Q.9. “How can I trust a stranger”. Give your view.
Ans. We are able to see the relationship with the person at the level of ‘I’, you will see that the other person also is like you. The other person has natural acceptance for the same things as you. He/she too wants to make himself herself happy, and wants to make you happy at the level of his intention, just as you. But he/she is unaware of this fact, just as you are or have been. Hence, he/she may be interacting with you based on your competence. If we interact with or evaluate the other person at the level of competence only, then there cannot be continuity of trust. In this case, we end up doubting the other person, and this causes a sense of opposition in us. Since opposition is not naturally acceptable to us, it creates a contradiction in us. Hence, the way out is to relate to the other person.. to be able to see that at the level of natural acceptance, we are the same. We can then interact with the person based on their competence, and also help them improve their competence.
Q.10. What is the difference between respect and disrespect ? Which of the two is naturally acceptable to you ? (2009-10, 11-12)
Ans. Difference between respect and disrespect -
Q.11. Differentiate between Attention and respect.
Ans. Now a days we do lot of things and make a lot of effort for the sake of respect. We do different activities like people change their appearance, they are climbing up for the sake of fame, eating fast food, trying different types of fashion, earning a lot of money etc. but by these things you can get only ‘attention’ of other people. You cannot get respect. These cannot create respect for you. All the while, people are uncomfortable inside, since they are struggling for the sake of respect.
If I see my relationship with you, I shall anyway respect you. I accept you in any situation or appearance. You are a human being like me. I will always respect that person who are a good human being and do good work for the society or world. You are a human, it is enough for me to respect you. This makes me happy and makes you happy. It makes both of us comfortable, it puts of us atease. So respect is a feeling which comes from your heart to any one.
Q.12. How do we disrespect others due to lack of right understanding of this feeling? (2010 - 11)
Related Questions -
Q. Define disrespect. (2012 - 13)
Ans. We can see that any kind of over, under or otherwise evaluation makes us uncomfortable, we find it unacceptable. We feel ‘disrespected’. We say we have been disrespected, when we are wrongly evaluated.
Thus, respect means to rightly evaluate. Can you think of the number of instances when you feel you have been wrongly evaluated, and the number of times you may have done the same to others? You would be surprised to find, this happens very often due to lack of right understanding of this feeling and we are insensitive about this aspect in relationship. Even though it is the cause of many problems for us in relationship, we ignore the point about respect.
Q.13. By exploring the harmony in family define undivided society (Akhanda Samaj).
Ans. Having explored the harmony in the human being, we are able to explore the harmony in the family. This enables us to understand the harmony at the level of society and nature / existence. And this is the way, the harmony in our living grows. We slowly get the competence to live in harmony with all human beings. And certainly, this is what we want basically.
The feeling of being related to every human being leads to our participation in an undivided society (Akhanda Samdja). With the understanding of values in human relationships, we are able to recognize the connectedness with every individual correctly and fulfil it. When we understand the values in relationship with other units in nature too, we are able to recognize our connectedness with them too, and fulfil it. This enables us to participate in the universal human order (Sarvabhaum Vyawasthã).
We can now conclude that there are definite values in human-to human relationships which need to be understood and fulfilled accordingly.
These values are
1. Trust
2. Respect
3. Affection
4. Care
5. Guidance
6. Reverence
7. Glory
8. Gratitude
9. Love
By living in relationships in the family, we get the occasion to gain the assurance that other person is an aid to me and not a hindrance. The family is a laboratory of sorts, in which we live our understanding and relationships. On getting assured, it becomes easy to see that society is an extension of family and that it is possible to live in harmony with every human being — thus laying the foundation for an undivided human race from family order to world family order.
In short, we live in society and we are society. We are connected to each other and live in harmony. We are the part of society, so we make undivided society.
Q.14. Explain the comprehensive human goal. How does fearlessness follow from right understanding and prosperity ? (2009-10)
Ans. Comprehensive Human Goal: -
In order to facilitate the fulfilment of the basic aspirations of all human beings in society. The comprehensive human goals are what will be conducive to the fulfilment at the individual level as well as sustainable prosperity, peace and harmony in the society:
1. Right understanding is necessary for the human being, for all human beings. When one does not have the right understanding, one remains disturbed and also acts in a manner so as to create disharmony with other human being as well as with rest of nature.
