Rajyogi BK Nikunj ji
Nowadays, almost every leader across the globe stresses on the need to base the educational system, politics, trade and commerce, and all other professions on moral and human values. But, when these leaders are themselves faced with real-life situations, they discover that there are dissensions galore, even amongst the elite, about the right type of values and also about who should observe which value.
For example, heads of many countries, which are members of the UN or its Security Council, stress upon withdrawal of one powerful country’s troops from a less powerful country, for it is an act of forcible occupation of the territory of another member country and is against the accepted morals/principles of international amity, cooperation, co-existence, and non-covetousness, etc. They, therefore, call on the powerful nations to observe moral norms and maintain status quo ante. But, those nations argue vehemently that the UN Security Council and its member nations do not themselves put into practice the values of being just and fair in their treatment of all nations because, if they did, they should have earlier declared military blockade of, and economic sanctions against, many such powerful nations who have time and again illegally occupied territory of another member country. Likewise, in India, those who are opposing the reservations in sectors like education, sports, etc., say that merit should be given the highest value, and selections and promotions should be based on merit, for neglect of merit means putting premium on mediocrity and turning back the wheels of progress at a time when other nations are advancing rapidly. Denying a chance to those who deserve it because of merit, they say, is doing injustice to those who work hard to achieve excellence. On the other hand, we find that those who are in favour of reservations, have proposed that denying better opportunities to the backward classes and castes is a worse form of injustice. Still, others acclaim that promoting the employment prospects of the backward people on the basis of caste is a negative and indirect way of promoting casteism and of converting the present meritorious sections of society into the backward classes of tomorrow. In a similar way, those who are fired with the zeal of building a place of worship at a disputed site say that the minority should respect the feelings of the majority and show regard for a great historical figure of this country and should cooperate to undo a wrong done by the cruel invaders, who, out of religious fanaticism, demolished a place of worship to hurt sentiments of a particular religion.
Others who are against this, say that the majority community should be more liberal and should not dig out the buried carcasses to stir the religious emotions of the minority community, and thus, lead to hatred, fear, and instability. In short, there is dispute as to who is not observing which value, and yet, everyone is trying to emphasise that moral degeneration has taken place.
Transformation, as we all know and have experienced it ourselves, is, in fact, a natural process of life wherein there are tons of ups and downs. One single seed, when sown into the ground and watered and nurtured, grows into a tree, every branch of which gives abundant fruits year after year for so many years. Imagine, if one transformed seed can, thus, fulfil the hopes and aspirations of so many fruit lovers, what would be our world like, if each and every person starts transforming positively from within? Indeed, it would be a much better place to live for sure. So, never think that if X,Y, or Z will change, only then will I change, because ‘If I change, others around me will definitely change’. So, the whole process is of changing “I” and not “them”.
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(The writer is a spiritual educator & columnist for publications across India, Nepal & the UK)
