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The rights and duties of man

The rights and duties of man

Hasan Kamoonpuri
The Weekend Observer
March 18, 2000
Title: The rights and duties of man
Author: Hasan Kamoonpuri
Publication: The Weekend Observer
Date: March 18, 2000

Modern educational institutions are not producing good, wise men in our country. They lay emphasis on teaching skills. They improve knowledge but with little emphasis on building character and good behaviour. As such, they produce bookworms, instead of enlightened, healthy and happy human beings, says a world-renowned professor of dermatology.

"There is a rat race for different courses, marks, and degrees with the result that though man is becoming richer in information he is becoming poorer in health, happiness and enlightenment," adds Dr P N Behl, 76, who was earlier head of dermatology department in Maulana Azad Medical College. His recent book 'The Lord of Darkness - Lessons in Reviving Humanism', says 'rights of one man arise out of the duties of the other man. If duties are not performed well the demand for rights becomes futile.'

A right does not accrue to a person unless it accrues against him in the form of a duty. In much the same manner, a duty does not accrue against a person unless it also accrues in his favour in the form of a right.

'In my opinion the duties are more important than rights', says Dr Behl, who is founder-director of Skin Institute & School of Dermatology in Greater Kailash-I of Delhi. If duties are not performed well your demand for rights becomes devoid of any meaning and force. That is the tragedy of social development in modern times.

For strengthening the sense of duties among people, human values have to be imprinted on the minds of persons right from childhood by the example of parents, teachers, relatives, etc.

Examples make a better impression than words or lectures. If you do not practice what you tell your children to do, they will call it hypocrisy and turn their backs on you, says Behl.

Teachers, parents, priests and doctors can strengthen the commitment of young people who have a well-developed sense of personal morality. They can help sensitise the youth to the kinds of ethical quandaries that will confront them in later life.

If you can create order in yourself then you have taken the first step to creating order amongst others and in the environment, in which people work. You cannot manage things outside you until you can manage your inner self, and vice versa.

Managing from the inside-out rests on the idea that what is outside is a reflection of what is inside us and vice versa. So if cannot perf4rm you duties well, you cannot expect to realise your rights as well.

'The Karma Theory of Lord Krishna also says 'nobody escapes from the consequences of his deeds; sooner or later he has to pay for them.'

In the competitive world of today, man is frequently trampling on the rights of others, very often to extract money, land and sex. The result is more strife, struggle and conflicts, hence humanism - Insaaniat - is on toe funeral pyre. Modern life is becoming ever more stressful.

You need to exercise self-restraint. Without self-restraint o family or relationship can be fruitful. If each one is allowed to have his own way, the family will break up and come to ruin.

In the West, there is no moral face or dependence on each other because of self-indulgent habits of drink and sex. The result is that the divorce rate is very high.

Broken marriages are the order of the day. Children are not taken care of; they run wild, take to drugs, alcohol and may become delinquents. Young unwed girls become mothers.

Good parents, especially mothers, help a lot in protecting the children from bad habits.

But even mothers working part-time have begun to lose control over their children.

In advanced countries and in educated society, broken marriages are becoming very common because people do not attach importance to their duties, nor do they exercise self-restraint in their behaviour with each other.
 



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