Understanding valuesMeaning: Generally, value has been taken to mean moral ideas, general conceptions or orientations towards the world or sometimes simply interests, attitudes, preferences, needs, sentiments and dispositions. But sociologists use this term in a more precise sense to mean “the generalised end which has the connotations of rightness, goodness or inherent desirability”. These ends are regarded legitimate and binding by society. They define what is important worthwhile and worth striving for. Sometimes, values have been interpreted to mean “such standards by means of which the ends of action are selected”. Thus, values are collective conceptions of what is considered good, desirable, and proper or bad, undesirable, and improper in a culture. According to M. Haralambos (2000), “a value is a belief that something is good and desirable”. For R.K. Mukerjee (1949) (a pioneer Indian sociologist who initiated the study of social values), “values are socially approved desires and goals that are internalised through the process of conditioning, learning or socialisation and that become subjective preferences, standards and aspirations”. A value is a shared idea about how something is ranked in terms of desirability, worth or goodness. Familiar examples of values are wealth, loyalty, independence, equality, justice, fraternity and friendliness. These are generalised ends consciously pursued by or held up to individuals as being worthwhile in themselves. It is not easy to clarify the fundamental values of a given society because of their sheer breadth. Characteristics: Values may be specific, such as honouring one’s parents or owning a home or they may be more general, such as health, love and democracy. “Truth prevails”, “love thy neighbour as yourself, “learning is good as ends itself are a few examples of general values. Individual achievement, individual happiness and materialism are major values of modern industrial society. The values of a culture may change, but most remain stable during one person’s lifetime. Socially shared, intensely felt values are a fundamental part of our lives. Values are often emotionally charged because they stand for things we believe to be worth defending. Often, this characteristic of values brings conflict between different communities or societies or sometimes between different persons. Most of our basic values are learnt early in life from family, friends, neighbourhood, school, the mass print and visual media and other sources within society. These values become part of our personalities. They are generally shared and reinforced by those with whom we interact. Types: Values can be classified into two broad categories: (1) Individual values: These are the values which are related with the development of human personality or individual norms of recognition and protection of the human personality such as honesty, loyalty, veracity and honour. (2) (2) Collective values: Values connected with the solidarity of the community or collective norms of equality, justice, solidarity and sociable are known as collective values. Values can also be’ categorised from the point of view their hierarchical arrangement: (1) Intrinsic values: These are the values which are related with goals of life. They are sometimes known as ultimate and transcendent values. They determine the schemata of human rights and duties and of human virtues. In the hierarchy of values, they occupy the highest place and superior to all other values of life. (2) Instrumental values: These values come after the intrinsic values in the scheme of gradation of values. These values are means to achieve goals (intrinsic values) of life. They are also known as incidental or proximate values. The main functions of values are as follows: 1. Values play an important role in the integration and fulfilment of man’s basic impulses and desires in a stable and consistent manner appropriate for his living. 2. They are generic experiences in social action made up of both individual and social responses and attitudes. 3. They build up societies, integrate social relations. 4. They mould the ideal dimensions of personality and range and depth of culture. 5. They influence people’s behaviour and serve as criteria for evaluating the actions of others. 6. They have a great role to play in the conduct of social life. 7. They help in creating norms to guide day-to-day behaviour. TRUTH Truth is eternal and unchanging. Being truthful means being completely honest in what we say, feel and do with others and ourselves. Children learn that an honest life is happier, simpler and easier, whereas being untruthful erodes their integrity and leads to conflict. Dishonesty is often caused by a fear of the consequences of openly acknowledging the truth. If children do something wrong, they know that by being truthful, they will have to face a telling off, anger and disapproval, so the immediate temptation is to evade the truth. In this dilemma, we need to help them to be honest, by extending love, patience and understanding to them. We can show them that misdeeds can be forgiven but dishonesty is far more damaging. Only through being honest and open can we foster healthy communication and trust. In turn, these attributes are the foundations of good relationships, which make a happy home. LOVE Love, the supreme value, is more than attraction and fondness or romantic attachment. It is pure, unselfish giving that is unconditional. The greatest gift parents can give to their children is love and it is the most potent single force in their early development. Loving relationships in a family create an atmosphere in which children feel cared for, secure and valued. Love shows itself in many ways but it can be expressed as kindness, friendship, understanding, acceptance and sincerity. It urges us to embrace all those around us with compassion. In the spirit of love, we do not look to undermine, belittle and exclude others. Rather, we seek to see their good points, give them confidence and let them feel that they are much appreciated family members or friends. PEACE Peace is a state of being quiet, calm and free from emotional disturbance. It is very different from the frustrated state of boredom or restlessness. Negative emotions, such as anger and frustration, which we sometimes hold inside ourselves, create conflict in the family but these feelings can be quelled by promoting peace within oneself. Peace cultivates the virtues of patience, gentleness, self-control and thoughtfulness. To be at peace with ourselves means that we accept ourselves as we are and give ourselves the chance to appreciate the positive elements of our lives. RIGHT CONDUCT Good behaviour is essential for a harmonious life, whether at school or at home. Parents are the first example from whom children learn and they are very quick to pick up on whether we practise what we preach. Practising Right Conduct develops the understanding that, in helping others, we become responsible and loving people, capable of working constructively with those around us. This embraces not just being a reliable helper but also assisting in the right spirit: kindly, respectfully and, when the occasion demands, courageously. Each act of kindness and consideration, which children perform, builds their sense of self-esteem and self- confidence. Developing