''Civilized''

The word ‘civilization’ stands for the process by which a society or place reaches this stage. Alternatively it may mean; the most advanced stage of human social development and organization. The first definition seems more accurate than the latter one. Each country has a specific history and landscape which determined their present state. But if human race was just a product of their environment and the things that happened to them, it wouldn’t be any better than animals. There is something as important as a nation’s history and environment which is known as ‘the human will’. A country’s fate is as much determined by the state of its citizens, their character and their will power, as it is by a number of other factors. This is what differentiates one country’s progress from another’s.

I often wonder the significance of the word ‘civilisation’ in relation to our country. There is no dearth of people boasting the’ greatness’ of Indian civilisation and its heritage. The things people do in name of culture and honour would send shivers down any mortal’s spine. The way people treat their fellow citizens would leave you wondering if you are living among group of refugees forcibly made to live together in a country where being rude, uncivil, uncouth, arrogant and condescending towards other people seems for most people to lay their claim on the country. Perhaps in their minds it’s their moral duty to harass other people just to ensure themselves of their legitimate citizenship status. And such collective behaviour leads to a certain attribution of meaning to the term ‘Indian’.

A group is made of individuals and even the largest country in the world ,in terms of population, is a collective presence of a certain number of ‘individuals’ on a certain land mass ,which is more than the number of people of other land masses . Indian society is collectivistic and promotes interdependence. The traditional Indian joint family, which followed the principles of collectivism, is rapidly being replaced by the nuclear family system. Individualism, on the other hand, promotes the habit of being independent and self reliant. Individuals advocate that interests of the individual should be given precedence over the state or a social group, while opposing external interference upon one's own interests by society or institutions such as the government. Indian society is at crossroads and unless the people collectively decide to dictate their collective fate, it will remain in the same condition for a very long time. As the society is passing through a transition period, perhaps of the kind never witnessed before, it is natural that there will be chaos, conflict, tumult and what not. In such a time the old structures are being uprooted and the new ones have not completely been formed or replaced the old ones yet. In such a flux, it is nearly impossible for a person to relate to his/her surroundings, as the world he/she knows keeps changing every year. This results in a very confused sense of self and could be a reason why people treat other people with contempt.

The proponents of collectivist school of thought blame the rise of individualistic approach for this phenomenon. It is often said that people today are so driven towards their personal goals that civic sense as an ethic has become a low priority, almost a nuisance. And this attitude is prevalent across all sections of society. Separatism, vandalism, intolerance, racism, road rage etc. are all examples of lack of civic sense. People are becoming less and less tolerant of each other, of other's cultures, backgrounds, and other similar traits. But to blame individualism is going a bit too far.Individualism holds that a civilized society, or any form of association, cooperation or peaceful coexistence among men, can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of individual rights—and that a group, as such, has no rights other than the individual rights of its members. An individualist recognizes the inalienable individual rights of man—his own and those of others opposed to what collectivists think it means. Anyone who claims to believe in doing anything at others expense and claims himself to be an individualist perhaps doesn’t understand what the term stands for. An individualist doesn’t want to be a master nor a slave. So, to blame individualism for the inconsiderate behaviour of people towards others is not acceptable. The proponents of collectivist school of thought must be told that it is known as crude selfishness not individualism.

The current state of roads, public transport, cleanliness and public infrastructure is disheartening. It is easy to blame government, but people must first question themselves and their own civic sense. Why don’t people question their own behaviour? While driving they turn into savages with no regard for pedestrians or other fellow motorists. In public transport pushing and shoving is a given. This callous attitude is behind a lot of problems that afflict the country. Looking down upon your own country is perhaps a reflection of hatred for your own self and kith and kin. Do not be mistaken and think that you’re above others. What goes around comes around.
So the next time one boasts the greatness of our civilization, it wouldn't be inappropriate to ponder the validity of such a claim in the present context i.e. where does the greatness lie ? In the ancient books or in emulating those values ?