Man is a mixture of the good and the bad. Education has, no doubt, brought to human beings many benefits. But the very same benefits of science and technology have brought in their wake, a very base instinct, namely, selfishness. Modern inventions have roused man's desire to live in comfort. He feels an absolute necessity for a comfortable living. Wealth in the form of money and prosperity is pursued ceaselessly.
In this pursuit, he remembers only one side of his own life. He does not care if his pursuit of wealth causes inconvenience or unhappiness to others. It is this that has made capitalism abhorred today for it exploits the poor. The ideal proverb, 'Charity begins at home' is applied to an undesirable extent. Human beings care for themselves as long as they get what they desire, they do not mind anything. Selfishness is at the root of all activities.
Such a callous attitude can complicate matters in multiple fronts. Take for instance, the problem of global warming that is now a buzzword on everyone's lips. A major reason for this global phenomenon to happen at an accelerated pace has to do with the cutting down of trees and the clearing of tropical forests without keeping in mind, the repercussions that it can have on society. Some steps are initiated, but, the overall picture is bleak without anything concrete being done.
On a similar scale can be viewed the business acquisitions that are now almost every day happenings. Mergers and acquisitions are being signed that benefit a few influential decision makers while compromising the interests of a vast majority. History is replete with instances of mergers gone awry with the latest being the Tata-Corus deal that was considered by many as overpriced and has left Tata with a large debt to settle and nothing much productive post deal, not to mention the angst of the shareholders.
But when we discuss the other side, only a sceptic or a pessimist would be bold to say that man is essentially selfish. Man is placed on a higher plane than other creations of God. He is accustomed to sacrifice. Every religion and every social institution contains innumerable examples of people who gave up everything for the amelioration of others. Even among the common folk, selfishness is not found to a large extent, as some people state.
To begin at home, no father or mother would think of retaining for himself or herself, any iota of food without giving it to their children. Similarly, there are others who try their best to improve the lot of the downtrodden. There are numerous orphanages, poor homes, old age resorts and the like to take care of the poor and the helpless. But it's the negatives that outweigh the positives. This ideology, has to therefore be known by any person, that we get from the world, what we give. It therefore becomes our responsibility to ensure fair practices in all walks of life for our own personal and professional development.
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