good habits builds children’s positive view of themselves and what they are capable of achieving, raising their sights and broadening their horizons. NON-VIOLENCE If we are sensitive to life in all its forms, then we will learn to take care of everything around us. The absence of this appreciation leads to many of the most difficult problems faced in schools and society. Violence, whether in the form of bullying, racism or in gangs, is rooted in prejudice, ignorance and fear. It feeds on itself, brutalising and humiliating all those involved. Developing feelings of brotherhood or sisterhood towards all people, breaks down barriers and allows us to see all those around us as human beings, deserving of love, appreciation and respect. If we view people sympathetically, it encourages us to identify how we can be helpful to them, see their good qualities, celebrate diversity and find constructive ways to solve conflicts, which divide us. Through understanding and acceptance of others, we learn the values of fairness, equality, justice and solidarity for all people. Non-violence as a concept extends to all life around us, including a commitment to protecting our environment from harm through pollution and using the earth’s resources prudently. Justice Justice is one of our highest social human values, for in general justice is needed to realize and maintain our highest human values of freedom, peace, life, love and happiness; and injustice can prevent or inhibit these highest human values of freedom, peace, life, love and happiness. With the value of justice is meant the value of the realized moral standard of justice. And the standard of justice has come forth from the evolutionary established human virtue of justice, and the human virtues of empathy, intelligence and responsibility- awareness and from our evolutionary determined moral standards of respect, equality and peace. The value of justice basically always means a social justice, for just is that, what is righteous in relation to others. And it can also be seen that our social value of justice is based on our evolutionary established social virtues as mentioned, like integrity, empathy, responsibility-awareness realism and intelligence, so basically on our evolutionary established social human nature. Responsibility Responsibility is an indispensable moral standard, for by nature humans tend to trust others and hence we expect others to behave or make their decisions in a respectful and responsible way. Responsibility as a moral standard is needed to prevent irresponsible egocentric or irresponsible collective egocentric behaviour or decisions. In combination with the basic virtue of empathy the standard of responsibility may cause a more social and human-friendly behaviour. The moral standard of responsibility also prevents or inhibits an irresponsible use of power and misuse of power. It makes people in power more aware that they can be held responsible for their decisions and acts. In combination with the moral standard of safety, responsibility as a moral standard also prevents people from taking risks on eventual costs of others and endangering of others and their lives. As already mentioned we can think of food safety, safety of nuclear plants, chemical plants etc. And also in a political sense, as responsibility for causing political conflict or even war. Nature One of the most important fields of human respect is also our human respect for nature which we are all part of. A basic moral standard of respect for nature has to protect nature from over- exploita- tion, misuse and pollution, and from destruction and eradication of species. Understanding of our human dependence of nature and awareness of being part of a precious and vulnerable ecology can help us to accept the moral standard of respect for nature. Respect for nature is also an important moral standard to prevent cruelty against animals. Cruelty against animals is against our basic human virtues of empathy and realism, (animals can suffer from pain, misery and fear) and against our highest human value of love, and against our natural human virtue of respect for nature. Living in Harmony with Self Living in harmony with yourself is the only way to survive in the world full of challenging situations, and where the majority of people are always at odds with each other. When you live in harmony with yourself, you live in harmony with others. You inspire others to seek peace and agreement. Here are a few rules to follow in order to learn to live in harmony with yourself first. There’s no perfect life. Everyone has problems but not all of us talk about them. Aim to spend more time with positive people in the positive places. Positive places provide totally positive energy. If you don’t feel inner peace at home, it’s probably a negative place that you need to turn into positive one. Pluralism in India India offers a unique plurality of traditions. Among these the Brahmincal concept of dharma which describes the duties of the individual has often been regarded as dominant because many rights merely follow from these duties. It is a basic question whether modern concepts of human rights interfere with traditional notions of dharma, because in the law books of the Dharmashastras, there is no equality before law or equal protection of law, since society has been arranged through a rigid system of social hierarchy based on caste. By its very nature, the caste system goes against respect for an individual’s dignity. It has been called the ‘duty- first value system of Indian culture’ and reflects some of the principal differences between the political traditions of India and Europe. Unlike in Europe, man and society in India have been perceived as antagonistic to each other, while in western political philosophy the triangle of ‘individual-society-state’ functions as the key to the explanation of major developments. India is a vast country with many languages, religions and ways of life. The manner of living, dress, habits and customs in the cold Himalayan region is different from the hot and humid south India. The difference in language has been the basis of growth of varied literature in the different parts of the country. India seems to be an epitome of the world, in that it is a mixture of many ethnological groups, such as Aryan, Dravidian and Mongolian. Yet, it is amazing to see the wonderful unity of India under this superficial diversity. Thousands of years of living together have knit us into a large cultural unit. More than a thousand years ago, Sri Sankara demonstrated the unity of India by founding centres of learning in the four borders of India— Badrinath in the north, Sringeri in the south, Dwaraka in the west and Puri in the east. Even today the priest who performs puja in Badrinath is a South Indian who comes from near Cape Comorin, and those who offer worship at Rameshwaram are from the north. Plurality in Religion: One of the typical characteristics of Indian culture was its diversity, syncretization and synthesis which could also be seen in the area of Indian religion. There is a popular notion that India’s ancient religion( or religions) was Hinduism ( actually Vedic Brahmanism) and it claims a special connection with texts such as the Vedas, the Dharmashastras, and the Puranas etc. During the period of