Daily Times

A State, institution or household may not work successfully and efficiently unless its constituent elements do not own it beyond personal interest. Any weakness in ownership causes deterioration and destruction of resources.

An independent and sovereign state is created or established for achieving some objectives under a certain ideology. Its ultimate aim is development, peace, and prosperity of the subjects. The state requires allegiance and devotion from its institutions for promoting national interest. It infuses the sense of ownership amongst the subjects. The state becomes politically and economically stable if the sense of ownership is strong amongst its citizens. Then the ruling class also feels its responsibility to rule over the state in its national interest.

On the other hand, poor governance, maladministration, and ill planning reverse the situation. The sense of collective ownership for the progress of the nation decreases when personal interest prevails over national interest. Consequently, allegiance and loyalty begin detaching themselves from the state. In this scenario, the subjects slowly and gradually are distanced from the state. When negativity completely overlaps the minds, then, the subjects develop hatred and revolt against the state. This is a situation which is the most favourable to the enemies of the state and the subjects.

Being overwhelmed by the hatred, the public loses interest in their lives and the matters of the state. It affects the individual and collective life of an individual. They restrict themselves to think only for their respective families and focus only on personal interests. A citizen does not feel any concern regarding the policies of state whether favourable or against.

In this state of mind, whenever, any matter appears before an individual or a group, they think about how to protect their own interest first. A self-centred person having a commanding position in an organization will focus on extorting money for one’s own benefit.

Such situation gives the impression that materialism is more important than all things. Cultural, ethical, religious and social traditions and virtues become secondary to the subjects. It creates depression and suffocation in the society. Consequently, people always remain ready to fight with each other on flimsy grounds.

The breadwinner of the family always remains busy for earning more money. They fail to give proper heed to the upbringing of the children and their personality development. Consequently, the personality of such children may not be completed in all respects. It only happens due to lack of ownership. This situation becomes more complicated in a family where father and mother both are working to manage finances.

Here ownership requires parents to understand that money is not the only factor and may not be enough to construct the thinking capability and personality of a child. Values which include family, cultural, and religious etc possess equal importance to that of money. It balances materialistic and spiritual requirements of the personality of an individual.

The state requires allegiance and devotion from its institutions for promoting national interest. It infuses the sense of ownership amongst the subjects. Once that’s done, the ruling class also feels its responsibility to rule over the state in the national interest

In order to come out from this state of mind and situation, it is necessary to reconstruct such environment which may induce the subjects to rein fuse their allegiance and loyalty to the state in the national interest and collective interest of the state.

Similarly, the household and individual also require a deep sense of ownership for performing their respective duties.

A work performed on ownership basis gives positive results. It benefits the individual and collective life of the subjects of a state. It generates a sense of responsibility which further strengthens the sense of ownership. And this ownership may prove panacea of all evils and problems.

The writer is an author and has a doctorate in Political Science

Published in Daily Times, May 20^th 2018.