Egoism and selfishness will destroy society - Editorial

What use is there in constructing roads, providing electricity, water and other facilities if we are unable to mould responsible citizens? Parents, religious leaders and teachers should look after children more than they do at present.

We push our children to excel academically and in sports activities. We would pay anything to make them reach high levels of performance. Religion we opt to ignore as unimportant or unnecessary. The most we may think of doing is paying obeisance, but refuse to live up to spiritual values called for in all religions. We need to remember that, even human action without coming under obedience to the Higher Power, creates an oppressive world. Human action is any thought based on the interests and ideals of people. This as we know, is often self-seeking, egoistic and therefore destructive.



We need to only look at the secular world and see oppression in every strata of society. Like in the Midas story, what we touch turns not to gold, but instruments of bondage. We make a hash of human activity in life. If we, by human intelligence think ourselves capable of dealing with crises in life, then making perfect families shouldn’t be a problem. All our university and high academic achievements should guarantee control over recession, inflation, volatility in the economic field and collapse of conglomerates and governments. False patriotism would then not be the last refuge of the scoundrel.

The challenge that faces us is to change the way we have been looking at and doing things all this while. There has to be a revamp of the educational structures, goals in the economic field to reviving civic consciousness. Too long have we been teaching and telling ourselves that our survival is dependent upon how individually we attain for ourselves abilities and talents, to stand ahead of the pack. Ego and selfishness make up the foundation society stands on. That foundation brings about an imbalance, where we create unwittingly a people who are denied the basics in life. The poor and the victims of a greedy society would increase when the rich get richer. Such imbalance in society would jeopardize its stability.

As said at the beginning, the need is to build responsible citizens, who are responsive to the needs of others. How are we to solve problems and avoid creating them while unconcerned about others' problems.  Let’s respond to that deep cry in our hearts for perfection. Human action by itself is faulty. People are so distorted that they are capable of creating havoc. We know it, for we see it within ourselves, if we are bold enough to look. The Higher Power thankfully is there to transform us. After all we were made to be the pinnacle of all creation.