epics and the Puranas which date to the Gupta era, the religion came to be called Hinduism. Hinduism was not a monolithic religion, but more a labyrinth, criss-crossed at different layers and at different regions, sometimes maintaining their distinctiveness and at other times giving the impression of merging, to present a unified religion. This intense syncretization of the local religions of India had first come to be grouped together and termed Hinduism by the census enumerators in 1891 onwards, when they had sought to identify the varied religious practices of India, which could not be termed Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Muslim, Christian or Zoroastrian.. Jainism and Buddhism emerged during the period of the Upanishads. They posed a great challenge to Brahmanism. The appeal, the personality and the sincerity of Mahavira and the Buddha had a strong impact on the people of India. Their teachings centered on a way of life and an inner experience, rather than on sacrifice. With the decline of Buddhism, Saivism and Vaisnavism emerge, reflecting the syncretism and synthesis of Brahmanic and local religions. Adopting first of these three models of religion-state relations; Bhutan and Sri Lanka confer a special status on Buddhism. In Bhutan the Preamble of the Constitution of 2005 refers to the country as a land ‘Blessed with the luminous benedictions of the Triple Gem and the protection of our guardian deities’ – the ‘Triple Gem’ meaning the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha of the Buddhist religious tradition. The constitution further declares Bhutan to be a ‘country of Chhoe - sid’ and Buddhism as its ‘spiritual heritage,’ empowering the king to constitute a supreme to supervise Buddhist religious affairs – Article 3. The national anthem of Bhutan incorporated in the Constitution in Schedule II opens with the words ‘As the Doctrine of the Lord Buddha flourishes, may the Sun of peace and happiness shine on the people’ In Sri Lanka the constitution of 1997 proclaims that ‘Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha sasana (Buddhist social order).’ It also provides for the establishment of a Supreme religious council called the Maha Sangha – Article 7. Islam is India's second largest religion. The branches of Sunni, Sh'ia, and Ismaili Islam have all found homes in India. At independence, many of British India's leading Muslim figures migrated to Pakistan. Muslim centers such as Hyderabad largely lost their elite subcultures. One can see Islamic influence in all the spheres of Indian culture. In as many as 25 countries of the contemporary world the constitutions declare Islam to be their state religion. Afghanistan, Comoros, Iran, Mauritania, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have the word ‘Islamic’ either in the name of the country or in its description in the constitution. The rest of the countries in this list are Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen- see, e. g. , Egyptian Constitution 1980, article 2; Kuwaiti constitution 1962, article 2; Saudi Arabian Basic Law 1992, articles 1 & 23. Among the SAARC nations the Afghanistan constitution of 2004, besides declaring the country to be an Islamic republic and Islam to be the state religion, says that ‘no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam’ – Articles 3 & 7. Hinduism In Nepal successive constitutions including that of 1990 described the country as a ‘Hindu Constitutional Monarchical Kingdom’ and the King as ‘an adherent of Aryan Culture and the Hindu Religion’ – articles 4 (1). Recent trends in Nepal favour a secular state and the country is now in a stage of transition. Change of religion is not possible in Nepal, as conversion from Hinduism to any other religious faith is prohibited by the constitution. In the other Hindu-dominated states including India and Mauritius, Hinduism is not the privileged faith in any respect. Christianity is practiced by about 2.3 percent of India's population, about nineteen million in all. It is one of India's fastest-growing religions. The new Christians join a tradition that includes communities that go back almost to the founding of Christianity, the Syrian Christians. Conversion to Christianity can be observed in different parts of the sub-continent. In the United Kingdom there is an official establishment for the Anglican Church and the head of the state – the crown – must be a member of the Anglican Church. The UK law on blasphemy is confined in its application to the Christian faith. Stroud’s judicial dictionary describes Christian religion for the purpose of exposing its doctrines to contempt and ridicule’. The Halbury’s law of England says that ‘blasphemy is an indictable offence at common law consisting in the publication of words attacking the Christian religion or the Bible’ (vol. II, 1976). The blasphemy law in this sense and with this limited scope has been discussed in a number of judicial decisions – see, e. g, Bowman v Secular society (1917) AC 406. In recent time there has been a demand to mention Christianity as the major faith of Europe under a common constitutional document now under consideration of the European counci Sikhism is professed today by about sixteen million people in India. Twelve million in Punjab, about one million in Haryana, another half million in Delhi, and three-quarters of a million are in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. At independence, Punjab lost its western half to Pakistan. Sikhs are usually identified with their visible and distinctive turban, beard, and steel bangle, to those who cut their hair and dress in Western style. Buddhists are less than 1 percent of the population (about 7 million in 2001). As recently as 1951 Buddhism seemed almost defunct in the land of its birth, with only 181,000 Buddhists counted in that year's census. Like Christianity, Buddhism due to its simplicity has developed a mass appeal among Dalits, which has let them to embrace Buddhism in increasing number since 1950. The resettlement of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and refugee Tibetans in India has raised Buddhism's profile in the land of its birth. In 1956, B.R. Ambedkar led the conversion of half a million Dalits to Buddhism by receiving initiation from the hands of the senior Buddhist teacher in India. Buddhism's appeal to Ambedkar reflected three factors: it is indigenous to India; it is a world religion; and its message is humanistic and egalitarian. With this great upheaval, Buddhism may truly be said to have revived in India and from being what A. L. Basham calls, - ‘the cherished dream of a few’ to have become once more ‘the living hope of millions’. India has today approximately 3.4 million Jains, mostly in western India: Maharashtra (about one million), Rajasthan (600,000), and Gujarat (500,000). Industry, commerce, finance, publishing, law, and education are areas where Jains have found distinction. Jainism has profoundly influenced aspects of Indian thought, from religion to Gandhi's concept of satyagraha, nonviolent resistance, etc. Greek- Roman Culture Ancient Greek culture achieved conformity to social values through shame, not through consciousness of guilt. Thus honor, which is inextricably linked to shame, was a value of ancient Greece. I believe conscious as a way to direct