Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Moral Vacuum in Social Life

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Moral Vacuum in Social Life

Moral values have been eroded in collective life due to the changing of consuming patterns in the society. People are deeply involved in their self-interests at the stake of moral standards. And as a result, people hardly trust each other. All individuals treat with each other with a strong sense of mistrust. It indicates a vacuum of ethical codes in our social life. That’s why one either encounters or hears many immoral practices in everyday social life.
The immoral or anti-moral practices make our daily news. For example, one’s dignity is trampled upon, a girl fell the victim of sexual harassment, a woman is raped by a street passerby, a man is discriminated on the basis of his skin color, a Muslim is stereotyped, a Christian is killed, a Jew is humiliated, etc. Our world is void of morality. We curtail one’s freedom to practice our own freedom without a limitation. We violate one’s rights without a tinge of guilt. We never tend to alleviate the sufferings of our fellows or next-door neighbors.
Generally speaking, when a girl is raped in our society, her character will be defamed and even she will be called brazen or prostitute. Rather than voicing their concerns over the anti-moral issues, people will simply denounce the girl for falling the victim of rape. On the other hand, the victim’s family will seek revenge through doing the same act to the criminal’s family. In such a case, another innocent girl will be victimized. In short, tribal structures still prevails our culture. Similarly, when one’s child is abducted, people will simply denounce their parents for not taking care of their children – the criminal acts of abductors are mostly ignored.
Women are no more treated with respect in our society. They are viewed as advertising gimmicks or lusted after by men. Their physical appearance carries much weight for scores of men than their dignity. Worst of all, the religious extremists, who claim to practice upon a certain ideology, also exploit women sexually under sacred terms. For instance, the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) urged women under the term of Jihad-e-Nikah to satisfy their carnal desires in the battlefields. They also raped a large number of women and girls on the grounds of their faith and beliefs; Such anti-moral practices are highly spine-chilling.
To view films and serials, they are replete with gory pictures and immoral practices that will spoil children and disintegrate families. In other words, the cruel practices of mankind are simply reflected in films and serials. Movies are replete with nakedness and porn. Women and children are sold as sex slaves. To satiate their hunger, a number of women need to satiate the carnal desire of men, which is a strong blow to morality and humanity. It is really shocking to see that countless of poor women have to appease one’s lust with empty stomach so as to get paid.   
Selfishness is widespread. People have turned extremely selfish and put one’s honor, reputation, wealth, etc. at stake for their own self-interests. Individuals even shed one’s blood out of selfishness.
Moreover, racial superiority is one of the global issues of our age that plays a destructive role in human societies. It goes without saying that claiming superiority will leave no room for peace or brotherhood.
People seek to satisfy themselves physically but not spiritually. Lack of spirituality left a vacuum in our social life. Human societies are void of virtue. Therefore, violence and bloodshed continue around the world and the masses are killed in cold blood. Cruelty and injustice never come to an end. The masses are alienated from moral world.
Martin Luther King has aptly said, “In spite of these spectacular strides in science and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.”
Furthermore, moral corruption is also prevalent in the society. Moral corruption, on the one hand, violates the inherent dignity of mankind and on the other hand drives the society to a quagmire of lust and whim. Moral corruption will desensitize the public feeling towards crime and devalue social norms. It will breed much misfortune posing threat to social health and will nurture different social deviances.
To live an honorable life and respect the rights and dignity of mankind, human societies need to exercise and adhere to humanity and moral standards. Last but not least, all individuals need to cherish ethical codes and practice upon the “golden rule” which says that do to others what you want to be done unto you. If we value humanity and ethical codes, we will live a peaceful and prosperous life.

Hujjatullah Zia is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at zia_hujjat@yahoo.com

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