Art of Living

The most appalling problem that we face in to days’ World is that some how we lost that art of living. Before we confront that hard fact of life; it is imperative to understand deep rooted value system that we lost in our personal lives, society and Nations as a whole. Just think on these basic factors and ponder over what we gained and what we lost in our day today life.

Identity crisis—
We did lose our identity card and do not know where we belong to. Single parenthood, divorce system, babies born out of wedlock and left as orphans,unsocial behaviorism are some of our family and social issues that we have to confront. Children who lose belongingness in early stages are always problem children. They simply do not know; where do they belong.

Insecurity of life—
Very much inter related is the insecurity of personal life of such children. Right from the very child hood,Soon as he or she grows up and find his parents at odds and victims of domestic violence and child abuse, they lose all value system. They become insecure and look for alternatives. Run away children from home, absenteeism from school, losing all interest in studies, stealing, drug addiction; all these social evils germinate from broken homes and insecurity of life.
This factor gives birth to instable social order. The ghost of insecurity in life, when it reaches to National premises, gives birth to fear factor. Germans’ declaration of WW11 had this fear factor lodged deeply in the mind and soul of Hitler.In my lifes’ journey I have never found man as insecure as I find him today.

Rat race for riches and unfair competition—
Materialistically speaking, this race has lost all value system and relationship. Individualism weighs all relationship in the measuring tape of financial gains. This psyche has wrecked families, social order and Nations.
Faith system and religion—
It is beside the point whether religion is good or bad. The logistics says that at least there was some sort of anchorage that gave birth to human values, ethics and morals. Floundering away religious system created a vacuum that was filled in by humanism and wrongly interpreted rationalism.

Poverty—
This part of life is not consigned to one type of people or Nation. Poverty, not only breeds contempt and hatred; it is the breeding ground for violence, riots and terrorism. It is an evil of all evils. Poverty creates an imbalance in society. Most and many problems of the World evolve out of the slum houses. No matter how a couple may be devoted in rearing up a family in perfect order and love, if there finances are impaired all will come down crashing. Art of living in many ways looks simple and straight forward, yet it is very much complex and complicated. Of course, we do believe that we are not looking for any perfect order and system, yet there are norms of life to live for and live by.

Dr. Solomon Naz 1-416-271-1040 (solomon.naz@ gmail.com)

Retd.Professor of Comparative Religious studies / Senior Minister of Asian Christian Center Mississauga.