Degradation of Moral Values in Today's Youth: Overview of India

Moral degradation of youth is an important problem of emerging India. Morality is about the appropriateness of goodness of what a person does, think or feel. Morality helps one to make right moral judgment and thus present morally acceptable behavior. Youth power is the driving force of a nation; if it moves in right direction. But now a day youth is adversely diverted through different immoral activities which does not only influence the present Indian society but also it stimulates the future generation of our civilization. Therefore, it is imperative and a duty of everybody to find out the solution of this crucial problem to establish India in the world of peace and harmony that is very much depends over the hand of youth generation. The paper "An Emerging Issue in India: Degradation Of Moral Values in Today's Youth Essay" highlights here the causes, consequences along with few remedies to encounter the problem.

Introduction

Morality originating from the Latin word ‘moralitas’ refers to “manner, character, proper behavior" which differentiates intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad. They are acceptable standard of general conduct or behavior when judged by an average person or the society at large. Morality plays a healthy synthesis between people, co-operate each other in a harmonic manner, understand the right or wrong differentiation makes a value based society. Moral values reduce social problems like unrest, social erosion, crime, separatism, class conflict, isolation, lack of well-being and after all collective distance. Morals are influenced by family, society, culture and social values etc. The agents of education such as the family, school, church and the society are to play a role in ensuring that moral values are passed on to the child as he/she comes in contact with them. The child fulfill the expected norms of the society depends on the way as he/she has been brought up by his first point of contact (the parents) with the world. Unfortunately, due to several social and economic factors, many families are disoriented, disorganized and confused and therefore have failed woefully to play this vital role. In past social organization of the society played responsible role in framing and implementing value based moral responsibilities. But society at present has been experiencing conflict regarding value-based moral degradation particularly of youth and in reality it cannot be denied that there is no ideology in the society which can bring them a value-based livelihood and vision. The youths of today have been ensnared by youthful lusts, pride, arrogance, disrespect, disobedience and indiscipline; these are traits that can only grow out of habits for ‘thoughts bring forth acts, acts produce habits, while habits become character’. The changes in the family structure, advent of westernization, the media revolution, dirty policies etc. are speculated to have played a determining role in redefining the value systems in the Indian society. This has directly been bringing both moral degradation of youth and social deteriorate as well. Moral orientation in the Indian youth is facing a notable shift that needs to be thinking and work upon seriously.

Causes of moral degradation

Parents: Parental behavior affects the child’s personality, character and also responsible of developing moral values. Today educated and non-educated parents gives more concerned with their children’s academic achievement than cultural, traditional and moral values. Working parents fails to inculcate discipline their children, endow their children with less emotional attention, make few demands on their children for better behavior and allowed them to regulate their own activities; are the ones who end up raising the moral flawed children. Now days the control of parents has been decreasing from the children this autonomous life has become fashion among today’s youth. Consequently the youth are being diverted by external force and engage themselves in night club, rocking, unwanted discussions and so many undesirable affairs. This sort of isolation, lack of love and affection from family has been endangering and spoiling their lives resulting unrest and agitation. Influence of peer group: Peer groups play a vital role in developing the concept of morality. They pass more time with them, discuss with them frankly and seek their support, guidance and advice; so they readily prefer to accept views of peer group rather it conflict with parents views.

Defective education system: After more than 60 years of India independence, there is lack of proper educational infrastructure, essential elements from which youth can learn properly. The British system of education that we have adopted gives Indian children the impression that traditional Indian culture and values need to be despised for they are impractical, archaic and superstitious. The present system of education teaches children to be more materialistic and worldly rather than socialistic and spiritualism. Education is becoming professional which never teach moral perspectives of education. This sort of educational deprivation has created crisis of employment that have been raising agitation.

Mass media influence: Undoubtedly TV, print media, internet blogs and websites, cinemas, role models (movie actors) play an important role in honing and shaping the personality of the youth. Many media images, movies and games that not only neutralize violence but often glorify it. There is so much violence, vulgarity in all these entertainment avenues and if a majority of youth watches these, the impact of the same on the next generation can’t be positive.