individual behavior is an invention of the English and American Puritains, or maybe of Protestantism, or maybe of Christainity. At any rate, shame is capable of influencing the behavior of everyone, while feelings of guilt are capable of influencing only those who have a conscious; most people do have a conscious, but sociopaths do not and cannot be controlled but by shame or by brute force. Classical education is said to be about the Gr eek love of truth and beauty and the Roman genius for government, so this suggests some of the things that they valued. Carl C. Zimmerman in Family and Civilization, described the trustee family of ancient Greece, then the atomistic family which evolved and helped to precipitate the conquest of Greece by Rome. In Greek times, again in Roman times, and again in modern times, the predominant type of family evolved from trustee to domestic to atomistic. Whenever and wherever neither the state nor the church ruled the family, the family ruled itself; this was trustee familism (582). In the trustee family, the family embraces many households. One man is head of the family but he is subject to a family counsel and occasionally to the entire family if nearly all members feel so strongly about an issue that they are willing to oppose him. Family mores include: men do not openly engage in premarital or extramarital sex. Women do not engage in premarital or extramarital sex at all, except for the ever present few blacksliders. Women who are not virgins cannot marry and are kicked out of the family. Adulteresses also are kicked out, or killed if caught in the act. Property is held in common, is received from previous generations and is held in trust for future generations. The family takes care of its own. It is responsible for seeking revenge or compensation for injury to a family member by an outsider; it is responsible for paying compensation if a member injures an outsider; costly feuds can result. Trustee and domestic family members have strong bonds to their families and to the nation of which their family is a part. Atomistic family members are very individualistic, me, me, me, and not very strongly bonded to family or anything else. They make poor soldiers because they have no love of family or country. They have loose morals, have sexually deviant practices, have no or few children, or allow their children to grow up without much parental control. You can see how this type of culture might have been e asy for the Romans to conquer and after the Romans evolved such a culture, they were easy for the barbarians to conquer. Chinese Culture In 1960’s, chairman Mao Tse-Tung seeked to end with religious and superstitious traces through The Cultural Revolution, criticizing deeply rooted Confucian values. Though this might have tempered devotees, values from ancient traditions persist somehow in nowadays’ culture and behavior of the chinese people. The Chinese-Buddhist religion is greatly stained by Confucianism and Daoism. Both of these ancient currents with more than 2500 years of influence share many of the same ideas about man, society, the ruler, heaven and the universe as they stem from a common prior tradition: Shenism. I Shenism Grassroots ethnic religious traditions of the Han Chinese. Meaning “worship of the shen”, ‘energies that generate things and make them thrive’. Common core concepts: Tian (天), Heaven, the source of moral meaning, the utmost god and the universe itself Qi (气), the breath or substance of the universe which can be strengthened within ourselves. Jingzu (敬祖), the veneration of ancestors Bao ying (报应), moral reciprocity Two traditional concepts of fate and meaning: ming yun (命运), the personal destiny or burgeoning; and yuan fen(缘分), “fateful coincidence Fengshui Metaphysical system when manipulating the environment and space so as to bring good fortune and enhance health, wealth, business and professional development. It is still crucial for architectural design in China, mostly indoor arrangements. Regarding urban landscape, each city should also preserve its fengshui. Superstitions strongly remaining nowadays. For example, pursue of good luck through different rites, being red the lucky color and 8 the lucky number. The avoidance of bad omens such as number 4 (which is a pronounced similar to ‘death’) and number 13, till the extent that airplane seats with these numbers won’t be taken by chinese and building floors are skipped. II Daoism Philosopher: Lao-zi . Fifth century before christ. Focuses on personal and metaphysical preoccupations. Pursues naturalness, simplicity and spontaneity. Active attitude towards the occult and metaphysical. Interweaves with superstitions, chinese alchemy-neidan, chinese astrology, martial arts, Zen Buddhism, traditional chinese medicine, feng shui, qigong. “WU-WEI” Action through non-action. The universe works harmoniously according to its own ways, so when someone exerts their will against the world they disrupt that harmony. One must place their will in harmony with the natural universe avoiding potential harmful disturbances, allowing to achievement of goals effortlessly. Ancient Shamanic beliefs considered the king as being the axle between the sky, human beings, and the Earth. There was the belief that the less the king does, the more gets done, as his figure was considered the “calm center” around which the kingdom turns. THREE TREASURES (BAS IC VIRTUES) Compassion, Moderation and Humility ‘not daring to act first under the heavens’ -This can relate to the chinese employee’s attitude of not speaking up, not changing things so fast, and going the long way round, that surprises western businessmen. III Confusianism Philosopher: Confucius 551–479 BC. (Became the ideology of state from 136 B.C till the early twentieth century) Focus on the creation of a moral and political system that structured society during the Han dynasties, establishing hierarchies. It emphasizes the importance of the family, the belief that human beings are teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal cultivation of virtue and maintenance of ethics. REN, YI Ren is an obligation of altruism and humaneness for other individuals. Yi is the upholding of righteousness and the moral disposition to do good. Confucianism holds one in contempt, either passively or actively, for failure to uphold the cardinal moral values of ren and yi. – Probably a good explanation for why chinese do not like accepting gifts or tips in exchange of having helped you. It’s better to make a gift at some other moment, showing in the same way an altruistic attitude. LI Li is a system of ritual norms and propriety that determines how a person should properly act in everyday life. Zhi is the ability to see what is right and fair, or the converse, in the behaviours exhibited by others. GUANXI The central idea of connections and relationships within society, a dynamic of reciprocal obligation in personalized networks of influence. It establishes a reliable inner circle that is treated well and an outer circle of strangers that aren’t taken much into consideration. Strangers interconnected with members of the inner circle automatically become part of it. This applies to business: TRUST must be built before negotiating (gifts, meals), customers may follow their salesperson to any organization he goes