Ethics: A historical Perspective
Dr. Ram Sharma , Associate Prof and Head , Dept of English , J.V. College , Baraut , Baghpat , U.P.
Dr. ArchanaDurgesh
Albert
Camus has rightly said, “A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this
earth.”
Some years ago, sociologist Raymond Baumhart asked business
people, “What do ethics mean to you?”Among their replies were the following:
·
“Ethics has to do with what my feelings
tell me is right or wrong.
·
“Ethics has to do with my religious
beliefs.”
·
“Being ethical is doing what the law
requires.”
·
“Ethics consists of the standards of
behavior our society accepts.”
·
“I don’t know what the word means.”
These replies might be typical of our own. The meaning of “ethics”
is hard to pin down, and the views many people have about ethics are shaky.
Like Baumhart’s first respondent, many people tend to equate
ethics with their feelings. But being ethical is clearly not a matter of
following one’s feelings. A person following his or her feelings may recoil
from doing what is right. In fact, feelings frequently deviate from what is
ethical.
Nor should one identify ethics with religion. Most
religions, of course, advocate high ethical standards. Yet if ethics were
confined to religion, then ethics would apply only to religious people. But
ethics applies as much to the behavior of the atheist as to that of the devout
religious person. Religion can set high ethical standards and can provide
intense motivations for ethical behavior. Ethics, however, cannot be confined
to religion nor is it the same as religion.
Being ethical is also not the same as following the law. The
law often incorporates ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe. But
laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical. Our own pre-Civil War
slavery laws and the old apartheid laws of present-day South Africa are
grotesquely obvious examples of laws that deviate from what is ethical.
Finally, being ethical is not the same as doing “whatever
society accepts.” In any society, most people accept standards that are, in
fact, ethical. But standards of behavior in society can deviate from what is
ethical. An entire society can become ethically corrupt. Nazi Germany is a good
example of a morally corrupt society.
Moreover, if being ethical were doing “whatever society
accepts,” then to find out what is ethical, one would have to find out what society
accepts. To decide what I should think about abortion, for example, I would
have to take a survey of American society and then conform my beliefs to
whatever society accepts. But no one ever tries to decide an ethical issue by
doing a survey. Further, the lack of social consensus on many issues makes it
impossible to equate ethics with whatever society accepts. Some people accept
abortion but many others do not. If being ethical were doing whatever society
accepts, one would have to find an agreement on issues which does not, in fact,
exist.
What, then, is ethics? Ethics is two things. First, ethics
refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans
ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society,
fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics, for example, refers to those standards
that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder,
assault, slander, and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that enjoin
virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty. And, ethical standards include
standards relating to rights, such as the right to life, the right to freedom
from injury, and the right to privacy. Such standards are adequate standards of
ethics because they are supported by consistent and well-founded reasons.
Secondly, ethics refers to the study and development of one’s
ethical standards. As mentioned above, feelings, laws, and social norms can
deviate from what is ethical. So it is necessary to constantly examine one’s
standards to ensure that they are reasonable and well-founded. Ethics also
means, then, the continuous effort of studying our own moral beliefs and our
moral conduct, and striving to ensure that we, and the institutions we help to
shape, live up to standards that are reasonable and solidly-based.
Statistics reveal that children from poor / criminal /
abusive / alcoholic families are prone to crime but of late we see even
children from affluent families indulge in crime. There can be many reasons but
the prime reason is that we are not imparting moral and ethical values to
children right from their childhood. We are not equipping them with a positive
and healthy frame of mind. Modern-day children are averse to reading good books
which teach the ‘lessons of life,’ they are glued more to the idiot box and
computer games. This is the crux of the problem. If books furnishing tales of
Harshvardhana or Shivaji or Asoka are read at an early age, the young mind
starts idolising those characters. They try and emulate the great men, who become
role models for them.
The epics can dissuade them from aiding and abetting crime;
it would encourage them to stand up for their beliefs and values. When the
young ones don’t have such heroes to worship and ape in real life, things go
wrong and they don’t know how to differentiate between right and wrong.
This lack of moral and ethical values has made us spineless
as well. Consider the Mumbai
molestation case: Are only the molesters to blame? The bystanders are to
be blamed as well because they let such a thing happen right under their nose,
like cowards, without principles.
