Human Values & Professional Ethics

BY N.Suresh Lecturer in Commerce MVS Government Arts & Science College

Syllabus of the Paper

Module 1 : Introduction to Value Education Module 2 : harmony In Self Module 3 : Harmony in the Family Module 4 : Harmony in the Society Module 5: Harmony in the Nature

NEED FOR THE PAPER

Technical education must have human interface Education must lead to holistic development Education should impart knowledge and not mere information Profession in isolation of ethics can never be a best practice The rate of education should be directly proportional to the strength of relationships

Need for the paper

Technology is a double sided sword which can cut both positive and negative facets An educationist may not be productive unless he is aware of his role in society Destruction of nature shall become gruesome unless harmonious use of natural resources is encuraged within the ambit of professional ethics Value education helps fostering the proper use of all the units of the uiverse

Scope of the Paper

It is beyond a specific subject It leads to the adoption of life time practices It is not designed for the disposal of students alone It is designed only to make proposals at every juncture which requires individual verification. This paper helps to see yourself within you and offers introspection.

What this paper is not about

It does not deliver sermons It does not speak about religion It does not render any advocacy It does not offer any substitute to human thinking

Module 1
Introduction to Value Education

Meaning of Value Education

The term Value Education does not have any rigid definition. Rather, it can be understood as the process of examining the universal beliefs holding sway on the conduct of human being and cementing the rifts causing disharmony among units of the universe, namely, individuals, families, society and the nature. In other words, Value Education is the process of according the value and respect to everyone and every thing around us to ensure the coexistence and happiness of all the units of the nature.

Process of Value Education

Self exploration
Right understa nding Right evaluation Right conduct

harmony
coexist ence

Self Exploration as the Process of Value Education

It should began as the dialogue between the instructor and listener and gradually become the dialogue within the listener. The internal dialogue should reveal, what you are and what you are ought to be. The dialogue should focus on your beliefs and aspirations to make you conversant with what is naturally acceptable to you. It should lead to discover something innate in you.

Self Exploration as the Process of Value Education

it should enable you to know every thing about you, every thing around you and about every unit existing in the nature. Self exploration is knowing about the need of coexistence. Self exploration should be seen as the way of creating harmony. Self exploration leads to Swathanthra

Thus, Self Exploration is based on the following four tenets

Dialogue Natural Acceptance Coexistence Harmony

Continuous Happiness and Prosperity: The Basic Human Aspirations

Happiness is the stage of like and comfort and that comes by doing what is naturally acceptable to you. Therefore, verify the following questions for yourself. 1) Do you want to be happy or unhappy? 2) Do you want to be prosperous or deprived ? 3) List out all your desires. You will definitely come to know that desires are limited. 4) See whether your desires are pertaining to happiness or prosperity or both.

Some confusing notions arising in the process of self exploration of happiness

I am bored if I am continuously happy. I will grow only when I am unhappy. I need to be unhappy to recognize that, I was happy. Happiness and unhappiness go together. My happiness depends on others. My desire does ot allow me to be happy. There is something beyond happiness.

Dimensions of happiness
Stage of like and comfort Stage of harmony

Right Understanding of Relationship and Physical Facilities

Everyone needs physical facilities I should o my requirements I should also know that beyond physical facilities, relations are more important. Unfortunately, I am working to acquire facilities and not relations. There is wrong notion that relationships are strong due to the physical facilities. Aiming only for physical facilities is called animal consciousness. Let me decide whether I am In animal conscious or human consciousness. Human consciousness aims both facilities and relations. The process of transforming myself from animal cosciousness to human consciousness is called Jeevan Vidhya or Value Education.

Right understandin g of relations leads to mutual happiness

Right understanding of facilities leads to mutual prosperity of every unit In the nature

Happiness and Prosperity: Present Scenario

.

Presently there are two types of people

Materially deficient, unhappy and deprived people, whom I call type 1 people Materially affluent, unhappy and still deprived people, whom I call type 2 people. But our natural acceptance says that we need to be materially sufficient, happy and prosperous people, whom I call type 3 people.

Our present system of education has been trying to shift people from type 1 to type 2 and not to type 3. that is the crux of the problem inducing us to teach human values and professional ethics or so called value education.

Reasons and consequences of transforming people only from type 1 to type 2

A pre conceived notion that tangible property brings every thing for us. This leads to suicides and depression at individual level. Split of joint families, neglecting old age people at family level. Terror and war at the society level. And calamities at the level of nature.

What is the remedy

Think and tell me one solution

Method to fulfill basic human aspirations

1) recognize your right and suitable requirements. 2) Acquire the facilities to meet them 3) Dont discard your relations in the pursuit of facilities 4) Always ensure the tradeoff between you and your body requirements.

Module- 2

Harmony in the Self

Understanding human being as coexistence of self ( I) and the body.

Self and body exists together. Needs of self includes respect and happiness whereas the needs of body includes facilities and comforts. Needs of self are qualitative and that of body are quantitative. Needs of self are continuous whereas the needs of body are temporary. Interacting modes of self includes assuming, recognizing and fulfillment, but that of body are only fulfillment.

Body as an instrument of self ( I)

Body is only the mode of meeting our aspirations. We must bring out the differences between the needs of body and self. We must also recognize that, the self is the actual doer and decision maker, but not the body.

Understanding the harmony in self and achieving it

Start exploring what I was, what iam and what I want to be. Gradually, we will realize that, desires, aspirations and thoughts are the activities of self which are know as imagination ( Kalpana Sheelatha ). Imagination is the endless process of self. We should trace that such imagination is based on either of the following three tenets.

Sensation Pre conditioning Natural acceptance If our imagination is navigated by natural acceptance, we are deemed to have achieved harmony in the self. In other words, imagination and its fulfillment if based on the following five aspects it leads to harmony. If it depends only on 3rd , 4th, and 5th aspects it does not indicate harmony. 1) Realizing 2) Understanding 3) Desire 4) Thought 5) Expectation.

Responsibility of self towards body

Self is certainly liable to look after its instrument called body. Self and body are complimentory to each other in many aspects. Realizing the needs of body is the duty of self. Decide how many facilities are required for the body. If we give any thing more than the requirement to body, it is unproductive. Proper utilization of facilities leads to proper utilization of body, which is the duty of self again.