Life is Action, Not Contemplation

Points: A person is known and assessed by his work — Character is formed by action — Contemplation also may be active like action.

             We Live in deeds not in years Man is judged by his output, not longevity. A good football player is one who has actually played many excellent games. A good debater is also a man who has won many trophies in debates.
             Merely wishing for something or dreaming of something great has no value in life. We must live up to our Ideas. Some of our thoughts have to be brought into practice. Just as a tree is known by its fruit, so a man by his action. Good intentions is not enough, good performance is also necessary. One may spend all the time in planning without doing anything at all. Such planning is useless.
             It is through work that our ideas become clearer. It is through work that we gain our character. It is through action that man achieves success and wins fame. There are some actions which are very much associated with contemplation, but not idle contemplation. When a writer writes a novel or a poet writes poetry, his work is not like the work of an engineer or a farmer. It is the product of contemplation. But here contemplation is productive and, therefore, active. It is also a kind of action.

Uses and Abuses of The Newspaper

Points: The role of a newspaper in a democracy — Press and censorship — Freedom does not mean license.

             There is no freedom where there is no freedom of the press. Free press and free country are almost synonymous. The press or newspaper has a big role to play a democracy. It organizes public opinion. In fact, it educates the public also. Newspapers supply us with news of all kinds everyday. Newspapers arc also views paper. They make public criticism on various matters. The editorials are essays on public events or issues. Some of these are local or national, some International.
             The newspapers cater to the tastes of the readers. News on sports, films, accidents and natural calamities are also displayed in the press. A newspaper brings the whole country closer by highlighting’ the national events everyday. In short, the newspaper is one of the most powerful mass media It Is called the fourth estate.
             But if the power of the press or its freedom is misused it can do a lot of harm. If it foments encourages communalism and fails to denounce anti-national or anti-Social forces, it only abuses its power. We want freedom of the press. But freedom should not mean license or responsibility. In a democracy there is no formal restriction to writing. Nobody will support censors of the press. But the journalists themselves should seek public opinion from time to time and guide themselves accordingly. No one is above law, and no one is above criticism — even the press. The press is free, hurt it is not free to weaken or destroy the freedom of the country.

Population Explosion

Points: Population figures alarming in India — More population means greater poverty — Comparison between India and the advanced countries of the west.

              India is known to be over-populated. Next to China it is the most populate& country of the world. Its population has more than doubled within the last fifty years. This is very alarming. With more mouths to feed, our per capita income is bound to fall. This means greater poverty. Our production is increasing. But our population is increasing even more. If the growth of population is not checked, food shortage will occur and poverty will increase.

              People should be properly educated about this danger. Explosion or outburst of population will only mean more misery and more suffering. The poorer section of the people will suffer most. So they should be taught how to keep the size of a family smaller.

              In the advanced countries of the world, population growth is almost zero per cent annually. It is possible because most of the people there are educated and responsible. In India poor peasants and poor workers think that more children would mean more money earners. They care little for how to bring up the children properly. They do not care at all for their education. The result is, the poor family is burdened with more poverty, more hunger, more want, more dirtiness and more disease.

A Debating Society

Points: Debating, an art, needs practice — Value of speech in a democracy — Debating in schools.

              A school or a college has its debating society. All students are members of such a society. Debating is an art. It is a form of elocution. Without practice nobody can be a good speaker or orator. In ancient Greece, oratory was highly valued.
India is a democratic country. Indian people elect their representatives’ by votes. During the election, many public meetings are held. Good speakers make very good impressions upon the voters. In the Parliament, only good speakers can be good speakers can be good parliamentarians.
              A school or college debating society helps a student to acquire the power of speech. Debating competitions are held among different schools and colleges every year. Sometimes all-India debating competitions are organized. Ready wit, presence of mind, sound general knowledge and a sense of humor make a good debater. All these can he developed through a debating society.
              School debates teach discipline. Every debater has to conform to rules. He has to maintain the time limit very strictly. The mover of the motion is like the opening batsman. He introduces the subject of the debate in the form of a motion or resolution as in the Assembly. He appeals to the audience to support his motion. The leader of the opposition these come up. He tries to point out the hollowness of the motion. After all the speakers have addressed, the mover of the motion gets his light to reply. After his reply, the motion is put to vole.  A competition debate takes the form of a debate in the Assembly or Parliament. It is often called a mock Parliament.

Strike

Points: What it means — Strike in industrial disputes and elsewhere — Strike In India.

              ‘Strike’ means cessation of work by workers or employees. It occurs when negotiations fail between the employer and the employees. When the employers stop production and close down the work, it is called lock-out. In a factory, the workers may demand an increase in pay or allowance. The authorities or owners may not agree to the demand. As a last resort, the workers often declare a strike. They down tools and bring the factory to a stand-still. If there is no work there will be no profit also. Sometimes a strike continues for months till a settlement is reached.
              There are also strikes in banks, offices and even in schools and colleges. All strikes are not for wages or allowances. Some strikes are called to protest publicly against some wrongs. Sometimes general strikes are called when all offices, factories and transports remain practically suspended. Strike is an organized pressure. It should not be used on a flimsy ground.
              In India strike is a very common occurrence. Every year good many workdays are lost owing to strikes. Sometimes the strikers become violent. Nobody supports such violence. We should try to create a condition so that there is neither strike nor Lockout. Let all disputes be settled In a spirit of cooperation for the good of the nation.

Energy Crisis

Points: Sources of energy — Crises due to limited stock — Alternative sources to be explored.

              No work is possible without energy, and for energy man depends on Nature. We get wood from Nature, with which we make fire. By burning fire we cook food, light lamps, and melt iron. After wood came coal. It is an underground storage of energy. We dig up coal and burn it. Oil also is another source of energy. By burning oil we get heat and light. Petroleum or gas came later on. Our motor cars and aero planes are run by them. Electricity is the widely used form of energy in the modern world. From the rivers we get hydro-electricity.
              But the source of energy in Nature — coal or petroleum — is not unlimited, Petroleum may be exhausted within a few decades. Scientists are warning us that mankind may soon face energy crisis. That is why people are seeking alternative sources of energy like nuclear energy and solar energy.
Solar energy has an unlimited supply. In a tropical country like India, solar energy has a great future. Indian agriculture may be revolutionized if solar energy be available to our peasants. The initial cost of installing the apparatus is still heavy. If that could be reduced, our energy crisis would have been solved for good.

Dignity of Labour

Points: Manual work not inferior — Self-help In western countries false notion of dignity in India — Dignity of Labour should be taught.

              ‘Labor is sacred, labour is honorable’, wrote Carlyle. By ‘labour’ he meant manual labour. Manual or physical work is not inferior to intellectual work. We need both.
              In western countries, all household works are done by the people themselves. There is no porter to carry luggage. A passenger’ has to carry his own bag. There is no ‘servant’, and nobody can hire a servant or a cook for his personal service. Institutions like hospitals employ persons like nurses bit they are employees of institutions, not personal servants. The dwellers of a house have to clean their own floors and wash their own bathrooms. Everybody is self-helping there. Unfortunately, many people in India still think that manual labour is not dignified. This is a false notion. It is ridiculous to think that a clerical job alone is a good job. Neither agriculture nor industry can develop if the educated people stay away from them.
              Dignity of labour should be taught from childhood, if every child is asked to do his or her own work it will be good for the child. A self-helping person has to do a lot of things, some physical, and some intellectual. Both are necessary and dignified. What is undignified is to depend on others. What is immoral is to prosper on others’ labour.