By M L Satyan
Bengaluru, June 28, 2022: As per the dictionary the word civilization means ‘a state of developed, cultured human society.’ We need to understand it as a state where our thinking, talking and living are not corrupt; a state where people are innocent, simple, sincere and loving.
The socioeconomic, cultural, political and religious scenario at national level makes us restless these days. On the one side we boast of the ‘modern civilization’ but on the other side we see just the opposite. We literally live amid contradictions. This leads us to the question “Are we civilized?” An answer to this is possible if we honestly examine our attitude, behavior and lifestyle.
Today we build skyscraper buildings and wider highways with 4/6/8 lane tracks that connect the major towns/cities in the country. We do boast about these infrastructures. But we have shorter temperaments and narrow view points.
These days we have higher income and we tend to spend lavishly to lead a ‘comfortable life.’ At the same time, we see ‘divorce cases’ are on the increase. We build bigger and finer houses. Most often, these palatial houses have only security guards and watch dogs.
We often call ourselves ‘educated’ and boast of our knowledge on various subjects. But we have lost our capacity to judge things rightly. We keep increasing the number of schools/colleges/universities/higher education institutions. We take pride in achieving 100 percent academic results. Yet the school dropout rate is about 70 to 80 percent. Moreover, ‘character building’ is not given due priority by these centers of excellence.
Under the banner of globalized economy multinational companies have set up and continue to set up their manufacturing units in various parts of the country. We are getting intoxicated by ‘consumerism’ leading us to become greedy. It is said that needs can be fulfilled but greed cannot be fulfilled.
We have become specialized in talking. We talk too much but do very little. We have become preachers and preach too much but practice very little. All the religious leaders preach about the basic human values in public but they fail to practice such values in their life and they do not lead an exemplary life.
We boast of having reached the Moon and climbed the Himalayas. We have conquered the ‘outer space’. We have control over science and technology and their inventions. But we have lost our ‘inner space.’ We have very little ‘self-knowledge.’ We do not know how to control ourselves.
We live in a high-tech world today. We use highly sophisticated electronic communication gadgets/ systems (Face book, Twitter, Website, Internet, Smart mobile phone etc.). But we are sad to note that we have lost our ‘connectivity’ with our own family members.
We have increased our food production many-fold. Our food warehouses are overflowing. The food grains are getting rotten and eaten by rats. Obesity is a problem among the middle class and rich people due to over-eating. The poor people are deprived of one square meal a day. We witness more ‘starvation deaths’ in India.
Today we have modern and high-tech medical facilities. But we have poor health. A vast majority of the population is deprived of these medical facilities. Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) are on the increase.
We have a Judiciary system but less justice is done to the deserving people. With the power of money, truth is converted into lie and vice versa. We also witness increasing human rights violations. Surprisingly, our judges and lawyers, who have to safeguard the laws, break the laws and they are accused of corruption and criminal activities.
We boast of our diverse cultures that is “Unity in Diversity”. But we are divided in the name of language, geography, culture, caste and creed. People belonging to the same region, religion and political party are divided and continue to fight in the name of caste, religion and language. Hence, communal violence is on the increase.
We are also proud of our vast geography and natural resources (Jal, Jungle, Jameen – Water, Forest and Land etc.). Only a few selected corporate companies, that have money and muscle power, enjoy these resources while the majority population is deprived of them.
The political parties are the custodians of the Constitution and they are elected to ensure good governance. The only motto of our politicians is to capture power and swindle as much money and wealth as possible while in power. In-fights and intra-fights among the political parties are daily witnessed. De-stabilization of non-BJP state governments through horse-trading are witnessed in various parts of the country. Shockingly, there is a corporate-politician-criminal networking.
Various high-budget urban development schemes are prepared to beautify urban areas. In the name of urban development, the slum dwellers and the poor on the foot-path are evacuated and harassed. The urban poor have to live like animals. Villages that are considered as the backbone of the country remain underdeveloped and abandoned.
We have Security Forces (Army, Air Force, Navy) to protect our country. Yet international criminals penetrate into our country. Drugs, fake currencies, silver and gold are smuggled. Today hi-tech, computerized security systems, lockers, locks with sophisticated keys or unlocking systems are used. But robbers break open the bank lockers and ATM machines. Shockingly, the bank staff also steal the people’s money. So, there is no real security for our money in the banks.
Various religions co-exist in India. The purpose of every religion is to strengthen love and fellowship among people. But today we are divided in the name of God and religion. Religion is reduced to mere empty rituals and dead ceremonies. God is converted into a commercial commodity. Our religious leaders have become business men/women selling God by exploiting the ignorance of simple people.
We have a tradition of revering women and we worship Goddesses. We have named many rivers with female names. We consider the country as ‘Mother India’. In the same land, female infanticides, women trafficking, forced prostitution, wife beatings, dowry deaths, eve-teasing, rapes of young girls/women are taking place.
Finally, I am coming back to the same question – “Are we civilized?” With all humility and sincerity, we must admit that we are not civilized in its right sense. We are directly or indirectly responsible for this shameful civilization. We need to make a sincere and continuous effort to make the present civilization meaningful.