Hi friends, through this article, I would like to discuss with on the topic HUMANITARIANISM.
A social organization made a survey of the level of humanitarian qualities that exist in the people of various countries of the world. It has serially numbered the countries according to the level of humanitarian qualities of the people. India stands at 136th place in that list. Most of the Western developed countries come in the first twenty places.
What is known as the Third World countries find a place in the list below hundred. The countries at the top of the list are rich and developed, while the countries in the bottom are poor and backward.
Countries with more humanitarian qualities are rich, healthy and the people therein are endowed with good education, medical facilities and a good social order. In countries where there is less humanitarian qualities, there exists lot of poverty, disease, famine and starvation.
What is humanitarianism? It is respecting others, not inflicting pain on them, and relieving the sufferings of others. These are all the qualities that God respects, and these are all the things that give virtues to us. The man who has more humanitarian qualities stands high among men. He gets the mercy and blessings of God. If a country has a large number of such people, the country becomes wealthy and develops in all spheres.
“Service to the people is service to God”
- Swami Vivekananda
“The man, who sees God in the idols of a temple, is at the bottom level of devotion to God. The man who wipes the tears of a widow, the man who feeds a starving man and alleviates his hunger, the man who sees God in relieving the pain of others, is at the top level of devotion to God”.
- Swami Vivekananda.
We are very active and enthusiastic in building temples. There are more than two hundred temples in the town of Kumbakonam alone. But in the rich Western countries, they do not give much importance for building churches. In many big cities, you cannot find more than four or five.
The Christian community in the Western countries is service-minded. They start hospitals in the hilly and backward areas in the poor countries and render medical help to the poor. Even if there are only a few students, they start a school in a small house. These in course of time grow into big organizations, helping innumerable poor and suffering people.
The Christian community gives more importance to render service to the poor, not only in their own country but also all over the world. Though they have their own shortcomings and lapses, they have grown into a well developed, prosperous and forward looking community. The first twenty rich countries in the world, with the exception of Japan, are Christian countries.
Do you think God has helped such countries to be prosperous without valid reason ? We have a lot to appreciate, congratulate and learn from them. If good qualities exists even among our enemies, we should learn the good things and follow them in our life. Only then we can lead a good and enjoyable life.
God will give neither less nor more of punishment to any human being or even to the animals. In the same way, He will not give less or more of rewards to anybody. A man deserves whatever God has given him; he may be rich, or middle class or poor, he may be sick or healthy, he may be educated or uneducated whatever be his condition, it was awarded by God after perfect and meticulous calculation.
So there is no point in a poor man being jealous of the rich, the sick being jealous of the healthy, the ugly being jealous of the beautiful or the less fortunate being jealous of the more fortunate.
Because a good man has done many good deeds, God has given him a happy life. Every man should take a vow to this effect: “ I will also do good deeds and put myself in the good books of God. I will rise to a good position like him or even to a better position than him”.
“Even an atom cannot move in this world without the approval of God”. “God is the cause for all things and happenings”.
These words said about God, are hundred percent true. These are the words of great saints and rishis. The saints and rishis will talk nothing but the truth. They will not show the wrong path to the people. To their sayings, a lot of additions has been made subsequently. Like the legendary bird Annam (swan) that drinks only the milk, carefully avoiding the water; we should use our discerning powers, to pick up only the truths told by great men in their writings and speeches.
God has placed the rich people in a comfortable position. The rich people have the resources to help others and can get lot of virtues. The rich people, without doing any sacrifice, without giving up any of their comforts, without yielding to others, they can do service to the poor people with their wealth and strengthen their present position with the mercy of God or even enhance it.
In the corporate world of company executives it is said that “There is always room for improvement”. The same is true in spiritual matters also.
Don’t imagine that only the rich people can help the poor and obtain virtues. Please remember the story, which the mongoose narrated about an old poor Brahmin and Aswamedha yaga in MahaBharata.