Attraction of change: Advent of modernization has spread over the younger generation of the society. Consequently our youth have disassociated themselves from their own identity, tradition and cultural heritage.

Economic change: The economy is moving at such a fast pace rewarding the materialistic and money minded. Socially undesirable goods, excesses in fashion are marketed skillfully to the gullible people. In the backdrop of such an unconducive atmosphere it is not surprising that youngsters do not hold high standards and personal principles.

Discrimination between boys and girls: Double standards of morality set by society are also the cause of degeneration of morals among youth such as going to market alone, laughing in public places etc. are considered disgraceful for girls but these does not equally apply to boys. It gives an unfair advantages to them that they are superior ones.

Desire of self-exhibition: Adolescence is a time period when youth begin to analyze issues, develop view points, rationalize, question the status quo, rebel and struggle to develop a personality of their own. Desire of self-exhibition often takes a youth towards crime and immoral behavior like smoking, drinking, delivering abusing words, quarreling, sex abuse etc.

Dirty policies: Most of the political parties have a tendency to capture youth to strengthen and developed their structure. All the political parties have been fulfilling their own interest by involving them into different movements with the assurance of employment and numerous greed and promises. Being inspired by those, the youth is being adversely affected and the society is being polluted by an unstable situation.

Consequences of youth moral degradation

1. If the younger generation becomes anger, violence and severity; it can breakdown society harmony as well as national integration.
2. It stunts development of country.
3. The creative mind of youth diverted towards unsocial activities such as smoking in public place, misbehaving in class, drug addiction, misconduct in the household and juvenile delinquency to name of few.
4. 4. Social values are uprooted by commencing antisocial activities so regional movement, conflict, bias, enmity etc. take leading role over all down fall of the society.
5. The alarming percentage of criminality and antisocial behavior increase in India with the change in social structure and individual motives.
6. Invention of new modes of scam and frauds are being emerged which denotes that youth are tending to get more interested into easy way of attaining wealth, power and fame etc. giving least consideration to human values.
7. It promotes identity crisis and relationship with individuals or group who already perceived the association as morally deficient.

Remedies to reduce the moral degradation of youth:

1. The government should legislate against media operators who publish indecent action in their publication. This is to ensure that only appropriate type of broadcasting will be televised and eventually reduces the stress of moral decay.
2. The educational system should provide compulsory moral and ethnic classes to all students. Teaching method should not just exam oriented but also practical with continuous education and evaluation.
3. Children should practice and learn rituals, tradition, religion and activities as well as modernization should be simultaneously maintained.
4. 4. Teachers, parents, politicians and guider must be role model for children to emulate morality.
5. Social structure should be brought in such a manner so that children from their childhood get touch of everybody within a society.
6. Social organizations should concentrate on value based moral character of the society and accordingly steps have to be taken to organize common people irrespective of age.
7. Nationalism, patriotism, value based education should be incorporated within the existing curriculum as compulsory matter at all stage.
8. Political organizations should think about their activities and directing youth energy in positive way.
9. Economic stability, employment and antidepressive, peaceful atmosphere and essential infrastructure should be provided as much as possible to the younger generation of society.
10. NGOs, and other social volunteer associations have to be strengthen to coordinate youth to bring stability among them and proper planning has to be introduced and implemented accordingly their potentialities.

Conclusion

There is a considerable shift in the Indian society with regard to the moral values. Today youths are in a great dilemma; they face enormous challenges. Today, things are not what they use to be in terms of discipline, respect for elders and constituted authority, humility, hard work, honesty, faithfulness and love for others. Morality is the most deterring factor of crime, antisocial behavior, terrorism, assault, cybercrime, corruption etc. It is imperative to realize the potential perpetuating threat of decrease of morality in the society Moral orientation of youths needs to be strengthened to build up a moral and harmonious society. It is very much required to make and implement some constructive approaches for the youth on which the country's present and future depends; otherwise it will be too difficult to make a positive and harmonic atmosphere of mortality and humanity. Lastly the paper concludes its explanation through a few lines of M. K. Gandhi “If wealth is lost nothing is lost. If health is lost something is lost. If character is lost everything is lost”.