Lifestyle 6 - Social Responsibility

As members of society, we have a responsibility to make our surroundings a better place. We know that stress increases when we have a poor relationship with our neighbours.

There are two ways in which this can be done: by charity (dana) and by interdiction (ensuring social norms are followed by all). The latter is harder because, before we regulate the behaviour of others, we need to be close to perfection ourselves.

Dana (charity): giving to the less fortunate. There are various types of dana’s;

a. Anna Dana (Feeding people): Anna in Sanskrit means food. One should try to share one’s food with others. There are no rules and one could contribute to the extent of one’s capability. If you can afford it, feed others; if you cannot, participate in poor feeding through service.

b. Vastra Dana (Clothing others): Many poor people they live on old clothes. Hence, this dana is important. It is also a simple one to do. One could regularly prune ones wardrobe and remove clothes not in use and give them to the needy. It is important here that the clothes should have decent service life and not be unusable or very old.

c. Vidya Dana (Charity of education): We can support the education of others by teaching others, paying for their education or getting them education material.

d. Lakshmi Dana (Donating money): This is one of the most flexible of charities because the money can be used for any purpose. Generally, the best way to do this is to budget an amount and give it on a regular basis to causes that we hold dear.

Activism: Society also needs people to keep a check on observance of general etiquette without being intrusive. Unless we actively ensure that laws are obeyed and rules appropriate to the requirements, civil society will break down. It is hard to point out where one should draw the line, but participation is a must.

Environment: This aspect has been abused in our path to progress. Every individual is responsible for the upkeep and well-being of the environment he lives in, not just as plant and animals, but also by way of air and water pollution and cleanliness.

Share your opinion and experiences

• Do you participate in any charity work?

• How do you feel when you share?

• What kind to charity do you do?

• Do you interact with your neighbours?

• Do you participate in all functions in your neighbourhood?

• Do you canvass for the betterment of the environment in your neighbourhood?

• When you find people are not following accepted rules of society, do you try to rectify the situation?