Daily Times

People, in general, living together in communities are known as a society. There are, mainly, two types of societies. One example is that of a particular community of people who share the same customs, laws, etc, and the other are those who are fashionable, rich and powerful. In both the aforementioned cases, a society shares some moral sets of values and culture, which includes their traditions.

When one achieves something, especially by putting in his effort and skill, one gains a sense of achievement. In fact, even a small success gives you a feeling of pride. When one starts feeling that he is better or more important than other people, he may develop a sense of prejudice. This leads other people to suffer from inferiority complex which, in turn, contributes to frustration in the society.

Position is simply the level of importance given to a person when compared with others. Obviously when a person achieves something, he gains popularity which works as a matchstick which can light the stove of position. When analysing this situation optimistically, it shows that this encourages other people to aspire to become like the person they idealise. However, the fact that only the works of high-muckety-mucks gets recognition cannot be denied.

The other pan of balance seems to be heavier because the works and achievements of rabble are not recognised because they are ordinary people, or people who are considered to having a low social position. For instance, when a farmer ploughs his field and then finally after threshing he gets the crops, this is an achievement for him. But he merely receives enough money with which he could meet his necessities.

A common man often confuses influential class with the elite. Influential people are those, like the saints, who gradually revolutionise the whole society. It is not necessary for them to be rich or fashionable. On the other hand, an elite class is powerful because they are rich.

When talking specifically about our society, the situation cannot be explained until discussing what Mahatma Gandhi aptly said: “The West makes heroes and we worship them.” There is nothing bigger in this world than the cult of personality. How can one talk about brotherhood in a society where people are encouraged to show extreme love and admiration for a famous person? This means that there will be no say of an ordinary man.

Ours is a power dominated society where only powerful and influential people survive. Though only a handful, but they are still provided with a platform through which they can express their ideas and innovations without any stumbling block in their way. They are the ultimate opportunists.

One cannot survive without competition in today’s world. Johann Wolfgang von once said: “There cannot be any competition where there is cooperation and there cannot be any cooperation where it is competition.” This reflects the impact of competition on our society. When no one is ready to cooperate with the other, it is useless to put forth the idea of brotherhood and equality. This, in turn, leads to frustration and desperation in our society.

Our moral and cultural values teach us to treat others equal to ourselves. But when a power-seeking class influences the society, brotherhood is not possible. One has to realise the causes, complications and consequences of such acts because, indeed, it is inhumane to determine positions in a society on the basis of achievements.