Dr. Jyoti Sharma
At the present time, ethical or moral issues are as important as scientific and technological activities and progress. Science and technology provide us with the capacity to possess systematic knowledge of natural and human realities and to improve the conditions of our material life. Certainly the moral values in today’s generation are lacking and generations will be confused about their ethics. The youngsters or adolescents are the future of tomorrow so the lack of moral values especially among this important section of the society is a serious issue. The root cause of the lack of moral values among adolescents is the disturbances in their families as family is the key factor behind moral crises because children acquire moral values from the family. When the basic unit i.e. family is unstable and parents are emotionally distant from their wards due to any reason may be they are pre-occupied with their own problems or due to work pressure, the process of acquiring moral values is disrupted and difficult. I just want to quote an example of moral degradation from my own social circle which inspires me to write on that topic is about a teenager boy who is barely 13-14 years old got indulged in sexual activities with one of his neighbourer aunt who has got the responsibility to look after him in the absence of his parents. In that incident who is responsible for all that? Naturally it is the low graph of moral values on both parts.
Now the question arises that how the changes in our economic system and social system after the advent of globalisation which is for the betterment, negatively influences the adolescents moral development.
Globalisation is responsible for the transitional period, which includes longer schooling due to career consciousness, earlier puberty, late marriages, separation from adults and parents. There is a societal change that creates opportunities for adolescents to live in ways that are significantly different from their parents. At the stage of adolescence they believe that they can try anything for the sake of their pleasure or do anything what they want to do, hardly matter what parents suggest. At that stage the role of parents and teachers should come. There is cooperation and partnership between elders and adolescents instead of obedience and hierarchy. In that senses, it is important to emphasize that the higher the closeness between the children and their parents, the bigger the acceptance of values in them. Sometime it is expected from schools and teachers to address the various issues of moral degradation which sometime includes obesity, smoking, cheating, lying, sexual indulgement and underage drinking. All these clearly indicate a big failure of parents to share the responsibility of positive grooming of the children. They are just shifting their responsibility in the heads of teachers which is a joint responsibility of both.
In order to remove the problem, the suggested measures are discussed as under:
Parental Interactions
Parents have the greatest influence in a child’s life. Children learn the basic values of behavior and living from their parents. Interestingly enough, punishment for disobeying rules creates only part of moral judgments in children. Children in fact learn by example, and whatever home they are actually living in will shape how they make moral decisions.
When children experience interactions inside and outside the home in which they feel safe and cared for and where anger and hostility are not present, they develop a strong sense of self which develops into a strong moral base. When they see or experience something such as violence that is contrary to their normal way of living, they instinctively know that way of life is wrong. Parents who spend time on discussing the basis of their moral principles and the expectations and rewards of following those moral principles usually do a much better job at teaching their children to hold to the same level of morals as they have.
Role Models’ Interactions
Outside of parents, teachers, and other role models, schools plays a pivotal part in shaping the morals of the next generation. They place a high value on character traits such as honesty, integrity, and compassion, and teachers who exhibit these attributes will naturally pass them along. Abraham Lincoln is noted for saying, “What you do speak so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying.” Inconsistency and hypocrisy on the part of teachers and parents alike can cause real harm to a child’s moral development. Other role models can influence a child’s life without even knowing they are doing so. The media provides a direct yet sometimes inaccurate link between children and their role models. Many times a role model speaks or acts inappropriately yet a child thinks those actions or words are acceptable simply because someone they look up to has endorsed them. Children need guidance in choosing proper role models that will best shape their moral development.
Social Interactions
Children need various forms of social interaction to develop into well-rounded adults. These include interacting with other adults, family members, and other children, older and younger than they. Each interaction will reinforce or challenge a child’s preconceived ideas about what is morally acceptable. Most children want to have a feeling of belonging and quickly learn the social conventions to that will help them fit in. In learning how to get along with others, children learn by trial and error how to adjust their actions to fit the moment.
In nut shell, in order to inculcate moral values among adolescents it should be an ongoing process and should start as soon a child takes birth. Children watch and hear whatever will happen in their surroundings may be in the family of in social set up and say so we have to be careful that we are doing is correct and you don’t mind the same thing from your child. If you are doing or saying something or using a language which you will not like from your children Parents and teachers keep telling them what is wrong and what is right.
According to me kindness, patience, empathy, sympathy, sharing, respect to elders, sense of responsibility and not going overboard with the authority they are given are few things that should be deeply put in their minds from their early years in order to keep them on the track of life.
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