CHENNAI: It is a historical fact that over a number of millennia, attempts have been made by sages and saints, prophets and pioneers of reform to make the world a better place by asking the masses and classes to have higher values in their life. Values like love, honesty, compassion, etc. were emphasised upon by many of these reform leaders, but we find that the world instead of becoming better, has been gradually sliding down the moral ramp or scale of values. So what has been the cause for this downfall? Why has there been degeneration when hundreds and thousands of attempts were made to stop the rot?
According to learned saints and sages, in actual sense it is humanity that differentiates a man from a demon or a devil. We all have experienced that people with devilish traits or ‘bad sanskars’ are not only unhappy with themselves but they also make others unhappy leaving no stone unturned.
Such people, in seeking their selfish ends, don’t care at all that their actions are hurting others and causing mental agony to them. Out of arrogance, they always end up violating rules of conduct and morality as well as social conventions. That is why it is said that ‘A demon does not know the value of honesty, faithfulness, obedience and civility, whereas, for a man, these are basic values’.
Crudeness and wickedness are both combined in the temperament of a demon while man’s disposition shows balance and discipline combined with sweetness. Thus, honesty, faithfulness, integrity, civility and etiquette, discipline or self-control and balance of mind are human virtues that help maintain stability, peace and love in human relations, thereby preventing troubles, quarrels, squabbles and consequent peacelessness in the world.
However, the scenario that we see today is very grim and worrying because the society is gripped tightly by devilish forces that force man to indulge into various kinds of anti-social, cruel and destructive activities, as a result of which he commits crimes, disrupts social life by resorting to sabotage and vandalism and destroys the peace of the community.
Passions like lust, anger, avarice, attachment and arrogance would obviously lead a person to devilry, hence its quite obvious that a sex-starved person, would commit offences like eve-teasing and sexual assault, thereby violating social peace and order. Similarly, a person swayed by anger carries its fire and smoke everywhere, inflicting mental pain and the resultant remorse all around. With his harsh words piercing like poisonous arrows, his fiery fuming eyes and his boiling temper, he commits so many offences, all at once. Likewise, a person dominated by greed, attachment or arrogance is liable to commit similar acts.
It may thus be said that humility and vicelessness are human values whereas self-conceit and other passions are devilish traits. But what we practically see today is that, owing to the disruption of these human values, world has turned from heaven to hell and hence, by re-establishing these values alone, can New Age be ushered into this world. So, let’s make a strong resolve to live our life strictly on principles laid down by supreme and achieve our ultimate goal of becoming a divine being.