Unjust treatment and exploitation can have a lasting solution. By Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji

All of us read, in newspapers, about one or the other major problem causing grave suffering to a large segment of society or to the mankind as a whole. These problems are classified as economic, social, political, racial, administrative and so on, and attempts are made to find solutions to them from the respective area of human knowledge.

Unjust treatment to industrial or farm-labour, torture of political opponents, unfair treatment to undertrials, bride-burning, ill-treatment to women, inhuman treatment because of racial prejudices or casteism, bonded labour and abject poverty are only some problems on the long list, and at the top of it is the problem of armament race that threatens the very existence of humankind.

Economic and social reforms, diplomatic negotiations, political declarations and legal enactments are only some of the measures that have been adopted to solve these and other problems over the years. Even such an august body as the United Nations also addressed some of these problems through its various organs. Though all these various efforts have borne some fruit, the problems at the core remain unsolved and there has been no satisfactory and lasting solution to resolve them.

The question, therefore, remains: What are these problems due to and how can these be solved or eliminated? A thorough analysis would lead us to the conclusion that all these problems are directly and indirectly caused by the absence or lack of goodwill or good motive. People generally lay emphasis on creative intelligence, scientific development, courage and life full of pleasures but, it is usually forgotten that, if there is no good motive, science and intelligence may be used to promote means of mutual destruction, courage may be employed for killing and pleasures may be gained in evil ways. Hardly is it realised that if there were goodwill towards all, there would be no armament race or any other problem.

Without goodwill, conferences end in bickerings, assemblies achieve nothing, resolutions are considered mere scraps of paper, economic remedies cannot prove effective, and legal acts or social reforms cannot bring the desired change. The second factor essential to solving problems of mankind is to consider the inherent worth of human personality. We must realise that every individual is to be revered and is not to be treated as a means for the gratification of desires of another. No one has to be degraded for another person’s benefit. If this principle of giving respect to every being is applied in our daily life there would be no exploitation.

The ultimate and lasting solution lies, without doubt, in education that develops these two qualities in men and women and such an education cannot but be moral and spiritual. Trillions and billions are spent every year by various governments and non-governmental agencies on solving social, economic, political, administrative and other problems without achieving the goal of ending exploitation of all kinds and thus ending conflicts. This is mainly because we only talk of conflict-resolution without real and practical moral and spiritual education. It’s high time that the governments and the people in power realise this and seriously do something about it and save our future generations from devastation.

(The writer is a spiritual educator.)