2. Prosperity is needed in every family. Prosperity in the family means that the family is able to identify its needs and is able to produce/achieve more than its requirements.
3. Trust in society means every member of society feels related to everyone else and therefore there is trust and fearlessness.
4. Co-existence in nature means there is a relationship and complementarity among all the entities in nature including human beings.
This is the Comprehensive Human Goal
The harmony in the society begins from the individual. We need to ensure right understanding in the individual as the foundation of harmony in the society. With right understanding, the need for physical facilities in the family can be ascertained. By assessing our needs correctly and by producing more than required, the family can be prosperous. Assurance of right understanding in the individuals and prosperity in the families, understanding of human relationships leads to harmony and trust (fearlessness) in the society. When every individual is able to live harmoniously in relationship, and the needs of all the families are ensured, fearlessness (mutual trust) in society will naturally follow. When human beings with right understanding interact with nature, it will be in consonance with the co-existence and will be mutually enriching.
1. Right Understanding --> 2. Prosperity --> 3. Fearlessness (trust) --> 4. Co-existense.
Q.15. What is meaning of affection? Can the feeling of affection and opposition go together? Why? (2009 - 10)
Ans. Affection (Sneha): -
Affection is the feeling of being related to the other.
Affection comes when I recognize that we both want to make each other happy and both of us are similar. Then for the first time, I feel that I am related to the other that the other is a relative of mine. This feeling is called affection.
feeling of affection comes only if Trust and Respect are already ensured. Without Trust and Respect, you feel the other is trying to make you unhappy, does not wish well for you and hence you can never feel Affection for him/her. You always see the other as being in opposition. And that is why today in the family, you find that people have been living together for years and years and still don’t feel related to each other, because that basic Trust and Respect are missing. Today, there is a crisis in the state of our relationships. We are unable to accept the other as our relative, even members of our family. When we examine this deeply, we find that we have started to doubt their intentions. We wrongly feel that they are not for my happiness and prosperity. As a result of this lack of trust on intention, we are unable to rightly evaluate our’s and the other’s competence and are hence not able to work towards improving competence in ourselves and in our family. Instead we bring an attitude of blame and try and rest the responsibility on the other. ‘When our relationships suffer, we suffer and the other suffers. No one feels happy when he/she has to struggle, to fight or live with a feeling of opposition you can verify this for yourself.
Q.16. What do you mean by differentiation in relationship? What are the issues on which differentiaion in realtionship is prevalent in the society. (2009 - 10)
Ans. Today, we are differentiating in the name of respect. We either differentiate people on the basis of their body, on the basis of their wealth and possessions or on the basis of their beliefs. There is no notion of respect in terms of right evaluation. Thus, there is no real feeling of relationship, only one of differentiation.
These are the different ways we differentiate between people today! Let us look at them one by one:
On the basis of Body: -
• Sex/Gender: We have such notions as, respect males more than females, or even the other way round in some societies! We ignore the fact that being male or female is an attribute of the body, and not an attribute at the level of ‘I’. In many countries. people even prefer a male child to a female child, and in some other societies, the other way round!
• Race: If the person is of the same race as oneself, then we treat them differently. For example, we differentiate on the basis of skin colour — white, brown, black, etc. or the basis of whether the person is of Mongolian race, Aryan race, Dravidian race, etc. or on the basis of caste, taking some caste to be high, the other to be low. Again here, we don’t do the evaluation on the basis of ‘I’, but on the basis of Body-the colour of the skin or the race or caste of the body, i.e. by the features, long noses, short noses, height, etc!
• Age: We have notions such as ‘one must respect elders’. What about youngsters? Should we insult them? Should we not respect them as well? Here, we see that we are again evaluating at the level of the body — age is related to the body, and not to ‘I’.
• Physical strength: If someone is stronger, we again treat him/her differently! This is again at the level of the body. In fact, we think that we are respecting the other while it is fear; the fear that if we do not treat them like this, we will be harmed. But this is quite prevalent: there are so many programmes, awards and titles in the world based on physical strength! This has nothing to do with how the person is at the level of ‘I’.