to. Guanxi is long-lasting but not inexhaustible as once an obligatory debt is paid it may not work as well unless a strong relationship persists. Differs from western terms of utilitarian ethics, which establish courteous and contractual networks when doing business. IMPACT OF MODERN EDUCATION ON VALUES In 1835, modern Education system was introduced by Lord Macaulay. The main purpose was to educate Indians in such a way that they “should through western education get Anglicized in terms of both cultural and intellectual attainments”. Lord Macaulay clearly said that, “we must at present do our best to form a class, who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indians in blood and color, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in intellect.” The main objective was to prepare clerks for running local administration as the rulers found it too costly and perhaps practically impossible to import enough Englishmen to man the large and increasing number of subordinate or lower posts in administration. Served Double purpose – Introduction of modern education had served a double purpose for the British rulers- they got the credit for the amelioration of the Indian society. But at the same time, through it, they devised a unique method of distribution of power, kept balance of power and prolonged their rule in India by keeping the natives busy in their in-fights. Constructive Influence of modern education on Indian society Eighteenth century onwards, modern education led to social awakening, gave impetus to social progress and brought many reforms. It had influenced substantially the working style and thinking of missionaries, reformers, educationists and many Indians, especially those belonging to elite and intellectual sections of society. Some of the positive effects of modern education on Indian society were as follows – Opened up the doors of the knowledge – Modern education opened up the doors of the knowledge flourished in Europe after Renaissance movement of Middle Ages. It had widened the mental horizons of Indian intelligentsia. Highlighted evil practices – Modern education had highlighted the weaknesses and real issues, which had developed in the system like rigidity and harshness of social customs and practices prevalent at that time for the weaker sections of the society i.e. women and lower strata of society. Attracted attention of social reformers – Modern education had attracted the attention of social reformers towards social evils developed into the system because of ignorance, superstitions or irrationality like mumbo-jumbo of rituals and superstitions created by some selfish people to entangle the ignorant and poor masses, un-touch-ability and inhuman treatment to women, Sati, Polygamy, child marriage etc. etc. prevalent at that time. Modern education also highlighted the weaknesses, rigidity and harshness of caste system towards weaker sections of the society. Realization of the worth of liberty and freedom – Indians realized the worth of liberty and freedom. They got exposure to the philosophies of thinkers like Locke, Mill, Rousseau, Voltaire, Spencer and Burke etc. They came to know about the reasons and impact of English, French, American revolutions. It equipped national leaders with the intellectual tools, with which they fought the oppressive British Raj. Opened doors of education for all – During second half of the nineteenth century, British government in India gave access to education to all sections of Indian society irrespective of caste or creed. Given birth to National movement – Modern education awakened the national leaders and Indian masses and equipped them with the intellectual tools, with which they fought the oppressive British Raj. The discriminatory and repressive policies and practices of British rulers alarmed the national leaders. Racial discrimination in the areas of education and jobs and their repressive policies elsewhere; Economic loot; political subjugation; assertion of lordly superiority over the subject on the ground of race; assumption of a haughty exclusiveness; persistent insulting and supercilious behavior towards all Indians; exclusion of Indians from all places of honor, authority and responsibility; and denial of their capacity for self-governance united Indians against British rule. The destructive character of repressive policies of British rulers lit the fire and gave birth to national movement. The destructive effects of modern education on Indian society Before independence Some of the adverse effects of modern education system on Indian society were – Disintegration of Indian society – Divisive policies of British rulers divided the whole of Indian society into many uncompromising groups. The primary aim of British rulers was to ‘divide and rule’ and keep the natives busy in their in-fights. They adopted racial discrimination and many repressive policies in order to disintegrate Indian society. On surface, everything appeared fine, but in reality it compartmentalized the Indian society into uncompromising groups by taking the path of discrimination. National leaders, Reformers and a section of intelligentsia could feel the damage, British racial discrimination and their repressive policies were doing. Rise to unhealthy competition – Modernization of the pattern of education and occupations (making knowledge of English as basic qualification for white collared jobs especially in government) along with industrialization increased role of formal education and training for furthering future prospects of people. In the near absence of industrial, commercial or social service activity, people had to depend entirely on modern education and Government jobs for earning respectfully. Stiff competition for getting enough space in modern callings divided the Indian society. Opportunities in modern education and government jobs became the bone of contention between different sections of the society. The monopoly of Brahmins in these areas cautioned the British rulers as well as caused anger amongst the non-Brahmin communities and Muslims. IMPACT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON VALUES Dr. Zakir Ahmad and team (2015) through IJCEM have explained impact of science and technology on values. The emerging technologies such as nanotechnology and green engineering may have a positive or a negative impact on social structure, international trade, ethical, economy, human relations and human values. Positive Impacts 1. Exploit the nature and possess the ability to continue the transformation of nature in the form of engineering products. 2. Revolutionize manufacturing, health care, energy, supply, communications, socioeconomic structure and defense of a country. 3. Sustainability i.e. minimize the depletion of resources by generating alternate and more durable materials. 4. Producing products without harming the environment or human health. 5. Address the environmental challenges with the added capability of producing materials with self- cleaning properties. 6. Minimize the rich and the poor divide and maximize the capability of sharing new technologies 7. Knowledge intensive;(interdisciplinary) technologies with wide applications for the benefit of the society. 8. Establishing the highest set of moral, ethical and human values. 9. Act as a ―tsunami‖ of alleviation of poverty and human health. 