MORAL AND ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIETY — Inter-faith Partnership

Peace at any cost The Quran lays great emphasis on peace. For example, there is a verse in the Quran which says: Peace is the best. THE QURAN, 4: 128 That is, in the case of controversy, adopt the peaceful rather than the confrontational course of action. This concept has also been adopted by other religions as their basic teaching. For example, let us take Christianity. In one of the chapters of the New Testament, there is the following verse: Blessed are the peacemakers. NEW TESTAMENT, Matthew 5: 9 It is a fact that peace is a common teaching of all the religions. It is also a fact that peace is the summum bonum; peace is the greatest good which leads to the building of a better society; without peace there is no development. Peace provides the environment in which every group can flourish without being harmful to others; peaceful living is the most important part of moral living. No religious institution can play the role of political master. And no political master can play the role of a religious institution. Good Social Behaviour Moral development is not simply a matter of individual conduct towards others. It is profoundly related to the development of an individual’s personality. When one engages in good social behaviour, one is in the process of self-development. Good social behaviour is thus a great aid to the building of one’s character. Good social behaviour means positive behaviour; and positive behaviour inculcates positive thinking in every man and woman. Good social behaviour makes one a good human being. Human society is based on a well-known maxim—give and take. When you give something to others you create a situation in which you certainly garner positive fruit in return. The relationship between an individual and society is one of interchange; both the partners give something to the other and receive something from others, so it is a reciprocal relationship.