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JAINISM AND SOCIAL
HARMONY
Importance of Social Harmony -
Everyone is aware of the pain and misery that is wrought upon the society and its individual members in a society torn by strife and conflict and the state of pleasure and happiness that prevails in a society blessed with harmony, agreement and understanding. A state of social harmony is of paramount importance because the societies in states of disharmony are in states of discontent as well and it is the harmonious societies that make all-round progress.
Harmony is nothing but a state of agreement and understanding of mutual feelings, interests and opinions. The conflict arises when we fail to appreciate the feelings, interests, opinions and view–points of others and abruptly reject them in favour of conflicting views. In any society such a state of affairs breeds mutual hatred and results in unresolved conflicts. As the very aim of every form of existence is to gain pleasure and happiness, it stands to logic that human beings have been in search of ways and means to resolve such conflicts and promote harmony. Jaina seers are no exception to this rule and they, too, have been on the lookout for such means. In this essay we propose to examine as to how effective the search by the Jaina seers down the ages has been and how effective the Jaina precepts and a life led in accordance with these precepts are in resolution of social conflicts and paving the way for social harmony.
