Acharya Tulsi
Society is of two types—a morbid society and a healthy society. No one likes morbidity. Every individual wishes to be healthy. He looks for a healthy society in order to be healthy himself. But the only difficulty before him is that he gets confused among the criteria of morbidity and health. The society in which no one is poor, unemployed or deprived of means of comfort and convenience and is not afflicted by natural calamities is a healthy-society. This is one criterion. Another criterion revolves round educational progress. A society, which has the maximum number of educational institutions and educational facilities are provided even in all villages and no one is illiterate, is a healthy society. In the opinion of some other people, the standard of health or a high status of society is the availability of luxury items. A society in which every individual has his own car, refrigerator, television, computer, room cooler and.similar newly discovered gadgets is a healthy society.
Every individual has his own way of thinking and his own view point, why should I insist that the thinking of other people is wrong and my thinking alone is correct? I am familiar with Mahavira's doctrine of non-absolutism (anekantavada). According to that philosophy, everyone's way of thinking has an element of truth. The problem arises when a partial truth is taken to be the whole truth. The other side of the problem is to presume one's own thinking to be right and attempt to prove the thinking of others wrong. I do not believe that my thinking reflects the whole truth and that of others is altogether wrong. In my view, a healthy society is that in which—
- No one ever kills any innocent creature.
- No one takes an initiative to attack anyone.
- No one resorts to violent sabotage.
- No one regards anyone else as untouchable.
- There are no sectarian passions that run wild.
- Unethical professional practices do not prevail and such practices are not glorifield. Democracy is not reduced to mockery and there are no immoral practices at the time of
elections. - In which society is not held in the tight grip of condemnable social customs.
- In which there is no consumption of intoxicating substances.
- In which accumulation of wealth and indulgence in sensual pleasures are not unrestrained.
- In which environment is not neglected.
There can be many other similar points. These are the matters which are useful not only to a single individual, but also to society or nation. Through them the consciousness of the entire world can be influenced and awakened. By avoiding talking at length, this point can be expressed just in one word. That word is anuvrat, the primary vows to be followed by a layman. Anuvrat is the basis on which to build the edifice of a healthy society. Those who wish to make their society healthy should try to mould the life of every individual into the framework of anuvrat. This is a collective enterprise. If the power of people is fully harnessed, the morbidity in society can be easily eliminated.
