A decade ago, the things that deeply moved our emotions have now become normal. This is a major social disaster, and everyone must take responsibility for it.
Animals fight among themselves, but an animal of the same species does not kill another of its kind. A dog may kill a fox, a tiger may kill a deer, and a lion may kill a buffalo—but a deer does not kill another deer, and a tiger does not kill another tiger. Yet, humans, considered the noblest of all creations, are killing one another. Murders existed in ancient times too, but parents did not kill their children, nor did children kill their parents.
Now, family killings have become common. There are no written or unwritten laws for animals, yet new laws are being created for humans every year, and along with them, crimes are increasing.
Progress and Success
Progress means having movement, advancing forward. Progress and development are not the same. Development means moving upward, which is not bad, but pushing others down to climb up is. Now, people are busy pulling others down to rise themselves.
Swami Vivekananda once said, “Those who seek only their own liberation will never attain it; true liberation comes through the liberation of others.”
In the past, those who thought about the well-being of others became leaders. Leaders like Suhrawardy, Maulana Bhashani, A.K. Fazlul Huq, and Bangabandhu emerged from the people. But today, many become leaders through billboards, posters, flattery, and illegal wealth. Once, lawyers led society. Now, people look for “line-lawyers” instead of genuine legal professionals.
With advancements in science and technology, competition has increased. People are now engaged in a race for personal success, with little time to think about society. However, exceptions still exist. These people may not always be successful, but they are fulfilled. Many become successful, but few attain true fulfillment. Thieves, robbers, and loan defaulters can be successful in their fields, but they do not live meaningful lives. Every fulfilled person is successful, but not every successful person is fulfilled. A truly meaningful life is one lived for the benefit of others.
The True Meaning of Wealth
The easiest things in life are harming others and criticizing them. The hardest thing is working for their welfare. Truly fulfilled people face much criticism. Criticism requires no skill, but to be worthy of criticism, one must have achievements.
We work a lot for ourselves. If we did just one good deed for others every day, our society would progress significantly. A society where people think, “My progress lies in the progress of others,” is a truly civilized society. If I step forward to help others, they will step forward to help me in times of need—that is the law of nature.
Swami Vivekananda said, “If you have come into this world, leave a mark behind; otherwise, there will be no difference between you and stones, trees, and animals.” Mother Teresa also said, “If you cannot love the people you see, how can you love the God you cannot see?”
If we keep questioning, “Who will benefit from my actions?” we will never be able to accomplish anything. No one wants to take responsibility for creating a beautiful garden, but everyone wants to enjoy it once it’s made. That is the way of the world.
The Scouts have a powerful message: “Leave the world a little better than you found it.” If we continue to act unjustly toward the world, human civilization will be at great risk.
The Value of Giving
The world is crying today, but few seem to hear its cries. When Socrates was asked about the greatest act a person could perform, he replied, “To do something for your country and its people.”
We see many poor people in the world who, despite their lack of money, are rich in spirit. To understand true wealth, listen to Bill Gates.
When Bill Gates was the world’s richest man, someone asked him, “Is there anyone wealthier than you?” He replied, “Yes.” The person asked, “Who?”
Bill Gates told a story:
“When I was not wealthy, I once landed at New York Airport and wanted to buy a newspaper. But I didn’t have any small change. I returned the paper, saying I couldn’t buy it. The newspaper vendor insisted that I take it for free. A few months later, the same thing happened, and the vendor again gave me a newspaper for free.”
“Nineteen years later, when I became a billionaire, I searched for that vendor and found him. I asked, ‘Do you recognize me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, you are Bill Gates.’ I said, ‘You once gave me two newspapers for free. Do you remember?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I told him, ‘Now I want to repay you. Ask for anything you want.’ The vendor replied, ‘I helped you when I was poor, but now that you are the world’s richest man, you want to help me? Our generosity is not the same.’ That day, I realized that the newspaper vendor was wealthier than me because he did not wait to become rich before helping others.”
A person with a generous heart is truly rich, not just the one with money.
Corruption of the Educated
A brilliant student, P.K. Halder, graduated from BUET but embezzled 11,000 crore taka from banks and smuggled it abroad. Even the uneducated masses have not looted this much money. What have these so-called intellectuals and wealthy people given to the country? Compared to them, an uneducated but honest person is far richer in values.
A Nigerian fraud ring was caught at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport for running a “gift scam.” When journalists asked why they chose Bangladesh for their fraud, they replied, “We have never seen people as greedy as Bangladeshis. And among them, educated people are the most greedy.”
Many city-based, highly educated professionals, retired officials, and high-ranking employees have fallen for fraudulent schemes like Destiny, Jubok, Evaly, Unipay2U, and MLM scams. These greedy “educated” people are drying up the river of humanity within themselves. Their greed has not only drained their own souls but has also dried up society’s sense of justice and compassion.
The Loss of Shame
“Modesty is a woman’s virtue,” people say. But does that mean men should have no shame at all? If they had any sense of shame, how could they engage in such disgraceful acts? And now, women too are competing in shamelessness and immorality. There is no shame left in men or women when it comes to wrongdoing. If people had shame, they would not commit such disgraceful deeds.
Let us pray that we regain our sense of shame and moral responsibility.