A woman supervisor in my factory has a little daughter and she is studying in the eighth standard. She has heard of my charitable activities from her mother. She goes daily to the school with lunch packet for the midday meals. On some days if any girl in her classroom has not brought lunch this little girl gives her own lunch to her. Please note that she does not share her lunch, but gives it completely. This is an excellent kind of help one can give. She is ready to starve, but wants to feed another starving girl. There is a real sacrifice in her act. I have done a lot of help to others, but there is no element of sacrifice in them. I am giving away to the suffering people only the excess of what God has given me. God will consider as supreme only the help given by that little girl, rather than the help that I render to the people.
There are many poor people who render meaningful help to the suffering people. There is an old social worker, about 60 years old. He brings patients from his village to the Eye Camp that we conduct regularly. He stays with the patients all through the day and leaves the Camp only after seeing off the patients to Coimbatore for further treatment. A sixty year old woman goes to the government hospital in Dharmapuri once in a week, and does little things to the poor patients there. Another woman takes free evening coaching classes to the children of poor parents in a slum. There are so many avenues one can do service, without spending much money, like helping the miserable people, organizing blood donation and eye donation camps, comforting those who are in agony, guiding those who are confused and bewildered. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Let us grade different difficulties. A leaves on a trip in his car with his wife and children. He himself drives the car. On the way, one of the tyre is punctured, the stepney tyre too is deflated. He and his family undergo suffering. B is a factory owner and a certain amount of money has to be paid in the bank, to clear a bill on a particular day. He is short of money. If he does not pay on time, his prestige and business will suffer and cause him mental agony. C is a college student and he has no money to pay his college examination fees.
D’s wife is bedridden. He has no money to buy the drugs that the doctor has prescribed. E is the mother of a child. Her husband is away and has not come home for a long time. The child cries for milk. The mother has no money to buy the milk.
Whose suffering is very acute? Suppose you have the choice of relieving the suffering of only one of them whom will you help? With the natural instinct of sympathy, you will try to help either D or E. Of course it is the right thing to do and God will love you for that. Always we should give preference to relieve the pains of the poor suffering people.
The help we give to children, women and old people is a good help. If these categories of persons happen to be poor also, it is doubly good to help them. That perhaps is the reason why it is said in the Bible that “The help that is given to one of my poor brothers is exactly like helping me (God)”.
Actually we Indians are fortunate in a way. We have a lot of miserable people here to be helped. We have full of opportunities to help them and to accumulate virtue. But in the rich Western countries, it is difficult to find people who are really suffering. Suffering poor people are very less in those countries. Even if there are some people, the government readily goes to their help.
In a big office, nearly 100 people are employed. The Office Manager is an honest, impartial, hard worker and very efficient. He has the following 5 qualities which are very important to come up in life. 1. Truth 2. Honesty 3.Hard work. 4. Not hurting others (Except on duty) 5. Relieving the sufferings of the poor.
The salary of each of the 100 employees is Rs. 5000/- per month. The Manager is asked by the Management to select 10 among them, for promotion to five different categories of posts with different salaries. For the first category, two persons are to be selected and they will be paid Rs. 10,000/- per month. For the second category, two persons at Rs. 9000/- per month. For the third category, two persons at Rs. 8000/- per month. For the fourth category, two persons at Rs. 7000/- per month and for the fifth category two persons at Rs. 6000/- per month.
The Manager has all the relevant details of the 100 individuals with him; like date of appointment, their qualifications, the time of coming to the office, the time they leave the office, the number of days of leave taken in an year, their efficiency and involvement in their work etc. He himself has been in the office for 5 years and has observed these men closely and recorded his impressions. With all the details on hand and with his own observations of their conduct, he calculates and compares their efficiency, sincerity and their worth for the higher posts and makes his selection.
Some of his relatives are working in the office. They are not efficient. Some of the staff are really humble and faithful and some others pretend to be so. Some of them try to flatter him speaking high of him. All these people are not really efficient.
The Manager ignoring all the above, select the really efficient and talented people for the promotion.
Some of the selected candidates may not show any undue humility towards him. They may not even try to meet him in the office. Some of the selected candidates have even talked bad of him on some occasions. He ignored all these insignificant points. But these really efficient persons are honest and will be involving in their work whole heartedly. The Manager intelligently selects only such people for promotion and for the efficient working of the office. His aim is only to give promotions to the really efficient and really deserving persons.