Parents are leaving their children behind because they are
preoccupied with chasing their own dreams and lifestyle. The UNESCO
International Commission on Education for the 21st century
identified ‘learning to be’ and ‘learning to live together’ as two important
bases of education. Education without value is an oxymoron. Our educational
system is also at fault, affording, as it does, little scope for ‘moral
education.’ Today’s generation may be very ‘environment and animal-friendly’
but it lacks the basic values of life. We should be alert to their needs,
before it is too late.
The
Ramayana is not just an epic or a tale, but also an
educational medium to demonstrate the importance of values such as loving and
respecting our family, keeping our promises, protecting the weak and so on. By
using the Magnum Opus of Hindu mythology, the Ramayana as a medium, we can
teach our children many life-skills and ethics.
The
Ramayana is one of the greatest epics of Hindu
Mythology. Written by the Hindu sage Valmiki, the Ramayana is not just a
story, but also an educational medium used by the ancient sages to promote the
importance of doing your dharma (duty) in relationships. The Ramayana depicts characters that we should aspire to be
like, such as the ideal father, ideal son, ideal brother, ideal leader, ideal
wife, etc.
Important
values and ethics can be taught to children by way
of storytelling. The Ramayana and Mahabharata especially, preach a lot of
values that we would want our children to imbibe. Not for nothing, are they the
most commonly taught epics since ancient times.
Instead
of simply telling children to respect elders, examples from these epics would
teach them the same with more emphasis.
Now,
parents, teachers and care givers can use one of the greatest gems of Hindu
Mythology, namely the Ramayana , to
promote some of the most important moral values of life in children.
Differentiating between Good and Evil
Children can be inspired to choose right over wrong, even
when wrong may feel more appropriate by giving them the example of Bharat, who
was awarded the honour of ruling the mighty kingdom of Ayodhya. Bharat could
have just ruled by becoming the king and thereby enjoying the absolute power
and luxury that came with it, but his sense of justice would not permit him to
do what most others would greedily do. Instead, upon learning that his mother Kaikeyi
had unjustly managed to get Rama banished from Ayodhya, he immediately went
into the forest to look for Rama and offer him his rightful position as the
ruler of Ayodhya. So great was his devotion to his brother, and so strong was
his desire to be fair and just, that when Rama refused to return to Ayodhya
before completing his 14 years in exile, Bharat placed Rama’s footwear on the
throne and ruled Ayodhya in the name of Rama – as Rama’s emissary until he
returned to regain his rightful position.
This teaches our children that even if something is
extremely desirable, it should only be accepted if attained in a right manner,
without hurting or affecting anyone else in an unfair and unjust way.
The Importance of a
Promise or Commitment
Kaikeyi,
the queen of Ayodhya, and wife of King Dashrath had been granted two boons when
she had saved his life on the battlefield. The day before Dashrath was to
retire and crown his eldest son Rama as king, Kaikeyi demanded that Dashrath
grant her the boons promised to her. Her first desire was that Rama should be
exiled to the forest for fourteen years, and the second, that her son, Bharat,
be crowned King instead. Dashrath was naturally heartbroken at the prospect of
having to send his son into exile for fourteen years, but for this noble
hearted clan, honouring one’s word is the highest duty. Even when Dashrath
began to falter at the prospect of actually honouring that promise due to his
love for his first born, and pleaded with Rama not to leave, Rama reminded his father
of the value of a promise given and left Ayodhya to keep his father’s word.
When Bharat begged Rama to return to Ayodhya, Rama once again reminded Bharat
that he could not and would not dishonour his father by breaking the promise he
had made to Kaikeyi.
Rama,
a prince who had been brought up in the lap of luxury, and who stood to gain a
position of absolute power and luxury if he disregarded his father’s promise
willingly, chose to live a life of exile and hardship for 14 years in a forest.
Now, what does it teach our children? It teaches them not to break the promise
and commitment they have made to their teachers and parents.
Affection and Reverence
for Parents
Rama
willingly chose to spend 14 years in exile in a forest to protect his father’s
much respected honour. Such was the honour he paid to his father. Dashrath too
loved his child so deeply that when Rama left for the forest, Dashrath could
not bear the thought of being away from his son for 14 years and breathed his
last.
This
demonstrates the insurmountable affection and reverence Rama had for his
parents. He listened to every command his parents made, he honoured their
promises and ensured that no one could accuse them of being unfair. He did not
go against his parents’ wishes even though he was the rightful heir. He obeyed
his parents and is immortalised for doing so. It also showcases the love
parents have for their children. Hopefully, the fact that Dashrath
died pining for his son will teach children all about the attachment parents
have for them, and make them even more devoted.
