CAUSES OF SOCIAL EVILS
Man is the ultimate cause of Social Evils:
We are well aware of the bitter reality that Social Evils are an ineluctable part of our society and its predominant causer is man himself. The reason is that he cannot control his fluctuating desires and is unable to channelize them in a positive manner therefore the Social Evils arise. It is the people of the society who have made life so complicated for themselves and for others that leaves far behind the idea of simplicity which our religion also enforces.
“Survival of the fittest” has become order of the day. This idea no doubt, projects hope and positivity. Yet, at the same time this idea of being the “fittest” of all has led people to adopt immoral means and ways. We must acknowledge that man initially is a sinner and contains the substance of Evil in his heart and mind but this should be suppressed. However, instead of suppressing, it is going the other way round as it is illuminated.
The point of suggesting this is that with the age of modernity, human beings have progressed and have even reached the moon which indeed is a real accomplishment worth appreciation. But on the other hand, they have started to degenerate morally. His desire to gain more power, yearning to fit in the society has compelled him to follow the path of evil. He does not realize that moral stability should be there to exist in the society. It is indeed, the people who have deviated from their Moral Sense inorder to achieve materialistic gains which causes disruption in the society. As we know that a society comprises of people therefore, the people are the causes to spread evils and chaos in their overall surroundings.
Certainly, Social Evils are the result of Man’s inability to control his wishes and desires which motivate him to commit wrong and harm the society. The pressure and demands of the society promote wrong doings which pollutes the society. Nonetheless, man himself is responsible and the root cause for the existence of social evils. Though he is a “social animal”, yet, he can transform himself into a beast inorder to satisfy his unacceptable motives and wishes. So, the inhumanity of people leads to such consequences which will shatter them in future. The Social Evils manifest themselves in many ways. For instance, in the form of corruption, juvenile delinquency, greed, prostitution, sexual harassment, child abuse and so on.
Peer Group:
Another poignant cause for Social Evils is the influence of peer group. The desire to become a part of the peer group is strong enough in an individual especially youngsters and children that they can go to extremes. Thereby, it is evident that peer group plays an eminent role in a person’s life and thus at times it highlights his disastrous future as well. People indulge themselves in anti-social behavior which brings humiliation to their parents and families.
It is famously quoted that:
“A man is known by the company he keeps”.
This pertains to the idea that the reputation and future of an individual is determined or judged by his company. This can be substantiated by taking a common example of the elite class which is yet another cause of Social Evils. People, as already mentioned desire monitory gains and popularity. A teenager, though is in a growing process and inspite of having intellect is not ripe enough what he really wants. Therefore status consciousness refers to the cause of evil path due to which numerous people are suffering. By watching the high class people, various individuals want to adopt a certain lifestyle which is parallel to theirs. Then the rise of Social Evils like robbery, drinking and use of drugs takes place. The youngsters perceive these sort of things as “cool” but they do not realize what harm they are deliberately inflicting on themselves and especially to the society. This can create a never ending chain of destruction ans the result would be traumatic leading to emotional turmoil and physical decay as well.
DEMANDS AND PRESSURE:
It is the tragedy of the Asian society especially that the implication of the word “pressure” has become immense in the society. It has been observed that people of this part of the world have been intoxicated in Social Evils more than any other place in the world. The poor people are mainly the target of the evils prevalent in our society because they are caught in economic depression. The economic pressure on them is at its peak and they barely make the two ends meet. They have to shoulder various responsibilities as only the head of the family earns.
The dilemma of today’s people is that despite their success in various fields, they still have not come out of their ignorance. For example, the dowry system is still very much present in our culture and society which is one of the unavoidable and ineluctable Social Evils that many a times forces the people to indulge in the anti-social acts of robbery, theft, prostitution and so on.
Therefore, it can be completely agreed upon that man has the capacity to contaminate society at the hands of circumstances eventhough, initially he is an innocent person. These Social Evils henceforth, cause violence and chaos by damaging the society like termites.
INFLUENCE OF MEDIA:
Media, as it is known by every man is the most vast and gigantic medium of communication in the modern world. Although it has positive aspects to it, but it encapsulates negativity on a broad and larger scale. We can vividly observe media’s negative influence on cultures and societies. Its negativity can be sensed by even an unconscious person which substantiates that it is at its peak. This further connotes another harmful cause of Social Evils. Nowadays, such actions and incidents which cause violence and obscenity are being shown which causes a whole range of Social Evils because many individuals are provoked and curious to commit the same actions thinking them to be appealing.
The admiration of teenagers for various celebrities is yet another cause of Social Evils. The reason is that the adolescents especially muse over their favourite celebrities which bring on to the surface level more negative aspects than positive ones. However, the action movies as well as video games which are based on the themes of violence, implicitly motivate many people to commit such things. Furthermore, children and youngsters are mainly affected by these.
Thus, Social Evils are an inevitable part of societies which are caused initially by the will of man himself. They project disharmony in the society and environment and also tend to disintegrate relationships. Thus precautionary measures should be taken up inorder to create a congenial atmosphere in the society. Simultaneously, individuals must be able to calm down their futile motives and desires which demand him to adopt Social Evils thus making him a hollow man with futile existence.