When an ordinary office manager ignores flattery, false humility, rejects any kind of recommendation and nepotism and selects only the honest and hard working efficient persons; don’t you think, God, with his immeasurable intelligence power and wisdom, will be very meticulous and careful in selecting the right persons to bestow His blessings on? There is a saying “A good atheist is better than a false devotee ”.
God does not mind even if an atheist talks bad of Him. Neither God’s greatness is diminished by his bad talk, nor is elevated by the praise of a devotee. God is least bothered about tributes of his devotees or abuses of the atheists. He is above all such things and is unaffected by the people’s judgements.
Just as the good Manager in the office judges his subordinates on their efficiency and not on their ability to flatter him, God judges us only on how we conduct ourselves in our daily life and not on the basis of our regular visits to the temple and doing pujas. Let us realise that God is immensely talented and intelligent.
There are many atheists having good character, they are honest, sincere, and good hearted doing many good things in life and leading a happy life with a good wife and children.
You might have seen such people or heard of such people. Why does God bless these atheists with such a good life? God takes into account their good qualities and charitable deeds in judging them, and He ignores the fact that they do not worship Him or go to the temples. There are many devotees who lead an undisciplined and selfish life, committing many wrong deeds while regularly going to the temple and worshipping God. God will give only punishments for these devotees. God knows that they are cheats, “Tigers wearing cows clothing”.
Nobody can cheat God. Those who try to cheat Him will be ruined. Suppose two persons commit the same mistake. One person commits the mistake without any intention. Another person commits the mistake with the intention of cheating. Will both of them get the same punishment? Never. God always gives more punishment to those who try to cheat Him. These cheats dig their own grave.
“Those who think to cheat, get cheated”
- A Tamil proverb
This proverb states the mere thought, on our part, of harming others will evoke the displeasure of God and will get punished. One common way of earning the displeasure of God is by hurting others and committing sins which brings in punishment. The other way is the thought of cheating others and inviting punishments due to one’s bad thoughts. God knows about our bad thoughts and registers sin for that and subsequently gives punishments for the sins.
You might have heard some people say, “I was caught in a big problem. I prayed to God X and the problem disappeared. There was another difficulty and I prayed to God Y and it also disappeared, God Z has more power and willingness to help us than God W. You had better approach God W, he is the most powerful”. If some God has the powers to relieve your problem; then whom do you think gave you the problem originally? Please think. Is it not the same God who had given you the problem originally? Through some people, through diseases, through accidents, in whatever manner it comes it was given by God only and He gave it to you as a punishment for the sins you had already committed.
“Good and Bad are not given by others”
- Tamil scholar - Kaniyan Poongundranar.
The punishments and the rewards, we get in life are not given by others. God gives all these things based upon our previous sins and virtues we have committed. God who gave you the punishment, knows when to relieve you of it and the time of relieving you of the suffering has been already decided by Him. He does not releive of your sufferings only on the basis of your prayers.
As far as possible do not make appeals and requests to God, particularly unreasonable ones. God is all-wise and all powerful. He knows what to give you and when to give and how to give He has developed a perfect justifiable system. Let us not interfere with that beautiful flawless and foolproof system. If you are always going on demanding, God may be irritated by your nagging behaviour. If you leave everything in the hands of
God and wait, God perhaps may give you more blessings.
Charles Dickens, a well –known author, wrote novels. In his novels, he wrote in detail about the condition of children working in factories and coal mines. He inspired people through his novels to raise voice against child labor. It was then that UK British government passed factory Act. It made a rule that: a) no child was allowed to work who was below 9 years of age years of age. B) No child was allowed to work at night. C) The working time of children under the age of 18 was limited to 12 hours.
Good common schools were opened for poor children. They got free education there. About ten years later, the child labor system was stopped in England. But it still exists in India and in many developing countries.
The government of India has also made laws to stop the practice of child labor. But it still continues in many places.
All of us do one or the other work throughout the day. But the work that a person does for earning money is called his/ her occupation. The people are who do different jobs for earning money.
We see many people around us who do different kinds of work. 1) Sweeper sweeps the streets. 2) Washer man washes clothes 3) postman bring us letters 4) Farmer grows food crops 5) doctor treats us when we re ill 6) teachers teaches lessons at school.
