In recent times we have seen so much corruption being exposed on all levels of society. The people we used to have as role models were shown to be corrupt and corruptible in a corrupt system. This system has been called civilisation, but now that the truth has been exposed, we see that the system which we grew up with and which we saw as civilisation and expansion has in fact set us all back to a level where we question ourselves and our own judgment.
I found these gems in the Srimad Bhagavatam (Canto 1, Ch.9 Text 26):
“In the modern system of education the teacher’s academic qualification is taken into consideration without evaluation of his moral life. Therefore the result of education is misuse of high intelligence in so many ways.”
“…the administrative class is especially advised to give charity and not to accept charity in any circumstances. Modern administrators raise subscriptions for some political functions, but never give in charity to the citizens of any state function. It is just the reverse in the injunctions of the sastras… Cowards should not be elevated to the presidential throne by dint of numerical votes only.”
For the mercantile communities this advice is given: “The production of machines and machine tools increases the artificial living fashion of a class of vested interests and keeps thousands of men in starvation and unrest. This should not be the standard of civilisation.”
The sudra class is regarded as the lowest class, and the higher classes have the injunction to take care of the sudra class. “Wine, women and gambling indicate that the population is degraded into less than sudra quality,”
My reason for quoting these paragraphs from the Srimad Bhagavatham is not to make a song and dance of the different class levels and social inequality. I want to bring to your attention that no matter which level of society people fit into or what their purpose is, their character and moral fibre are as important as their skills and the expectation of their contribution to society.
We have forgotten to ask questions about the moral fibre of the people who serve us, those who guide us, and also ourselves.
To give a simple example: who would you like to learn from: a highly qualified scientist whose IQ is off the scale and who is capable of unlocking the secrets of the universe at all costs and for any purpose that furthers their ambition, or a scientist who is not that highly qualified but who is a good person who applies their curiosity and their discoveries for the benefit of mankind?
We have forgotten to ask these questions and allowed ourselves to be brainwashed into assuming that education is far more important than moral fibre. We only now understand that the educational system got hijacked decades ago for purposes that do not relate to humanity at all.
Does this now mean we need to cross-question every person that we want to learn from and every person whose service we want to use? That is one way of doing it.
A far more accurate and constructive way is to look the person in the eye and then listen to your heart. If you cannot do that, ask for the opinion of those whose judgment you value before engaging with a service provider of any kind, from a vegetable gardener to a heart surgeon.
Also trust your own judgment.
Would I voluntarily return to use the services of an excellent orthopaedic surgeon who fixed my broken foot? No, because he gave me a prescription that listed death as a side effect, and he charged me an astronomical amount to write one sentence on a form and add his signature, while assuming that I would get the money back by “playing the system”. He may be highly skilled in fixing bones, but does he have moral fibre?
And a remember to question your own moral fibre and work towards attaining purity all the time.
Namaste.
