CHENNAI: We live in an imperfect world where problems like poverty, diseases, lack of education, environmental destruction are all too obvious. According to a UNICEF report, approximately 780 million humans live without access to clean water, let alone enough food. Similarly, one billion people i.e. 14 per cent of the world population does not have access to sufficient shelter to shield themselves from the changing weather conditions, and to protect their families.
Can we do anything about it? Yes, we can. But before that, we need to understand that if we wish to build a world free of suffering and painful situations in which it is today, then we must first realise that there is something wrong with our current concepts, paradigms of progress, and patterns of planning and thinking.
There should be hardly any need to remind ourselves that our present predicament has been caused by the
ideas of this and the last few centuries.
If, therefore, we are dissatisfied with our present state, as indeed we are, we ought to free ourselves from the constraints of the old ideas. We must discard those outdated socio-economic assumptions, political or moral ideologies and ideas of unbridled techno-scientific endeavour which have placed us in the present critical situation and we must now welcome the paradigm shift and turn to fresh ideas and new concepts and adopt an entirely original approach.
Today, our emphasis is mainly on economic development. We measure the advancement of a nation by its GNP and the per capita income.
Hence, raising the economic standard of people is presently our major concern. But, we somehow often forget that man does not live by bread alone and that the enjoyment of material goods does not necessarily add up to a greater measure of happiness. Ultimately, what man really needs is mental peace and, for this, he should also have good and happy relationships, and many other things.
Our goals are, therefore, to shift from mere material welfare or material wealth to total well being and fulfilment of man’s total potential. The centre of gravity of development has to shift from the mere economic to the fuller and holistic development of society.
Secondly, we find that our understanding of the laws of nature has progressed much more rapidly than our insights into the sphere of our societal and human matters and into our spiritual needs and aspirations.
We have to, therefore, create a socio-spiritual structure which can match our scientific progress lest our predicament should deepen.
The need of the hour is to sow the seeds of change that would bring a better world-order which would be socio-spiritual in character. Knowledge of our own real identity, lifestyle based on laws governing conscious action, emotional maturity and high level of spiritual consciousness are some of these seeds which will have to be sown to achieve the much desired goal of a better world.