School bus driver takes us to the school 7) (children go to school for studies.)
In this way, different people do different work. The work they do to earn money is their occupation, these are the jobs that people go out and do. But there are few chores that are done at home.
Work at home
Our mother cooks food for us. She washes our clothes and keeps the house neat and clean.
Working children
Like us, all children are not lucky. Children belonging to poor families do not get time to play. They go out and work for helping their parents in earning their living. Some of them work in factories, some work in restaurants, mechanic workshop and some work as maids or helpers in houses.
Such children do not get the time to go to school during the day. That is why they go to night school. They work during daytime and study in the evening at school. They lead a very tough life. If children below 14years of age work to earn their living, it is called child labor.
The system of child labor originated in England children worked in coal mines and textile factories. They worked for more than 12 hours a day, just like any adult labor. They were paid very less wages. They were not given any holidays and other facilities.
You must thank God that you have been given so many facilities. You need not go out and work for earning your living. In earlier times, children had to cover long distances by walk for studying. But today the schools have arranged for transport facilities. School buses and vans are there to pick up and drop children at their schools and homes. Good common schools were opened in India and England where poor children were given free education.
There are many elderly people in this old who have nobody to take care of them. Such people live in special homes called old age homes.
We should respect our elders. We will learn the ways to help the old people.
Have you ever seen old people who can not hear properly or have weak eyesight or cannot walk without support?
Do you help them or make fun of them? We must remember that one day all of us will become old like them. How would we feel if somebody made fun of us? Behave with others the way you want others to behave with you. Do not let old people feel that they are unwanted. Spend time with them. Give them your love and affection to make them happy. Every weekend, Bheema’s family visits an old Age home. Bheema’s family enjoys spending time with people living there. Some of the people living there can not hear properly, some have weak eyesight and some may have to take support of stick or some one for walking. Bheema’s sister is giving medicines to an elderly person. Bheema’s is mother helping an old lady.
Is there anybody in your family who cannot hear properly nor has weak eyesight due to old age? How do you help the person in his or her day-to –day routine?
In an old age home, there are people who take care of the elderly people and help them in their daily activities. But when ever Bheema’s family visits the place, it does many things to cheer up the people living here.
Bheema’s father is giving a blind his stick in the old age home. Bheema’s reading a book for an elderly person.
Old age home is the place where old people live together who does not have any relative to take care of them. We should not make fun of the elder who can not hear properly or weak eyesight or are handicapped in any other way.
Raise funds from you neighborhood and set up an organization. Donate the collected amount to any local old age home. Also make it a point to visit n old age home whenever possible with parents and friends. Organize cultural programs like plays, dance programs, etc., to entertain elderly people living there.
Savita is a young girl. She likes helping people. For example, if someone cannot read very well, she will help them their reading. Two women she knows cannot see very well. She reads out their letters or anything else they ask, to them.
There were many children with special needs. Some were blind, some were deaf and dumb and some were lame. Some people cannot see, hear or speak. They are called people with special needs. We should never make fun of them and try to help them in all possible ways.
October I St is dedicated to the old people. It is celebrated internationally as old Age day.
``Loneliness and the feeling of being n is the most terrible poverty.’’-mother Teresa.
Relation ships
Parents and children make a family. A family is the basic of a society. In this families and family tree is there. How the family members help each other in times of need.
``Hello I am Chintu. I live a joint family. I live with my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. One of my uncles is not yet married. When he gets married, one more member would be added to our family. The girl who will marry my uncle will become my aunt. Their children will be my cousin.’’
Families can be divided into three main types. They are: 1) nuclear family or small family 2) big family 3) joint family.
1) A family in which parents live with one or two children is called a nuclear or small.
2) A family in which parents live with more than two children is called a big family.
3) A family in which grandparents, parents, uncle, aunts and cousins live less than one roof is called a joint family.
All of us love our families
Our home is the first school. The family members are our first teachers. They teach us many good things. They help us in growing up as good human beings.
An ideal family is one in which al the family members support each other in good and bad times.
