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of governments and authorities are imposed on them and often the people have no voice. This poses questions about the freedom. Faced with this dilemma, the Jain way is to judge how one should act in the light of the principle of ahimsaa; there are often ways to be found of complying with government decrees without compromising this principle.
Education is a moral act; knowledge and the ways in which it is classified and imparted are not morally neutral. Jains view education as a moral project to promote physical and mental well being and to help to bring about a good society based upon sound moral and spiritual values. Parents have an important role and responsibility in the education of their children, they cannot abdicate this responsibility to schools or teachers. Without their active support and co-operation, children cannot learn to the best of their ability. Parents have to educate by example, practising self-restraint and moral values. Jainism makes no apology for being conservative and seeing the family as the proper building block of society.
Human life depends upon other living beings: without plants and animals, humankind could not survive, and Jainism believes that all living beings have the capacity to feel and experience pain and pleasure in differing degrees. Science has confirmed the sensitive balances of the natural world, and practically all religions teach us to safeguard life on earth and to show compassion to living things, but clearly this is often lacking. Millions of animals, large and small, are killed daily for food, but this need not happen, as we can survive without such violence. Animals suffer and die in so-called sports and through hunting, for the satisfaction of human desires.
Besides animals, the plant kingdom is also suffering from the behaviour of humankind, resulting in desertification, deforestation and similar detrimental effects on large areas of the earth, which is intensifying the environmental imbalance still further. Violence in any form is the main cause of unhappiness in the world. As a result of human dietary habits the world is becoming more and more violent everyday. Although the killing of animals and destruction of the natural world happen everyday, it is not essential for human existence and its progress.
Jainism teaches that one should try to avoid harming nature in any way and live harmoniously with all life on this earth. More obvious forms of violence: crimes such as assaults, robbery, burglary, all types of dishonesty, and sexual offences are common in modern societies, causing fear and unhappiness. Jains believe that a society based upon their principles of non-violence and reverence for life', 'non-attachment' and 'relative pluralism' would lead to an improvement and fairness to all.
Modern societies are much more open about sexual matters than societies were in the past. The changed economic position of women has created a genuinely new situation. To Jains, the prevalence of family problems: single parenthood, illegitimate children, termination of pregnancies, and the many economic, health and social problems arising from sexual behaviour are avoidable. Jainism teaches sexual restraint, and there is little doubt that many of our current problems would not occur if more responsibility was exercised and attitudes were less 'liberal'. Jainism regards marriage, as an institution worthy of support and hence, divorce is very uncommon in Jain communities. As a result of Jain views on the nature of karma, it is also uncommon for widowed women to remarry. These women frequently devote their lives to spiritual pursuit, some even become ascetics.
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