The five fundamental human values

Whenever we open news channels or read newspaper everywhere we find violence. Rape, robbery, riots almost every day. We experience pain and worry about future. There may be different reasons for individual cases but if we go at macro level we find lack of patience or tolerance. Main reason of violence in society is lack of Value based education. If there is value based education there would be truth, righteousness in heart there would be love, compassion and detachment in practice. By this way everyone will love and will be loved. In modern education system we are becoming full of information but lacking values. 

In my earlier article you have seen that All Religions are the means to the same end. If we go in details of each religion, we will find that all religions follow some basic values like Sathya, Dharma, Shanti Prema and Ahimsha. These are universal values applicable everywhere.  Let’s discuss what are these values which have power to transform the world if practiced honestly.

Truth- Truth can be expressed as changeless reality. Which cannot be changed. Its attributes are Curiosity, Discriminations, Intuitions, Quest for Knowledge, Spirit of enquiry, truthfulness etc. If practiced it gives peace to the mind.

Right Conduct- Righteousness is really Dharma in Practice. It is truth in action like Cleanness, Courage, Determination, Duty, Honesty, and Service to others.

Peace- Peace is a real character of our Atma. Its attributes are Calmness, Concentration, Endurance, Purity, Self-disciplines, Self-respect. 

Love- Love is under current of all values. Its attributes are Caring, Devotion, Empathy, Forbearance, Friendship, Selflessness.

Non Violence- Non-violence is the Mantra of Kaliyoga. Its attributes are Awareness of responsibility of citizenship, Compassion, Consideration of others, Harmlessness, Helpfulness, Justice.

These values are so emmeshed as to be indistinguishable from one another. It has been explained that love is undercurrent of all values. Everything else is from love only. In speech it becomes truth. In action it becomes right conduct. In thought or feeling it becomes peace. In understanding it becomes nonviolence. Each of them leads to the other.   

Practicing the human values gives piece to mind. To start with truth, we become honest to our self before anybody else. When we are honest to our self our action/effort also becomes honest and results into right conduct. After right conduct we feel peace. Non-violence have become part of right conduct in our life. 

Right conduct is source of peace is world. That why Swami used to say that When there is righteousness in heart there is beauty in character, when there is beauty in character there is harmony at home. When there is harmony at home their order in the nation.  When there is order in the nation there is peace in the world.

So friends please start with practicing harmony in thought deed and action.