forms of human rights like civil and political rights where delivering the rights is imminent. Human rights ensure minimally good lives for all the people of the world. Everyone’s right to live a peaceful life shall be protected by law. Right to basic necessities of life is being protected by law.
Right to social security. Right for basic necessities like food, medicines and bed for unemployed, aged and for the disabled. We should not allow anybody to hurt or torture us.
Right to elect our leaders. We have right to participate in electoral process either by exercising our franchise or both by voting and by contesting in the fray.
Right to education. We should have at the least minimum education to eke out a living.
Right to information.
Freedom of thought and expression. We are free to think and follow any religion of our choice as also for changing the same.
Right to socialize. Our social interaction should be free and fair and should be intended towards promoting fraternity. Right to freedom for peaceful assembly and association. We have economic, social and cultural rights to develop our personality.
Right to participate in cultural activities to promote art.
Right to protect copyrights.
Right to privacy.
Right to fair trials in case of allegations. We are innocent till proved guilty. Similar cases shall be treated in similar ways. We can challenge unfair detention. All are equal before law.
Right to asylum.
Right to own property against the world at large. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Right to dwell. We have right to stay in any part of our own country or else at the world at large.
Right to movement. We have a right to move in and out of the country and return. We have right of way. As children we are monitored by parents. When we go for work, we face a lot of restrictions. There are more don’ts in our society than dos. We cannot make use of other human rights if our very movement is restricted.
Right to work and get fair wages, form trade unions, collective bargaining. equal pay for equal work.
Right to play. All work and no play make us very tiring, dull and dreary.
.Right to get married.. We are free to choose our own life partner on attaining the fixed marriageable age and the right to have a family if we so wish and the right to get separate.
Right to nationality. We have right to belong to a specific nation.
Free and fair world. There should be some law and order to ensure our safety in our own country and in the world at large.
.Everyone is entitled to social and international order through which human rights and freedoms are fully realized.
We have duty towards community to enhance our personality.
Everyone is entitled to all these rights without any discrimination as to race, sex, color, religion political, national or social international origin, property, birth or by any other criteria.
Nobody can deny these rights.
We have responsibility for protecting others’ rights and freedom.
Incidents of strenuous stress and strokes, genocide, riots and restlessness are on the increase due to gross violations of human rights. Human rights hold governments responsible for prohibiting and discouraging both the private and public forms of discrimination.
In the backdrop of mushrooming growth of human rights, the litmus test for determining whether a particular right is a human right or not largely hinges on whether it combines legal and moral existence corroborated by strong moral and pragmatic reasons. The best way is to assess whether a right is human right or not is to ensure whether it is compatible with the general idea of human rights that falls within universal declaration or simply a justified moral norm.
Many countries like Europe, Africa and America have their own treaties to protect and adjudicate human rights. Crossing the boundaries of political and sovereignty of states become essential when the gross violations cross all the limits of tolerance. This is being debated in the context of America’s presence in Iraq or else elsewhere. Countries indulging in massive violations need not be tolerated.
Gravity of human rights violations vary from country to country.
During emergencies some of these rights are suspended temporarily to restore normalcy.
No country satisfies human rights completely. Many countries have significant human rights problems. A bare minimum of rights goal mixture binds the government to attain the goals as early as possible and are within the capacity of addressees i.e. the governments.
International courts have been set up to deal with criminal offences pertaining to gross violations of human rights. They entertain even complaints from individuals regarding violations of human rights.
Author:.C.P.Hariharan
e mail id.: - cphari_04@yahoo.co.in
