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.