Be Warned of Bad Advice
Kaikeyi,
the youngest queen, was fundamentally a good woman and thus King Dashrath’s
most favourite one. Unfortunately, she was manipulated to send Rama into exile
and insist on her son Bharat being crowned king because of the venomous counsel
of her maid servant whom she considered loyal and wise. Manthara, the evil one,
not only poisoned Kaikeyi’s mind into demanding those two appalling boons, but
also ruined her life. She not only lost her beloved husband but also her son
Bharat, for whom she had asked for those very boons. Her own son, Bharath
instead of praising her as she had thought, chastised her for the dreadful
behaviour.
This
is a very important lesson for our children. It teaches them to stay on guard
against vicious advice and wrong company. It teaches to be vigilant in order to
avoid being misled. It teaches them to be firm of mind, and not let better
judgement get swayed easily by people. It teaches them to question their behaviour
and think of the consequences of their actions before making any big or small
decisions.
Defending the Weak
Jatayu,
was my favourite character in the story. And I had spent many hours preening
into the blue skies to find him when I was a child. Now, Jatayu, an aged
demigod in the form of a vulture, had witnessed Ravana kidnapping
Sita and taking her forcefully to Lanka. Paying no attention to his old age, Jatayu tried to save Sita by fighting
Ravana valiantly, but failed miserably. Unfortunately, he also got fatally
wounded in the massive fight. When Rama and Lakshman were looking for Sita,
they came across Jatayuwhere he was
lying, breathing his last. Jatayu informed
Rama about Sita’s whereabouts and Ravana’s plans before breathing his last.
Moved to tears by the courage and valor of the aged
Jatayu, Rama performed the last rites as though Jatayu was his father.
This
teaches our child that they must always stand up for the weak. The fact that Jatayu was so old and still tried to
take on the powerful Ravana single-handedly, teaches our children to be
courageous and be unafraid to take on any challenge that comes along the way,
and accomplish it to the best of ability.
Thus, keeping so many
invaluable ideals in mind that can be easily taught to our children, let us
retell the Ramayana not just for its
holiness, but also because this Magnum Opus is an important tool for
instructing the future generations the code of right and ethical behavior. The
Ramayana will enrich their lives and
help us mould our children to be the leaders of tomorrow, imbibed with long
lasting cultural and traditional foundation.
There is
an apt incident I would like to add: It was a usual meeting. The Prophet (SAW)
was in his place and his companions gathered
around him to hear the words of wisdom and guidance.
Suddenly a poor man in rags appeared, saluted the assembly: “SalamunAlaikum”
and finding a vacant place, comfortably sat down.The Prophet (SAW)
had taught them that all Muslims were brothers andin an assembly one
should sit wherever one finds a place, regardless of any status. Now, it
so happened that this poor man sat next to a very rich man. The
rich man felt disturbed and tried to collect the edges of his dress
around himself, so that the poor man did not touch them. The Prophet (SAW)
observed this and addressing the rich man he said: “Perhaps you
were afraid that his poverty would affect you?”
“No , O Messenger of Allah,” the rich man said. “Then perhaps you were
apprehensive about some of your wealth flying away to him?” the Prophet (SAW)
continued. “No, O Messenger of Allah.” the rich man replied. “Or you feared
that your clothes would become dirty if he touched them?” Prophet (SAW)
said. “No, O Messenger of Allah.” the rich man answered again. “Then why did
you draw yourself and your clothes away from him?” the Prophet (SAW)
finally said. The rich man said: “I admit that was
the most undesirable thing to do. It was an error and I confess my
guilt. Now to make amends for it, I will give away half
of my wealth to this Muslim brother so that I may be forgiven.” Just as he said
this, the poor man rose and said: “O Prophet of Allah, I do not
accept his offer.” People present were all taken by surprise. They thought the
poor man was a fool. But he explained: “O Prophet of Allah, I
refuse to accept his offer becouse I fear that I might then become
arrogant and illtreat my Muslim brother the way he did to me.”
Ethics and empathy are hard earned virtues.
Potter
Stewart has rightly remarked, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what
you have a right to do and what is right to do.”
Works cited &reffered:
·
https://moralsandethics.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/poor-man-said/
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