On the basis of Physical facilities
• Wealth: We differentiate people because some have more wealth than others. What we term as a “rich person” gets idolized. We don’t even bother to find out whether such people are feeling prosperous, or if they just have wealth? Are they happy, or just have wealth? — this is evaluation on the basis of physical facilities. This way, we are over-evaluating physical facilities first, which are just meant to fulfil the needs of the Body, and then on this basis, we are wrongly identifying our relationship.
• Post: This is a very common phenomenon. We try to respect on the basis of a person’s position. Is this post directly related to the right understanding and feelings in the Self?-we seldom verify. The post is wrongly evaluated as the mark of a person’s excellence and differentiation sets in. The post is considered important either on the basis that it gives more physical facilities or on the basis that certain positions are assumed to be important! in our education, we are trained directly or indirectly to earn posts for us to fetch respect. In due course of time, we tend to believe that respect can be availed only if we reach a certain post. Thus, the respect that could be naturally available to us becomes a rare commodity.
On the basis of Beliefs
• ‘Isms’: what does this mean? ‘Ism’ means any belief in terms of a ‘thought-system’ that we have, or that we have adopted. There are also many modern ‘isms’ such as capitalism, socialism, communism, etc. The people following these sets of beliefs are called capitalists, socialists, communists, and so on! We only have to look into this today, and we shall find countless such belief systems. . . and the people that have adopted them, or are following them have been exposed to them since childhood. Believing theirs to be the right belief. However, all beliefs, as we have seen, are at the level of desires, thoughts and expectations (selections) in ‘I’ (activities 3, 4, 5).
• Sects: If you sit down to list out the number of sects, you may take a very long time. And this is quite prevalent all over the world today. Sects are identified as having a set of beliefs which reflects itself largely in terms of certain traditions and practices. People of one sect only consider those with a similar belief system to be their ‘own’ and worthy of respect. Following a particular tradition, or what we call as religion, becomes the basis of respect and disrespect in relationship.
Q.17. Explain briefly the five dimensions of human society. (2009 - 10)
Ans. The five salient dimensions of human endeavour are to be shaped and implemented in society. It will be necessary to develop appropriate systems and programs to cater to the above goal in order to ensure human welfare.
The five dimensions of human endeavour are:
1. Education — Right Living (Sikshã - Sanskara) (or ‘Shiksha-Sanskar’ for simplicity)
2. Health — Self-regulation (Svasthya-Sanyama) (or ‘Svasthya-Sanyam’ for simplicity)
3. Justice — Preservation (Nyaya-Suraksha) (or ‘Nyaya-Suraksha’ for simplicity)
4. Production — Work (Utpadana-.Karya) (or ‘Utpadan-Karya’ for simplicity)
5. Exchange — Storage (Vinimaya — Kosa) (or Vinimaya-Kosh’ for simplicity)
These five dimensions broadly cover all the activities that are necessary and fundamental to the harmonious existence of human society. Let us look at each of these in the light of comprehensive human goal:
Education-Right Living: -
‘Education — Right Living’ is made up of two words - Education & Right Living.
The content of education is the understanding of harmony at all the four levels of our existence - from myself to the entire existence.
Right Living or Sanskara refers to the ability to live in harmony at all the four levels of living.
Thus,
Education = To understand harmony at all four levels of living.
Right Living = Commitment and preparedness to live in harmony at all four levels of living.
It is important to realize that understanding of harmony is accompanied by learning to live in harmony at all the levels and doing things that ensure harmony at all the levels. The competence gained from understanding enables us to live in harmony.
We have to ensure the availability and continuity of Education-Right Living in our society. This dimension of society works to ensure ‘Right Understanding’ and ‘Right Feelings’ or Allencompassing Solution’ called samãdhãna’ in every individual and ensures that our succeeding generations have both the content and the environment available to work towards achieving their goal of continuous happiness and prosperity. This is the goal and objective of education.
