MORAL AND ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIETY

Blessed are the peacemakers. (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. 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 making 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. The establishment of a harmonious relationship between all the members of society is a common requirement of all religions. No religious activity can be carried out without normal social conditions. It is therefore, in the best interests of all religions for moral behaviour to be recognized as the greatest means of normalizing the relationship between different sections of a society and ensuring peaceable living conditions. So, in view of this, every religion teaches its members to adopt a good moral standard. There are ample references in all religions that provide us with a good base for building a better society through partnership. This is the basic role of every religion. Without playing this role, religion becomes irrelevant to humanity. Religion being intended to build a moral base for society, it is the duty of religious people to condition the minds of people on a moral basis and promote human-friendly behaviour among all members of society.