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Jaina Concept of Peace
Peace: The Need of our Age
We are living in the age of science and technology. The advancement in our scientific knowledge has removed our religious superstitions and false dogmas. But unfortunately and surprisingly, side by side, it has also shaken our mutual faith and faith in moral virtues as well as religio-spiritual values. The old social and spiritual values of life, acting as binding on humanity and based on religious beliefs, had been made irrelevant by scientific knowledge and logical thinking. Till date, we have been unable to formulate or evolve a new value structure, so necessary for meaningful and peaceful living in society, based on our seientific and logical outlook. We are living in a state of total chaos. Infact, the present age is the age of transition, old values have become irrelevant, and new ones have not been yet established. We have more knowledge and faith in atomic structure and power than the values needed for meaningful and peaceful life. Today, we strongly rely on the atomnic power as our true rescuer and discard the religio-spiritual values as mere superstitions. Mr. D.R. Mehta rightly observed, "In the present day world with religion getting separated from daily life and spreading commercialisation killing (violence) has increased manyfold and sensitivity to (others) life whether animal or human has declined in proportion". For us human being is either a complicated machine or at least a developed animal, governed by his instincts and endowed with some faculties of mechanical reasoning. Thus, we have developed a totally materialistic and selfish outlook.
The advancement in all the walks of life and knowledge could not sublimate our animal and selfish nature. The animal instinct lying within us is still forceful and is dominating our individual and social behaviour and due to this our life is full of excitements, emotional disorders and mental tensions. The more advanced a nation, more stronger the grip of these evils of our age over it. The single most specific feature by which our age may be characterised is that of tension. Now a days not only the individuals, but the total human race is living in tension.
Though outwardly we are pleading for peace and non-violence yet by heart we still have strong faith in the law of the jungle, i.e. the dictum-- 'might is right'. We are living for the satisfaction of our animal nature only, though we talk of higher social and spiritual values. This duality
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or the gulf between our thought and action is the sole factor disturbing our inner as well as outer peace. Once the faith in higher values or even in our fellow beings is shaken and we start seeing each and every person or a community or a nation with the eyes of doubt, definitely, it is the sign of disturbed mentality.
Because of materialisitc and mechanical outlook our faculty of faith has been destroyed and when the mutual faith and faith in higher values of co-operation and co-existence is destroyed, doubts take pace. The doubt causes fear, fear gives birth to violence and violence triggers violence. The present violence is the result of our materialistic attitude and doubting nature. The most valuable thing, human race has lost in the present age, is none other than peace.
Science and technology has given us all the amenities of life. Though due to the speedy advancement in science and technology, nowadays, life on earth is so luxurious and pleasant as it was never before yet because of the selfish and materialistic outlook and doubting nature of man, which we have developed today, no body is happy and cheerful. We are living in tension all the times and deprived of, even a pleasant sound sleep. The people, materially more affluent having all the amenities of life, are more in the grip of tensions. Medical as well as psychological survey reports of advance nations confirm this fact. Tendency to consume alcoholic and sedative drugs is increasing day by day. It also supports the fact that we have lost our mental peace at the cost of this material advancement. Not only this, we have also been deprived of our natural way of living. S. Bothara maintains "What unfortunately has happened, is that the intoxication of ambition and success has made us forget even the natural discipline, which we, inherited from the animal kingdom"2. Because of the development of mental faculties we have not only denied to accept social or religious checkpost but we also have denied natural checks. Now our life-cart has only accelerator, no break. Our amibitions and desires have no limits. They always remain unfulfilled and these unfulfilled desires create frustrations. These frustrations or resentments are the cause of our mental tensions. Due to the light legged means of transportation, physical distances are no bars to meet the peoples of different nations, cultures and religions and thus, our world is shrinking. But unluckily and disdainfully because of the materialistic and selfish outlook, the distance of our hearts is increasing day by day.
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