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The Jains through Time
country. Government should also do something about solving the problems that beset people every day. People want to live safely and in accordance with their beliefs and ideals. But when and how do they have the opportunity to lead an independent life? What is happening and why it is happening is no longer a secret. Anyone can read about scandals, corruption, deceit, violence, murder, covert sales of import-export licences and other such chicanery in the daily newspapers. Each new administration promises 'open' government, matters are taken to court, enquiries are made and commissions set up - all to no avail.
A religion is not a cult or a sect. It is the art of living. The science of living is religion. Religion teaches us how to live life along proper lines and how to improve ourselves and help others to lead an ethical and spiritual life. It teaches us how to discipline ourselves and live our lives full of love and free from fear. Politics on the other hand is limited to external systems governing life and society. To ignore the primary principles that regulate human, moral and spiritual evolution is to construct a politics that turns its back on all that is most essentially human. Love, trust, benevolence, empathy and mutual help are all thrown overboard in contemporary politics. Politics today plays no active role at all in improving the character of men.
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When we analyse the situation, we find the main cause of this decline is that politics has become devoid of religion and morality. It has lost its ideals and become an arena for greed. Historians, economists and sociologists may advance various theories, but spiritual thinkers and seers are unanimous in declaring that the departure of politics from the path shown by religion is the reason for chaos in government today.
No system of politics can be worthwhile if it remains indifferent to the principles of religion. The word 'secular' was introduced to describe something as being unbiased towards any particular religion, but secularism today means indifference to truth, knowledge, trust, love and compassion. Such secular politics is no more
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