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There Is No Fundamental Change In Human Beings

Is there any fundamental change? Really speaking, human beings fundamentally remain what they were. The search for happiness continues. The main question is where to find the real happiness. Looking for it in various material things goes on as usual. But the tragedy is that they hardly find it. Human beings realize in the course of time that mere money and sense-enjoyments, material things, cannot give happiness, because they are ephemeral. But, at the same time, some thinking people try to find the answers though often such a search becomes futile.

Time is a relative factor. It is and is not. Change is inherent in all material things. So time also changes, and these changes are inexorable. What is important is how we adjust ourselves to these changes. Apart from being connected to the realisation of our real Self, the Atman, religious values are closely related to ethical and social values. Unfortunately, we tend to bend these values to our political and social inclinations. These have nothing to do with real religion.

Sanatana Dharma, as taught by the rishis of yore is a balanced outlook on religion, which enables us to live a life of fulfillment. Religion had two aspects: Abhyudaya, worldly prosperity and Nihshreyasa, the highest good. Later on in the course of history these aspects could not adjust themselves to the invasive forces of false religious values, which in turn gave rise to organized religion. What is needed is not organised religion but organised moral values and higher social values.

Swami Vivekananda puts it clearly: ‘Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die.’ Therefore, with changing times society has to give way to higher values in life through the right education, which can be brought about only by the efforts of thinking people. May such people ponder over it!

Source excerpts from article titled ‘Spirituality in Changing Times’ by Swami Smaranananda in Prabuddha Bharata January 2015 Issue