I recently watched the popular talk show on StarVijay TV with participation from parents,teachers and students.
And what the teachers see as good and how do they identify the Good Student in general and a Good man in particular.
To my shock none of them have been able to specify a single attribute that characterizes a good Man.
The yard stick to determine One who is Good seems to be,
1.Good education with top rank.
2.Settling well in Life.
3,Respect to elders.
4.Punctuality.
5.Good communication skills.
6.Well groomed.
7.Being open with parents in sharing their personal experiences including Love affairs.
8.Respecting parents.
None of them have been able to specify a single Human value, excepting one man who said ‘Love others’, that makes a Good man or woman.
Truthfulness, Honesty,Integrity,Righteousness, Concern for others,Helping others,flexibility in handling Life’s problems…
Where are we heading?
Is Life all about getting a Rank and settling (?) in Life with self-centered existence?
Is the anchor rightly pointed out, all the people in the show indicated what they do not want to see in Man or woman, implying that they have a Clear concept of what is bad and none at all about what is Good!
When you do not know what Good is how do you set standards for your children?
I recall the statement by Henri Bosanquet on the question of defining what Good is,
‘Just as you can not explain what the color of yellow is to one who is born Color Blind, you can not explain what Good is to one who has never done anything Good in Life”
I consider this as the best definition.
And what defines Bad?
‘Doing things in Public which you would be ashamed of doing it in Private”
Well we from the land of Bharat are not short of Dharma Sastras or Moral literature.
Let us look a simple one from Tamil, Athichoodi by Avvaiyar.
| தமிழ் எழுத்து | தமிழ் வாக்கியம் | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| அ | அறம் செய விரும்பு | Intend to do right deeds |
| ஆ | ஆறுவது சினம் | Anger will be cooled off,Cool your Anger |
| இ | இயல்வது கரவேல் | Give to others what you can |
| ஈ | ஈவது விலக்கேல் | Do not stop, discourage others when they attempt to help others |
| உ | உடையது விளம்பேல் | Never be boastful of your possession |
| ஊ | ஊக்கமது கைவிடேல் | Never loose enthusiasm |
| எ | எண் எழுத்து இகழேல் | Learn the Three R’s |
| ஏ | ஏற்பது இகழ்ச்சி | Never accept Alms |
| ஐ | ஐயமிட்டு உண் | Feed others before you eat |
| ஒ | ஒப்புர வொழுகு | Move with world, act in harmony with the others. |
| ஓ | ஓதுவது ஒழியேல் | Never give up learning |
| ஒள | ஒளவியம் பேசேல் | Never gossip |
| ஃ | அஃகஞ் சுருக்கேல் | Never short change in Business |
The fine point is that the first letter of all these Truisms start with the Tamil Alphabets in order.
There is more.
One may learn this and pass on to children instead of Jack and Jill, Baba Black Sheep, Rain rain go Away in country where the Climate is Hot and there is dearth of rains.
Hope elders learn this first.