What are human values? Compassion, cooperation, friendliness, smiling, laughter, lightness, wanting to help, sense of belongingness, caring for each other - all of these qualities contribute to human values and they need to be nourished and brought out.
Basically a child is born with these values. Children have these values within them. Teachers and parents need to nourish these values consciously and by example. As they grow up, some of the values are not apparent. Meditation can bring out the human values in everyone, values that are clouded by stress.
Nourish Human values - in children
Often teachers need to de-program some of the programming or behavior patterns that children have learnt at home. Sometimes in school , children start exchanging their programming. Meditation can help overcome this negativity in the child.
Negativity is not the real nature of the child. With loving attention and care you can bring out the positive human values in the child. This is true even with a rebellious child. A rebellious child needs more physical attention and more encouragement. Make the child feel that he/she is loved, that they belong and that you really care for them.
Human values in adults
Meditation plays a vital role in cleansing the negative emotions in a person. Several prisoners around the world have done some breathing exercises and meditation, and have been able to get completely rid of the hatred, anger and the revengeful feeling that grip them.
"Inside every culprit, I see a victim crying for help. It's the stress, lack of broad vision about life, lack of understanding and bad communication, which leads to violence in society. Love, being the very central force of a human life gets covered by stress and distress. Only the spiritual knowledge and education in human values, can help an individual stand up to the demands of the day and also help in managing the problems one faces in their daily lives."
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shnakar
Human beings are at the crossroads today, where on one side they become violent or frustrated and on the other side depressed or suicidal. Only the knowledge about our spirit - which is all love, beauty and peace, and which transcends the boundary of all our concepts, imaginations and identities - can help us bring freedom from this frustration and violence.
As responsible citizens, we need to bring that responsibility to our society and to take responsibility for ourselves and for the environment around.