Whenever there is any problem in a family, all thee family members get together to think and solve the problem. All of them also celebrate their happiness together.
a) Family members help each other in times of need. b) Family members celebrate their happiness together.
All the families follow some riles or customs. In some families, people do not have their breakfast before worshiping God.
A child learns good habits and values from his/ her family.
Our family influences us a lot. We learn many things from our elders. They teach us the difference between good and bad thins.
Sharing and caring
Chintu’ never helped his parents and grandparents at home. One day, his mother said, ``There is a lot of work in the house. If all of us share the work, it would be finished in a short time. Then we will get a lot of free time to spend with each other.’’
One day, his teacher asked him in the class, ``whom do you admire the most in your home? Chintu at once replied, ``my mother’’.
On being asked why, he said ``She not only goes out and works but also al the cooking and washing she also takes care of all the persons in the family.’’ The teacher then asked, ``what is the work that others in your hose do?’’
Chintu replied, `My father teaches me when he comes back from office.
We have a small lawn in our house. Before going to office, he waters all the plants. While coming back from office he brings milk and vegetables from the market. In the evening my grandfather takes me, my sister and cousins to the park. He also helps us in studies. He has a very vast knowledge. My grandmother us stories. She also helps my mother in keeping the house clean. I play with my cousins and sister. My cousin Madhu is a very good tabla player. He teaches me how to play tabla.
The teacher said, ``we should all help each other at homes as well as at school’’.
Looks and behavior
One day, chintu’s grandmother was showing him the photographs of his father’s childhood. She said, ``Look, how much you look like your father. Not only the looks, but the way you talk, the way you walk, your eating habits are just like your father’s.’’
There was a family function. Chintu met all his cousins. He found that one of his cousins looked like his grandfather a lot. He asked his grandfather, ``Grandpa, Rohan looks exactly as you used to look when you were of his age. I have seen your photograph when you are young. Ow is this possible?’’
Grandfather explained, ``Many people in a family look alike. They have similar features –some have same color of eyes, some have same hair color, some have same face-cut, etc. Some people in a family have similar qualities. For example, you make beautiful paintings. You have got this quality from your mother. She is also very good at drawing. Your father is soft spoken like your grandmother. In this way, family members get the qualities and looks of their forefathers. It is because of heredity that we inherit many things from our parents or grandparents.’’
Relationships
People who live in nuclear families meet n special occasion and have fun together.
This is my friend Suresh. He lives in nuclear family with his parents. On Sunday, they visit their relatives and spend the day together. On holidays and on special occasions like festivals, birthdays and marriages they meet al their relatives and have fun.
Whenever anybody is in the family is sick, all the relatives him/her. They take proper care of each other in times of needs.
It is a well known fact that the children of the present day are the citizens of the future. It is also said that the child is the father of man. The seeds of the future society are in the children of the present age. As such these children have to be brought up along the right lines. Only then the society of the future will be a healthy one.
Man’s character is shaped as he proceeds from childhood to old age. But the impressions of his childhood are strong. It is better to teach children all positive qualities. Parents and teachers should share this responsibility. A child’s education begins at home. His parents should mould his character in such a way that he grows into a useful youth. Children should be made to understand that all men are brothers. Virtues like honesty and mercy should be taught to them. At every stage a child’s career has to be watched carefully. Boys and girls should be given a training in school that teaches them good social and moral values.
It is an unfortunate truth that many children in this country are neglected. They do not have proper upbringing owing to their parents’ poverty. Education is not given to them and they become illiterates. Some fall into bad company and become a nuisance in society. Alter they turn into anti-social elements. Poverty is the main cause of this. Some parents turn their children into labourers to support the family. In India child labour is a big problem. In spite of several laws the practice continues. We cannot hope such children to grow into responsible citizens in future.
The government realised the importance of providing free education to all children. In schools, children are taught social values. The ideas of equality, patriotism and honesty are placed before them. They are exposed to the lives of great men like the Mahatma. By this they have an object-lesson before them that can be followed. Children growing with these ideas in the mind will grow into healthy citizens.
As Rajaji says children and youth are the bricks with which the edifice of the nation is built. These bricks should be strong. Otherwise the national structure will collapse.
Page 96 of 202