What is moral education after all? It can be anything that teaches a person moral values and virtue. Values are the set of guidelines that a human being learns to follow. Nobody is born with moral content in him. It is inculcated in him by his education and experience of life. Hence, it is necessary to teach moral values from the very beginning of the childhood. We all pick up morals throughout our life, but it is the education that moulds them in our characters. By educating children about morals and their values in life we can make them fit for the society as well as the nation. It is the only way out to keep control that they find themselves unable to differentiate between right and wrong. Moral education will enable them to go on the right path forgetting all those, which are not at all desirable.
In an age when everything seems to have gone topsy-turvy, when everyone seems to run after some monetary achievement, no one can deny the importance of moral education. At present children fail to come to terms with morals because they are not aware of any. The first thing that comes to the mind is the increasingly bad behavior of students. The frequent outbursts of defiance against parent authority a lack of respect for elders is all inductive of weak moral character. A great crime rate amongst the younger people who come within the range of 18 to 25 years is indicative of the kind of education they are getting. Our society has been slipping towards the ditch of immorality and the day is not far off when we will see our society fallen into that ditch if we do not mend our ways, if we do not inculcate morality in our younger generation.
Everyone knows that life is precious – that life is important. We all protect our life because we care for it more than anything else. If life is so important, the values of life are even more important. Values are guiding principles, or standards of behavior, which are regarded desirable, important and held in high esteem by a particular society in which a person lives.
People have many different values for many different reasons. Some have the same values; some may place more of a value on one thing than another. This is what differentiates from one person to the next.
Values are shaped and formed through different circumstances; how you may or may not have been brought up; through any religious beliefs you may hold; or even from just personal likes and dislikes.
Upbeat values are important because they allow you to have an overall feeling of peace and joy. Moral values can give meaning and purpose to your life. You are able to direct your behavior towards beneficial and fulfilling activities.
When you live your life according to moral values that are based on honesty, compassion, courage, modesty, and forgiveness, then you can also form positive bonds with other people.
Incorporating honesty in your life makes you trustworthy. You will have a clear conscience because you can respect yourself. The people that you come into contact with will be able to count on you to be fair and sincere. Your integrity will allow you to advance in both your personal and professional life. There are more opportunities for you to fully experience life when you are an honest person.
In addition to honesty, you also need to incorporate compassion into your life. Compassion allows you to have sympathy for the misfortunes of other people. It also motivates you to want to give them any type of assistance that you can. Compassion results in having feelings of mercy towards other people. When you have compassion as a moral value people are more likely to put their trust in you because you will be non-judgmental of their circumstances.
Another moral value is courage that gives you the determination to face anything that impedes your progress through life. You will also be able to overcome any obstacles because you won’t let fear hold you back. Others will feel confident relying on you for encouragement because you find solutions to whatever problems arise in your life. When courage is one of your moral values, you can bravely face the world.
In life, it is essential to your survival to have modesty especially in respect to courage. Modesty allows you to realize what your limits are. It helps you to stay focused and keeps you from becoming overconfident and reckless. People will feel comfortable around you because you are humble and you do not try to belittle them.
Forgiveness is also an important value of in once life. It allows you to move past hurtful or damaging situations. It allows you to abandon feelings of anger or resentment against others or yourself. You can be emotionally healthy when you practice forgiveness because it keeps you from holding onto pain and resentment.
Reviving these dying values is extremely important for your overall well-being. Moral values provide a structure for your life. Honesty makes you respectable. Compassion makes you sympathetic to others. Courage gives you the bravery to overcome life’s challenges. Modesty keeps you focused and humble. Forgiveness allows you to be emotionally stable because you don’t hold onto anger and resentment. These attributes will allow you to live your life in a way that reduces your stress levels. You will also have peace and harmony in your life. Moral values allow you to live your life in a manner that you can be proud of. The bonds that you form with others will also be more fulfilling because you live your life according to honesty, compassion, courage, modesty and forgiveness. We must be aware of the fact that betters the moral in the people, greater cohesiveness in the society.