Swami Vivekananda and the Modern world
Rakesh Vikramaditya
Deputy Head - Business Analyst | MBA IIM Sr | PGD IIMC | Mechanical Engineer | Militarian |
Whatever you think, you will become. If you think you are weak, you will be weak; if you think you are strong, you will be strong.
????????????????????????By Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekanand began with "Sisters and Brothers of America" in the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893, which brought a huge round of applause for two minutes. His words, his thoughts, and his actions will keep guiding generations and generations in the near future. He inspires the young with his moral thoughts. That is, power is within you. You can do anything and everything. Believe in that. Do not believe that you are weak. Therefore, arise! Awake! and do not stop till the goal is reached.?
According to a UN report, about 18 percent of the total population of the world is young, and India has the highest percentage of the world's young population. In fact, 65% of the Indian population is under 35 years of age. The world in general, and India in particular, relies heavily on youth for the betterment and development of society.
Every year on September 11, "Universal Brotherhood Day" is observed worldwide. It was the day when Vivekananda delivered his first speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893, and every year since 1985, India has celebrated his birth anniversary on January 12th as National Youth Day.?
?Swami Vivekanand's relevance is much needed today in this world of continuous armed conflicts in Burkina Faso, rising human rights crises in Syria, Libya, and Lebanon, rising incidents of lone wolf attacks in European countries, rising numbers of deaths due to poverty in African nations, increasing cases of mental breakdown and suicides among youths, and an exponential rise in drug abuse and sex abuse among the younger generation, which brings a nation into disarray.
The problems faced by youths in the modern world are?
?Socio problem
Religious problems
Education problem
Health problems
领英推荐
???????? ? Rising cases of mental health patients
Swami Vivekananda and Society?
According to NCRB, crimes against Dalits and tribes increased in the COVID pandemic year. A Schedule Caste faced crime every 10 minutes in India in the past year. In 2020, a total of 50291 cases were registered, a 9.4% increase from the previous year, while Schedule Tribes faced a total of 8272 such cases, a 9.3% increase from the previous year.This situation goes against the teachings of Swami Vivekanand, who used to preach unity, brotherhood, and peaceful coexistence among citizens. Though he believed in the Varna system, he criticised the traditional hierarchical notion of the "touch me not" issue. He said, "Men and animals around us are our gods and deserve our worship and service." But due to a lack of knowledge about the teachings of Swami Vivekanand among youths, they committed such heinous acts.?
BBC News reported, "Covid hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise." The death of a young black man, George Flyod, on May 25, 2020, sparked a huge protest worldwide in support of the victim. In fact, very few Indians knew that Swami Vivekanand was against racial injustice in the USA. He refused to sit in the "Whites Only" train car and chose to sit in a car reserved for African Americans in order to protest the injustice of segregation.?
According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021 published by the World Economic Forum, the global gender gap increased by a generation from 99.5 to 135.6 years. India has closed only 62.5% of its gender gap till date. According to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), 19 women were killed for dowry every day in 2020. This practise is not only common in India but is also practised in South Asia, the Middle East, and North African countries. Rising cases of live-in relationships among youths in modern times provide a sense of individual freedom, but they also have negative externalities such as violence against girls and rising cases of unwanted pregnancies in girls, putting girls at a disadvantage. These problems are linked to the notion of a patriarchal social structure in the world. Swami Vivekanand believed there was no discrimination based on gender identity. He preached that a girl should be treated the same as a boy. He defined a woman in this beautiful way,"There she is, the Hindu mother. So the son’s wife comes in as her daughter, just as the mother’s own daughter married and went out, so her son married and brought in another daughter, and she has to fall in line under the government of the queen of queens, his mother. "
He asked the youth to get involved in running hospitals, schools, and orphanages so that the evolution of individuals and the growth of society went hand in hand, benefiting the race of humanity.?
Swami Vivekananda and Religion?
Tablighi Jammat case, where they were falsely accused of spreading the Corona Virus in India, largely due to their Islamic identity. A Christian girl was recently murdered for giving food to a Muslim man. A school teacher who wrote something about the Prophet was killed by a Muslim person. The political parties of every nation based on religious identity somehow bring communal content into it and affect the cognitive ability of the youth. It creates a rupture in relationships among different sects living in a nation. The notorious Gujarat riots of 2002 and the recent Bangalore riots of 2020 were organised by Muslims against a derogatory social media post about Muhammad. It is most disheartening to note that, according to NCRB data, religious rioting cases doubled in 2020. Most of the participants are young people who lose their capital in useless and unproductive activities, which hamper the development of a nation. If Swami Vivekanand were alive, he would have died after seeing this situation in the world. He would never have sanctioned the low-grade and worthless activities of the present-day youth of the nation. Instead, he would urge the youth to abandon such practises in favour of a life of noble reason, mighty ideals, and a higher state. He would ask his fellow citizens to work together to develop a common spiritual nationhood so that a nation could progress peacefully.?
Swami Vivekananda and Education?
A total of 39% of the world's population is illiterate, and a major chunk of that share is in India. It reflects how much human resource capital is being wasted in the inability of a nation to provide education to its people. Only 10% of Indian students have access to higher education. It is due to income inequality, regional inequality, gender inequality, and socio-cultural inequality. The scenario of the USA and EU is also not good as far as enrollment in higher studies is concerned, mainly due to rising income inequality between the haves and have-nots. Swami Vivekanand believed in equal access to education for all. In his time, he gave Hindu scriptures to untouchables and women in his time. He also saw education asthe manifestation of perfection already in men. He asked young people to earn knowledge, reach a high level of intellect, and share it with society. Swami Vivekanand once quoted, "It is the young, the strong and healthy, of sharp intellect that will reach the world."
Swami Vivekananda and Health?
According to the WHO report, "Globally, one in seven 10–19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder." In fact, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death. This situation is aggravated due to rising pollution, which is caused by the exponential growth of carbon emitting factories and the simultaneous deforestation of forests. Swami Vivekananda believed that forests were to be worshipped as nature was like a mother to him. He asked the youth for sustainable growth, balancing both economic and environmental needs. He asked the youth to focus more on their bodies to keep themselves physically fit for a successful life. Once he said, "You will be nearer to heaven through football than through the study of Gita."
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Conclusion
The world in general and India in particular are losing every single day by not following the teachings of Swami Vivekanand. His vision of the world is one of universal brotherhood and peace. In a nutshell, the earth is the abode of the holy god, but today's world is infected with many viruses of violence, atrocities, and discrimination. Today he asks the youth of the world to eradicate this infection by following ethical and good deeds to make the earth a better place for future generations. His vision of India is the spiritual unity of India. Once he said, "India must be a union of those whose hearts beat to the same spiritual tune."
Swami Vivekanand once said, "Seek for the highest, aim for the highest, and you will reach the highest." Taking a lesson from the above quote, the youth of the world should come together and transform the infected society into an egalitarian society where dignity, freedom, and individuality are respected. This will be the greatest tribute to one of the greatest saints of India, Swami Vivekanand, on his birth anniversary.