Dr. Sulekh Chand Jain
The importance of this cannot be over emphasized. How can we tell our kids not to smoke if we are smokers ourselves? It just does not work that way. Kids learn from their parents first and later from their teachers, peers, and the environment.
- Once I read a story that shared the account of one mother whose son used to eat lots of candy and would not give them up no matter what. She brought this son to Mahatma Gandhi and requested Gandhi-ji to advise her son to give up candies. Gandhi-ji told the mother to bring her son back to him after a month, which she did. Then, a month later, Gandhi said to the boy to give up candy. The boy agreed and promised that he would not eat candy any more. The mother was very pleased but at the same time puzzled. She asked Gandhi-ji, if it was so simple, why did he not say the same thing to her son a month ago? To this Gandhi- ji replied that a month ago, he too used to eat candy, but not anymore. So, one can see the power of practice before preaching. Unfortunately in the Jain community, too many times parents, society, and leaders don’t practice what they preach and so the cycle goes on. This is one major cause of the malaise in our community.
- To illustrate the importance of this, a few years ago, one non -Jain Swami Ji told me that during one camp/shivir for youth, there was no hot water for bath. It was also a cold day.Fearing that many youths will complain and will not take bath, this sadhu himself voluntarily went and took bath in the cold water. Seeing this all the youts did the same and no one complained.
- Here is another real story to illustrate this point. Recently one High School teacher from Fort Worth, Texas who had attended the Teachers for Ahimsa Program in 2013 in India (already mentioned in an earlier chapter) called and told me that one day while teaching the 4th grade class, one cockroach came in the classroom. Instead of killing the helpless creature, she picked up the poor fellow in a glass jar and very gently discharged him outside in the bushes. Seeing this, the students asked why did she (the teacher) not kill the cockroach as this is what they all normally do in their homes. Now the teacher started a long discussion on ahimsa, compassion and respect for all lives. The kids were so impressed that next day some of them decided not to eat meat any more. Wow, what a great example of Practice before preaching!