10. Address the needs of developing countries without disrupting their moral, ethical, cultural and social value. Negative Impacts The negative impacts include monopolization, hidden risks, a greater rich-poor divide, threat to environment, human health, socio-economic inequality, depletion of resources, destabilization of international relations, and degradation of moral, ethical and human values. Any new or emerging technology, therefore, needs to be judged on the basis of its impact on society over a long period of time. EFFECT OF MEDIA, TELEVISION AND COMPUTER AIDED MEDIA ON VALUES Media is a way of communication in the modern world. Media is divided into electronic media and print media. Newspapers, magazines and other weekly editorials etc. are included in print media while Television, Radio, Cable TV Network, internet etc., are included in electronic media. Positive Impacts of Media on Society Print media has its great positive influence on society. Majority of people read newspaper daily early in the morning. Electronic media in its every form is a big source of mass communication. It produces direct effects on the minds of common people. It is a great source of providing entertainment as well. The impact and influence of electronic, satellite, dish and cable transmission is great on the society. The electronic media in the form of satellite transmission, internet, cable net, and dish has many useful effects. It helps to give information about different cultures, social and political systems of the different part of the world. It gives current news and information about what’s happening in the world. Electronic media is the great source of knowledge about geographical facts of the world. It also provides information about new discoveries. Media is a wonderful source of getting knowledge about science, universe, oceans, sociology and politics. Negative Impacts of Media on Society As media has its positive effects, it has also some negative effects on society. Student’s and young boys and girls waste their precious time in browsing websites on the internet and cable net. Nude pictures, sex material, sex entertainment talks on internet TELEVISION Television has the potential to generate both positive and negative effects, and many studies have looked at the impact of television on society, particularly on children and adolescents An individual child’s developmental level is a critical factor in determining whether the medium will have positive or negative effects. Not all television programs are bad, but data showing the negative effects of exposure to violence, inappropriate sexuality and offensive language are convincing. Still, physicians need to advocate continued research into the negative and positive effects of media on children and adolescents. Current literature suggests the following: Physicians can change and improve children’s television viewing habits. Canadian children watch excessive amounts of television. There is a relationship between watching violent television programming and an increase in violent behaviour by children. Excessive television watching contributes to the increased incidence of childhood obesity. Excessive television watching may have a deleterious effect on learning and academic performance. Watching certain programs may encourage irresponsible sexual behaviour. Television is an effective way of advertising products to children of various ages. The average Canadian child watches nearly 14 h of television each week. By his/her high school graduation, the average teen will have spent more time watching television than in the classroom. Studies show how time spent watching television varies between different age groups and cultures. This is especially relevant when studying the effects of excessive television exposure on disadvantaged populations. The amount of time that younger North American children currently spend watching television has not decreased significantly. A substantial number of children begin watching television at an earlier age and in greater amounts than what experts recommend. Evidence suggests that television’s influence on children and adolescents is related to how much time they spend watching television. As a result, with prolonged viewing, the world shown on television becomes the real world. Television viewing frequently limits children’s time for vital activities such as playing, reading, learning to talk, spending time with peers and family, storytelling, participating in regular exercise, and developing other necessary physical, mental and social skills. In addition to the amount of time spent in front of the television, other factors that influence the medium’s effect on children include the child’s developmental level, individual susceptibility and whether children watch television alone or with their parents. INTERNET Parents may feel outsmarted or overwhelmed by their children’s computer and Internet abilities, or they may not appreciate that the ‘new medium’ is an essential component of the new literacy, something in which their children need to be fluent. These feelings of inadequacy or confusion should not prevent them from discovering the Internet’s benefits. The dangers inherent in this relatively uncontrolled ‘wired’ world are many and varied, but often hidden. These dangers must be unmasked and a wise parent will learn how to protect their children by immersing themselves in the medium and taking advice from the many resources aimed at protecting children while allowing them to reap the rich benefits in a safe environment. The physician is in a good position to encourage parents and children to discover the Internet and to use it wisely. The Internet has a significant potential for providing children and youth with access to educational information, and can be compared with a huge home library. However, the lack of editorial standards limits the Internet’s credibility as a source of information. There are other concerns as well. The amount of time spent watching television and sitting in front of computers can affect a child’s postural development. Excessive amounts of time at a computer can contribute to obesity, undeveloped social skills and a form of addictive behaviour. Although rare, some children with seizure disorders are more prone to attacks brought on by a flickering television or computer screen. No data suggest that television viewing causes weakness of the eyes. It may be different when a child is closely exposed to a computer screen for long periods, although there are no definitive references to support this. Other concerns include pedophiles who use the Internet to lure young people into relationships. There is also the potential for children to be exposed to pornographic material. Parents can use technology that blocks access to pornography and sex talk on the Internet, but must be aware that this technology does not replace their supervision or guidance. There is a wealth of information on coping with the vast resources of the Web, both good and bad. Above all, parents should be encouraged to appreciate that there is potential for more good than bad, as long as one has the knowledge to tell the difference. Canadian youth claim the Internet as a defining part of their culture and an integral part of their daily lives. Physicians