On your way home from workplace, if you see a lost child in a busy shopping centre, would you come to his aid? Would you give up your seat in the bus for an elderly person? Would you knock on your next-door neighbour’s door to offer them a lift to the supermarket?
These are questions you need to ask yourselves from time to time and you might be often troubled by your honest responses.
As a society, we appear to have lost the willingness to extend the hand of friendship. Our responses to children, to older people, to strangers, are all conditioned by a concern not to offend and a fear of getting involved.
We are slowly losing our basic social values. It highlights a real concern for the way in which our current society increasingly values people for their economic contribution, at the expense of values and compassion. The individual advancement is seen as more significant than the ability to care for others.
I spoke with a young business executive who has just completed his MBA. He is employed in a star-grade company. His answer was straightforward: “Yes, I agree. There is a serious problem of social values today. Look at our social institutions. All our religions are irrelevant for today’s world. Religious leaders do not practise what they preach.”
“Our Parliament democracy is in chaos and we have been led through the garden path since independence. Our so-called “free-enterprise” system has failed. We have only created few multi-billionaires. Above all, our system of criminal justice is repressive and it is favoured towards the rich and politically powerful people. Our whole economic and social system has become a wholly selfish, materialistic. We have become a racist society with unworthy goals and warped priorities.”
Whether we agree with the young man’s agitations is a different matter. Yet, there are enough reasons for us to be unhappy with the society we have created. The idea of the common good has been lost and Sri Lanka today is experiencing a severe social recession – the effects of which are far more devastating and long-lasting than any economic recession. The people are fed up with the status quo and are hungry for change. They expect radical changes.
So, how can we go about making the changes we need?
Values
Let us pause and probe a little deeper. In any society the so-called contemporary development, which is called modernisation, does not take place in a vacuum but in a society of people with ingrained social values. It is therefore prudent that any developmental occurrence which is not in conformity with the basic components of societal values are said to be in contrast with civilization. I believe this is a mistake we done in the past, not once, but number of times.
The values, norms and morals are national assets which do not change easily. Our values may be of two types: (1) specific - We may have values associated with some group of people, such as food, clothing, housing, music and dancing, and art. (2) unspecific - These values are abstract and may include such as respect, love, marriage, taboos, laws, hard work, kindness and worship.
These values and morals are the binding pillars of our society and success of any form of modernisation and development depends largely on the values and norms.
New meanings
At the same time, we should review our own values and discover new meanings to face the changing modern world. Our people formerly led simple and humble lives, following their faith and conscience. It is in this sphere that our values could be readjusted to participate and contribute to the modernization process of our nation.
Now, we will touch briefly some of our values.
(1) Like other cultural traditions in the South Asia, Sri Lankan social values has placed great prominence upon the harmonious co-existence of man and nature. Questions need to be asked whether we are currently maintaining that peaceful co-existence, and if not, what could be done.
(2) We, as a people, are entitled to recall that the history of Sri Lanka is a proud and decent one. However slow and painful progress at times may seem, the consistent vision is of a society in which all can live in self-respect and responsibly pursue their own aspirations.
It is true, of course, that we have witnessed racial discrimination in the past. But no one can fairly question the present national government’s commitment to full equality. Racial discrimination by State action is now proscribed by laws and court decisions which protect civil liberties perhaps more broadly than in most Asian countries.
But laws alone are not enough. Racial prejudice in the hearts of men cannot be legislated out of existence. It will pass only in time, and as human beings of all races learn in humility to respect each other—a process not furthered by undue self-accusation.
(3) The political dimension of social values underpin development such as law and order, peace and security. Only the political leaders who are conflict resolution experts can solve social problems in a fair and just way. The key objective of peace and conflict management system is to maintain peaceful co-existence. Reconciliation and reunion are important values to the good governance process.
(4) Religion and morality are very much important in the social order and social change process. The religious beliefs promote good kinship and cordial interpersonal relations and respect for elderly, kindness and habit of sharing, compliance with social norms and control of deviant behaviours in the society.
(5) Traditional and indigenous technologies such as craftsmanship, blacksmithing, weaving, basketry, pottery, art, aesthetics, and paintings were very crucial in defining society and giving meaning to Sri Lankan life. They bring national pride and harmony.
(6) Entertainment, self-expression, information sharing and emotional uplift were well adhered to and advance in various forms such as music and dance, drumming, singing, sculpture, painting and art.
Humanity
We need to rediscover humanity in our communities. Solidarity is a term little used today. Yet across the country, people are taking on the challenge of climate change by working together to reduce their carbon footprints through recycling and growing and selling local produce. The same is true of those who help people in need, or who volunteer in hospitals and schools to make sure people in our communities are cared for and nurtured.
From NGOs to civic societies to clubs to associations, civic society is showing itself to be adaptive and resilient. It is demonstrating that solidarity is a product of a more serious, more engaged political discourse that is willing and able to respond to the challenges of the 21st Century.
Closely associated with this, is the notion of hospitality, and the desire to create a country that is genuinely hospitable. A hospitable country will be able to ration in the interests of generosity, not plunder in the pursuit of greed. It is a country in which the stranger is welcomed, the weak are supported and the dispossessed are empowered.
Civility
And finally, there is civility. The generosity of spirit which allows for kindness, and politeness, that embraces difference without fear, and that genuinely sees an equality between people. Civility is at the core of an active, vibrant and welcoming society.
Without fear of being nostalgic, it is time to reclaim these values – the future of our society depends on them.
It is said that man is a child of history, society and culture. Even if modernization is necessary to improve human life, it will be indispensable for a South Asian country like Sri Lanka to maintain their social values.
Social values need neither reject modernization nor to be absorbed in the streams of modernization. These two must harmonize and complement each other.
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