Cultivating Divine Qualities ...Contd

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On the other hand, take a spiritual value like 'truthfulness.' Immediately, the doubt arises, "Why should one be truthful? What do I gain by it? Is it not unsafe to be truthful in sensitive situations? In fact, society seems to reflect the opposite value. Many who lie and cheat seem to prosper while those who are honest and truthful suffer..." etc. Such doubts are born of a wrong understanding of the value of truthfulness and its practice in life situations.

In today's world, there is much debate and controversy on the validity and practicality of such traditional values in the modern world. There is no dearth of 'pragmatic' people today who argue that such values are outmoded and irrelevant in today's competitive world or that they are applicable only to world renouncing ascetics and not to those who live in society.

The truth is precisely the other way round - an ascetic living in the Himalayas or in the forests with no direct interaction with other human beings has no scope for the practice of such values. It is interaction with other human beings which brings friction, hurt and other troubles because of our mishandling of people and situations. Therefore, these values are more relevant for software professionals and management executives who face stressful life situations at the workplace.