UNIT:1

Universal Human Values and Professional Ethics

Introduction to Value Education
UNIT 1: Course Introduction - Need, Basic Guidelines, Content and Process for Value
Education 1. Understanding the need, basic guidelines, content and process for Value
Education 2. Self Exploration-what is it? - its content and process; 'Natural Acceptance' and
Experiential Validation- as the mechanism for self exploration 3. ontinuous Happiness and
Prosperity- Alook at basic Human Aspirations 4. Right understanding, Relationship and
Physical Facilities- the basicrequirements for fulfillment of aspirations of every human
being with their correct priority 5. Understanding Happiness and Prosperity correctly- A
critical appraisal of the current scenario 6. Method to fulfill the above human aspirations:
understanding and living in harmony at various levels
 Value based education: Character oriented education that instills basic values and ethnic values
in one's psyche.

Significance of Value Education:Value education enables us to understand our needs and

visualize our goals correctly and also indicate the direction for their fulfillment. It also helps remove
our confusions and contradictions and enables us to rightly utilize the technological innovations.
Need for Value Education:
" 1.Correct identification of our aspirations.
" 2. Understanding universal human values to fulfill our aspirations in continuity.
" 3. Complimentarity of values and skills.
" 4. Evaluation of our beliefs.
" 5.Technology and human values.
Process of Value Education:
" The process of value education is self exploration which includes two things:verification at the level of
natural acceptance and experiential validation in living.
 Basic Guidelines for Value Education:
1. Universal: Needs to be applicable to all the human beings
2. Rational: Amenable to reasoning and not based on dogmas or blind beliefs.
3. Natural and verifiable: Has to be naturally acceptable to the human being
4. All encompassing: To cover all the dimensions (thought, behavior, work and realization) and levels
(individual, family, society, nature and existence)
5. Leading to harmony: Ultimately is targeted to promote harmony within the individual, among human beings
and with nature.
Content of Value Education:
" It has to encompass understanding of harmony at various levels and finally, learning to live in accordance
with this understanding by being vigilant to one's thoughts, behaviour and work.
Purpose of Value Education
Fostering Devooping
Univorsal Vaus
-integrty PhysiCal
al
Soiectuet

-Moral

VALUE
EDUCATION

Croating
Socoty leading Holistsc
sGciotat Syaton
Transformaton
Fig. 1.1. The Purpose Of Value Education
 Self exploration: The process to find out what is valuable to me by investigating within myself.
Content of Self Exploration:
Desire/Goal: What is my (human) Desire/ Goal?
Program: What is my (human)program for fulfilling the desire?

Process of Self Exploration:

It is a proposal
o Don't assume it to be true
Process of Self Exploration
o Verify it in your own right
Not on the basis of scriptures
. Not on the basis of readings from instrument
Not on the basis of others
- Self verification
live according to
Proposal
Verifyon the basis behaviour with work with rest of the
of your natural human leads to nature leads to mutual
acceptance mutual happiness prosperity
 Natural acceptance:
a. Natural acceptance docs not change with time
b. It does not depend on the place
c. It does not depend on our beliefs or past conditionings
d. This natural acceptance is constantly there', something we can refer to
e. Natural acceptance is the same for all of us: it is part and parcel of every human being, it is part
of humanness

The Basic Human Aspirations - Continuous Happiness and Prosperity:

Happiness: A state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure or joy.
In other words, freedom from want and distress, consciousness of the good order of things,assurance of one's
place in the universe or society, inner peace and so forth.
Prosperity: Prosperity is the state of flourishing, thriving, success or good fortune. Prosperity often
encompasses wealth but also includes other factors which are independent of wealth to varying degrees, such as
happiness and health.
Difference between Prosperity and Wealth:
Wealth is a physical thing. It means having money or having a lot of physical facilities or both.
Prosperity is a feeling of having more then required physical facilities.
 Prevailing Notions of Happiness and Prosperity:
We are trying to achieve happiness and prosperity by maximizing accumulation and consumption of physical
facilities. It is becoming anti-ecological and anti-people, and threatening the human survival itself. Some of the
consequences of such trend are summarized below:
" At the level of individual -rising problems of depression, psychological disorders, suicides, stress, insecurity,
etc.

" At the level of family - breaking of joint families, mistrust, conflict between older and younger generations,
insecurity in relationships, divorce, dowry tortures,etc.
At the level of society - growing incidence of terrorism and naxalism, rising communalism, spreading
casteism, racial and ethnic struggle, wars between nations, etc.
" At the level of nature - global warming, water, air, soil, noise etc. pollution, resource depletion of minerals
and mineral oils, etc.
Basic Requirements for Fulfilling the Aspirations:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR FULFLLMENT

OF ASPIRATIONS OF HUMAN BEINGS

1. Right Understanding

2. Relationship 3. Physical Facilities

Mutual HappineSS Mutual Prosperity

-with humnan beings -with rest of the nature
 Difference between Prosperity and Wealth:
Wealth is a physical thing. It means having money or having a lot of physical facilities or
both.
Prosperity is a feeling of having more then required physical facilities.
Two categories of persons:
Presently, as we look around, we find most of the people in the following two categories:
SVDD - Sadhan Viheen Dukhi Daridra - Materially deficient Unhappy and deprived.
SSDD - Sadhan Sampann Dukhi Daridra - Materially affluent - Unhappy and still deprived (not so
prosperous)
While the natural acceptance of all human beings is to be:
SSSS - Sadhan Sampann Sukhi Samriddha - Materially adequate - Happy and prosperous.
 Animal Consciousness and Human Consciousness:
" Giving all priorities to physical facilities only, may be termed as 'Animal consciousness
" Working only for physical facilities is living with Animal Consciousness.
" Working for right understanding as the first priority followed by relationship and physical facilities
implies living with Human Consciousness
"There is a need for transformation from Animal Consciousness to Human Consciousness. It can be
accomplished only by working for right understanding as the first priority
" This transformation from Animal Consciousness to Human Consciousness forms the basis for
human values and values based living.

Physical Faclities
For humans For animals
Necessary but Necessary
not Complete & complete
Tolive solely on
this basis is
2) Relatlonshp 3) Physicat called a n i m a l
with Humans Facillties consciosness

Mutual Mutual Transformation

happiness prosperity

To live with all three is called

human consciousness.
T h i s is w h e r e w e w a n t t o
be.
Four levels of iving:
There are four levels of living:
1. Living in Myself:
The first level of our living is living in myself. Our thoughts, desires and choices make each one of us unique.
Before we express ourselves, we think and this internal process is the Self.
2. Living in Family :
The next level of our living is living in the family, which inchudes our parents, siblings, friends, class1mates,
teachers, etc. This is our first set of relationships and we interact with them on a daily basis.
3. Living in Society:
Living in society is a level that is lined with living in family since family isa sub group of the larger group
society. Society is composed of all people that we come into contact directly or indirectly and all people upon
whom we depend directly or indirectly.
4. Living in Nature / Existence:
Last, but not the least, we live in nature and this large eco-system is necessary for the survival of the individual,
the family and society. We need to understand nature in order to be able to engage with it in a relationship that
leads to mutual fulfilment.