Bliss

Author(s): Amarmuni
Publisher: Sanmati Gyan Pith Agra

Page 37

22
Individual and society
violence? None. All of them give the same message of universal friendliness, tolerance towards all of humanity and protection to animals.
But it is disappointing that the world today has turned a blind eye towards violence. Innocent people are massacred, some blinded, some amputated; humanity seems to be in a shredding machine! News of people being burnt alive or buried alive, scenes of tens and thousands of people rendered homeless and inflicted with injury are mere stories in the news today. The screams of suffering humanity pierce the very core of our being and yet the violence continues! Rape, murder, terrorism in various forms - death dances in its naked form. Man is not human any more. He has become demoniac and sometimes even worse than a demon. Truly, shame has been put to shame!
So, are we saying that culture and non-violence are lost forever? One does not have to go far to see the demoniac crimes that are plaguing the world today. Everyday we receive news of how the more powerful nations wield brute force over less powerful nations. It seems as if there is no humanism left any more. And all this happens in the name of patriotism, culture and religion.
The need of the hour is a collective effort, an ethical approach. What is needed is non co-operation. As long as those bent upon ruling others gain military and financial help from the superpowers, this power game will continue. It is unfortunate that most of the countries interact only out of selfishness and not out of humanitarianism.
I have been explaining that an individual is important in himself, but he cannot survive by rebelling against society. Yes, individualists consider society as a group of individuals, but they undermine the role of society and stress on the importance of the individual. Among the principles of individualism the main question is the autonomy of the individual. Freedom is the most important and cherished gift which every individual must treat with responsibility. Without freedom he cannot evolve, his development is not possible. No nation can control that basic