and parents alike must be armed and ready to face that challenge and ensure that they reap the potential benefits as safely as possible. ROLE OF TEACHER IN PRESERVING VALUES If contemporary education is to be value based it can never be done without the teachers themselves understanding, appreciating and upholding the life sustained moral values. The teacher cannot have excuse whatsoever. If one cannot practice these values, one should not dream of teaching a job. It is a mission and vision for life and for posterity. That is the kind of realization that should be created in present day teachers. The theoretical knowledge of virtue must be supplemented by adequate practice of good character, the school concepts like the school traditions, the tone of the school, co-ordination between staff and students, activities and opportunities provided by the school. Co-Curricular activities afford opportunities for the training of character. A set off moral and ethical value is internalized by him and form part of an enlightened conscience that acts as an internal control on his character. The institutes of Teacher Education should take responsibility to prepare their students to achieve these goals The commitment and responsibility of teachers is very essential to make the excellent teacher–student relationship and maintain peaceful school atmosphere. Teachers should be a model to the student in his character, behaviour and all virtuous things. The teachers are expected to advice and guide the pupils regarding their general behaviour in school and outside the school. The role of the teacher differs in various stages of education. For instance, the role of nursery school teacher is different from that of a university professor. The ethos of teachers function as a class does not change level-wise or area-wise but expectations within a given group do. Teachers must plan their programme in such a manner as to assist children in developing desirable sentiments. The teacher can help to build a good self-image of the child. The child should be helped to look upon himself as honest, upright and reliable. There should not be any gap between their preaching and practice. Teacher is supposed to be the ethical watchdog of the society. He/she is a role model for his students and also for the society. His secret of teaching values is to inspire and kindle the quest among the students by means of his own example of character and mastery of knowledge. It means by embodying values with ourselves we can really radiate values to our students. So a good teacher should possess a sound psychological knowledge of the different parts of the being, of the different qualities that come into play in various actions and the right laws of the development of personality in relation to the development of capacities and values of an integrated personality. It requires specific training for teachers before entering the profession. Every teacher is first a moral education teacher and then only a teacher in a subject of his specialization. This is the most fundamental and basic requirement for the growth and development of morality among the children in any educational institution. ROLE OF FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND TRADITIONS IN VALUE DEVELOPMENT Family being the first and major agency of socialization has great influence and bearing on value inculcations. It is the home which sets the pattern for the child's attitude towards. People and society, aids intellectual growth in the child and supports his aspirations and good values. • Some of the values and methods that help up in bringing up child in a harmonious environment. • Praise and encourage them to explore. • Set realistic goals for them. • Act yourself as a role model. Show respect to all humans, animals. • Sensitize children towards weaker and marginalized sections. • Set religious and cultural values together with your children. • Never indulge yourself in dishonest deeds. It is what the children learn at home that they practice later on. • Help your children to develop the sense of discrimination between right and wrong so that they could develop their own value judgement. • Society inculcates values through its various institutions and tools. • Next to family, it is the society that teaches children about social values. It is the society through which young children start getting social acceptance from friends. • The society also provides a place for social disapproval for anti-social conduct. But it is less structured than the schools. • The role of society is very important for the social development of child. • Individuals who get more opportunities to take up social roles and responsibilities are better equipped to take moral decisions in their life. REVIEW OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS Professionally accepted standards of personal and business behaviour, values and guiding principles. Codes of professional ethics are often established by professional organizations to help guide members in performing their job functions according to sound and consistent ethical principles. ACCOUNTABILITY Accountability is answerability, blameworthiness, liability and the expectation of account giving owed explanation you hold as a person to only after a task is done or not may refer to being in charge, being the owner of task or event explanation not necessary can be before and/or after a task. Accountability is an assurance that an individual or an organization will be evaluated on their performance or behaviour related to something for which they are responsible. Types of accountability The notion of accountability can be classified according to the type of accountability exercised and/ or the person, group or institution the public official answers to. 1. Horizontal vs. Vertical Accountability: The predominant interpretation is that institutions of accountability, such as parliament and the judiciary, provide horizontal accountability. It can be put in another way, that horizontal accountability is the capacity of state institutions to check abuses by other public agencies and branches of government, or the requirement for agencies to report sideways. Whereas, vertical accountability is the means through which residents, mass media and civil society seek to enforce standards of good performance on officials. While parliament is typically considered as a key institution in constructs of horizontal accountability, it is also important in vertical accountability. Citizens and civil society groups can look for the support of elected representatives to redress grievances and intervene in the case of inappropriate or inadequate action by government. 2. Political versus Legal Accountability: Parliament and the judiciary act as horizontal constitutional checks on the power of the executive. The role of these two institutions can be further described in that parliament holds the executive politically accountable, whilst the judiciary holds the executive legally accountable. Parliament is a political institution, while the judiciary can only adjudicate on legal issues. Together, they provide continuing oversight in order to keep the government accountable throughout its term in office. They may also be aided by other institutions, such as supreme audit institutions, anti-corruption commissions, regulatory offices and human rights institutes. These secondary ‘autonomous institutions of accountability’ are typically designed to be independent of the executive; in the case of supreme audit institutions, anti-corruption commissions and regulatory offices they often report to parliament while in the cases of supreme audit institutions and human rights institutes, they may be part of the judiciary. Political accountability usually establishes itself in the concept of individual ministerial responsibility, which is the basis of the notion of responsible government. 