Health-Self-regulation (Svasthya-Sanyama): -
Sanyama refers to a feeling of responsibility for nurturing, protecting and rightly utilizing the body.
When the body is fit to act according to the needs of the Self (‘I’), and, there is harmony
among the parts of the Body, it is referred to as health or Svasthya.
Sanyama (or self-regulation) is the basis of Svasthya.
Justice Preservation (Nyaya-Suraksha): -
Justice (Nyaya) refers to harmony in the relationship between human beings, while Preservation (Suraksha) refers to harmony in the relationship between human being and the rest of nature.
Justice = ‘Human-Human relation’ — its recognition, fulfilment, evaluation— leading to mutual Happiness.
Preservation = ‘Human — Rest of nature’ relation - its recognition, fulfilment, evaluation - leading to mutual Prosperity.
= Enrichment, Protection, Right Utilization of nature.
Justice
We say there is justice in a relationship when there is mutual fulfilment i.e. both individuals are satisfied: which means the values are rightly recognized, flilfilled, rightly evaluated and mutual happiness is ensured. Mutual happiness is the goal in relationship and each one of us has a responsibility in ensuring a continuity of justice or Nyaya in our society.
Preservation
Besides human-human relationships, we also have to work to ensure that our relationship with the rest of nature is mutually enriching for humanity as well as for nature. This dimension of our society works to ensure ‘Suraksha. This involves ensuring the following three aspects —
1. Enrichment ( I cultivate wheat; this enriches wheat as the quantity grows)
2. Protection (I protect it so that it is fit to eat)
3. Right Utilization (I use it for nurturing of the body and do not let it get wasted).
Production-Work (Utpadana-Karya): -
Work refers to the physical efforts made by humans on the rest of nature, while production
refers to the output/physical produce that is obtained through these efforts.
Exchange-Storage (Vinimaya-Kosa): -
Exchange (vinimaya) refers to the exchange of physical facilities between the members of the society, while storage (kosa) refers to the storage of physical facilities that is left after fulfilling the needs of the family.
It is important to note that exchange and storage is done for mutual fulfilment and not for madness of profit or exploitation or hoarding.
Exchange- Exchanging of produce for mutual fulfilment.
(With a view of mutual fulfilment, not MADNESS of profit)
Storage — Storing of produce after fulfilment of needs.
(With a view of right utilization in future, not HOARDING)
Each family has the capacity to produce more than what it needs for itself. Say, if a family produces wheat, it can produce for ten families together. The other family can similarly produce cotton for all its neighbourhood. Summing up all the needs in the society; the families are capable to produce more than the need. And then we can exchange things. This exchange can take place in the form of commodities themselves, or through currency; wherever required.
When we produce more than required, we exchange for our current needs and store for future needs. This storage is to be used when the production is not taking place, or some relative of ours needs it.
Q.18. What is your vision of a universal human order? Write in your own words.
Ans. We are able to be in harmony not only with human beings, but also with the rest of nature. We are able to see that we are related to every unit in the nature and ensure mutual fulfilment in that relationship. Working on the five dimensions of human endeavour in the light of right understanding, we are able to work for an orderly living of the human society, whose foundational unit is the family and the final destination is the world family. Thus, a number of family units in the form of a village and a number of villages integrate to larger clusters of human society — expanding in this sequence finally to a universal human order on this planet. Living in this order, we are able to plan for the need of physical facilities, the availability of natural resources and the role of human beings in ensuring the need at the level of planet. We are able to work for inculcation of universally acceptable human values through education, plan systems to ensure justice for all human beings, make policies for the well-being of all.
Undivided Society (Akhanda Samaja)- feeling of being related to every human being, Universal Human Order (Särvabhauma Vyavasthd) - feeling of being related to every unit including human beings and other entities of nature.
Q.19. What is meant by renewable energy? How can we use it for transportation today? (2013 - 14)
Ans. Trust: -
The feeling of Trust (visvasa) in relationship is defined as: “To be assured that each human being inherently wants onself and the other to be happy and prosperous.”
Intention: -
Wanting to-our natural acceptance
Intention is what one aspires for (our natural acceptance), competence is the ability to fulfill the aspiration.