3. Social Accountability: Social accountability is an approach towards building accountability that relies on public engagement, namely a situation whereby ordinary citizens and/or civil society organizations partake directly or indirectly in exacting accountability. Such accountability is termed as society driven horizontal accountability. The term social accountability is a misnomer since it is not meant to refer to a specific type of accountability, but rather to a particular approach (or set of mechanisms) for exacting accountability. 4. Diagonal Accountability: The notion of diagonal accountability is far from settled with two groups of commentators adopting different definitions. Diagonal accountability involves vertical accountability actors. Generally speaking, diagonal accountability seeks to engage citizens directly in the workings of horizontal accountability institutions. This is an effort to augment the limited effectiveness of civil society’s watch dog function by breaking the state’s monopoly over responsibility for official executive oversight. COLLEGIALITY The goal of collegial ethics is to actively support our colleagues and to develop the skills needed to do so. While collegial interactions are key for our careers, there is little or no training in this. Many of our actions and reactions with our colleagues are instinctive. Human nature has evolved to be self-protective, but many evolved and automatic responses to others are not always in the best interests of our society or of us. Developing courage and a style of supportive language, avoiding destructive acts, and adhering to the golden rule will improve our relationships and provide a more positive environment for all. It may not be easy to help a colleague. Sometimes we are not sure what the facts are, or sometimes we lack the structure to channel our involvement. We also know that taking a stand on a controversial issue can be perilous and hurt our career (Bird and Hoffman-Kim 1998). If a crime has been committed by a colleague then support may not be appropriate. But the law is not perfect. It says that one is not guilty until proven guilty and legal guilt is for the courts to decide. RESPONSIBILITY AND ETHICAL LIVING Social responsibility is an ethical theory, in which individuals are accountable for fulfilling their civic duty; the actions of an individual must benefit the whole of society. In this way, there must be a balance between economic growth and the welfare of society and the environment. If this equilibrium is maintained, then social responsibility is accomplished. Social responsibility and business ethics are often regarding as the same concepts. However, the social responsibility movement is but one aspect of the overall discipline of business ethics. The social responsibility movement arose particularly during the 1960s with increased public consciousness about the role of business in helping to cultivate and maintain highly ethical practices in society and particularly in the natural environment. LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE People have to learn to live in harmony with nature thereby protecting the environment and other living beings that inhabit the earth. Only when we learn to live in harmony with nature, could we expect nature to behave in the manner that has been there for several hundred years. When man indulges in affecting nature and its composition through pollution and deforestation, humankind will be forced to repent for generations. The development of mankind has been intertwined with that of nature and wildlife. Any break in their ranks would not augur well for the future. Only when people go against nature, will they be forced to face nature's fury like in the form of earthquakes, tsunamis and droughts, the Collector observed. Every individual should take a vow to plant and raise at least 25 trees during one's life time as a contribution to Mother Nature. In Karur district, though the area categorised as Reserve Forests was meagre, species such as Slow Lorris, Slender Lorris, bison and deer were found in the forest areas surrounding the district especially in the Kadavur region adjoining Dindigul district. Likewise, in the Taragampatti region, a lot of peacocks and peahens are thriving. People should learn to respect the sanctity of wildlife, she emphasized. FOUR ORDERS IN LIVING Those plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. It is often taken to mean the “natural environment” or wilderness-wild animals, rocks, forest, beaches and in general those things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which persist despite human intervention. Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present to live better. There are four orders of nature- Material order, Pranic order, Animal order, and Human order. The four orders as above should not be viewed in isolation. All these are part and parcel of nature and existence. These are really mutually complementary and supplementary. They are not independent but are mutually interdependent. Each one nurtures and nourishes the others. Material order consists of things like air, water, soil and so on. Pranic order comprises trees, plants, insects, etc. Animal order includes birds and animals. SUSTAINAIBLE DEVELOPMENT The concept of sustainable development was given by World Commission on Environment and Development. Sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present without stripping the natural resources that future generations would need. Our earth’s vital signs show that our planet is ailing. It is our responsibility to keep the earth in good health. We must not strip the earth of its natural resource. If we do so, productivity will be weakened. We may meet our needs without depriving the future generations of the resources that they would need. Besides this man has now realized that he shares this planet with millions of other creatures. Man’s position is not that of domination, but of partnership. No generation owns this planet, we are like tenants. And it is our responsibility to keep the environment healthy. We owe responsibility to the future generation. We must leave it to them healthy so that they can live healthy and happily on it. Government, industry and every person must do their bit. The air, water and soil of the earth are polluted. Forests are vanishing. Wildlife on land as well as in the seas faces extinction. Grasslands and Forests are turning into scorching deserts. All these are vital symptoms that show that earth is ailing. We can restore the earth to its healthy state again if we respect and preserve its metabolic needs. We should use not more than what the earth can replenish it with. We have to preserve wildlife, forests, seas and grasslands.