1.

Social Values and Individual Attitudes

Meaning of Values:
In sociology, the meaning of value is different from meaning of value in
economics or philosophy. For example, in economics values means price.

Social values form an important part of the culture of the society. Values
account for the stability of social order. They provide the general guidelines for social
conduct. Values such as fundamental rights, patriotism, respect for human dignity,
rationality, sacrifice, individuality, equality, democracy etc. guide our behavior in many
ways. Values are the criteria people use in assessing their daily lives; arrange their
priorities and choosing between alternative courses of action.

Other Definitions of Value

a) G.R. Leslie, R.F. Larson, H.L. Gorman say, Values are group conceptions
of the relative desirability of things.

b) According to H.M. Johnson, Values are general standards and may be

regarded as higher order norms.

c) Young and Mack write, Values are assumption, largely unconscious, of

what is right and important.

d) Michael Haralambos says A value is a belief that something is good and

worthwhile. It defines what is worth having and worth striving.

e) According to Peter Worsley, Values are general conceptions of the good,

ideas about the kind of ends that people should pursue throughout their lives
and throughout the many different activities in which they engage.

In simple words, values may be defined as measure of goodness or desirability.

Values are standards of social behaviour derived from social interaction and accepted
as constituent facts of social structure. They are objects that social conditions desire.
These are culturally defined goals and involve sentiments and significance. These
consist of aspirational reference. Values are expected to be followed for judging and
evaluating social interaction, goals, means, ideas, feelings and the expected conduct.
Without such evaluating standard, it would be difficult to judge individual behaviour or
social action. Values aim to integrate expected individual behaviour and social action.
It tends to forestall tension and as such have tension management role.
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 Cultural values

The InglehartWelzel cultural map of the world, constructed by sociopolitical

scientists Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel based on the World Values Survey.

Individual cultures emphasize values which their members broadly share. One
can often identify the values of a society by noting which people receive honor or
respect. In the United States of America, for example, professional athletes at the top
levels in some sports receive more honor (measured in terms of monetary payment)
than university professors. Surveys show that voters in the United States would not
willingly elect an atheist as president, suggesting belief in a God as a generally shared
value.

Value Education

Values education is a term used to name several things, and there is much
academic controversy surrounding it. Some regard it as all aspects of the process by
which teachers (and other adults) transmit values to pupils.

Others see it as an activity that can take place in any organization during which
people are assisted by others, who may be older, in a position of authority or are more
experienced, to make explicit those values underlying their own behavior, to assess
the effectiveness of these values and associated behavior for their own and others
long term well-being and to reflect on and acquire other values and behavior which
they recognize as being more effective for long term well-being of self and others.

This means that values education can take place at home, as well as in schools,
colleges, universities, offender institutions and voluntary youth organizations. There
are two main approaches to values education. Some see it as inculcating or
transmitting a set of values which often come from societal or religious rules or cultural
ethics.

Others see it as a type of Socratic dialogue where people are gradually brought
to their own realization of what is good behavior for themselves and their community.
Value education also leads to success. It has values of hard work, how nobody is
useless and loving studies.

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 Objectives of Value Education:

a) To improve the integral growth of human begins.

b) To create attitudes and improvement towards sustainable lifestyle.
c) To increase awareness about our national history our cultural heritage,
constitutional rights, national integration, community development and
environment.
d) To create and develop awareness about the values and their
significance and role.
e) To know about various living and non-living organisms and their
interaction with environment.

a) Human Values: Preparation of text-books and resource materials about

environmental education can play an important role in building positive attitudes about
environment. The basic human value man in nature rather than nature for man
needs to be infused through the same.

b) Social Values: Love, compassion, tolerance and justice which are the basic
teachings of most of our religions need to be woven into environmental education.
These are the values to be nurtured so that all forms of life and the biodiversity on this
earth are protected.

c) Cultural and Religious Values: These are the values enshrined in Vedas
like Dehi me dadami te i.e. you give me and 1 give you (Yajurveda) emphasize that
man should not exploit nature without nurturing her. Our cultural customs and rituals
in many ways teach us to perform such functions as would protect and nurture nature
and respect every aspect of nature, treating them as sacred, are it rivers, earth,
mountains or forests.

d) Ethical Values: Environmental education should encompass the ethical

values of earth-centric rather than human-centric world-view. The educational system
should promote the earth-citizenship thinking. Instead of considering human being as
supreme we have to think of the welfare of the earth.

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 e) Global Values: The concept that the human civilization is a part of the planet
as a whole and similarly nature and various natural phenomena over the earth are
interconnected and inter-linked with special bonds of harmony. If we disturb this
harmony anywhere there will be an ecological imbalance leading to catastrophic
results.

f) Spiritual Values: Principles of self-restraint, self-discipline, contentment,

reduction of wants, freedom from greed and austerity are some of the finest elements
intricately woven into the traditional and religious fabric of our country. All these values
promote conservationism and transform our consumeristic approach.

Cultivation of human values is of paramount importance for developed

countries in order to eradicate human miseries, heal environmental wounds, and
secure true happiness for people. It is also of great significance for developing
countries to progress in science and technology and solve their economic and social
problems.

Human values, the embodiment or possession of which is believed to bring

progress in science and technology in a society and happiness to people, are listed in
the following paragraphs. The author would like to begin with the supposition that we
are born to be happy, and securing true happiness should be the goal of all of our
activities. Progress in science and technology should be considered simply a means
to reach this goal and not the goal itself.

On top of the list of human values is unconditional love and service, rendered
to people irrespective of their race, religion, or nationality. These qualities of love and
service may be considered as the two wings of a bird, attempting to ascend spiritually,
and to secure true peace of mind and happiness.

All events in our lives can be considered opportunities to cultivate human

values. Progress in science and technology can be viewed as one of the most effective
means of rendering unconditional service.

The progress in science and technology in the past 100 years has brought a
better health care, higher life span, mass and higher education, a higher standard of
living, and more comfort and conveniences in life. This progress has not been without
costs; costs of more environmental pollution, of faster depletion of natural resources,
and of a wider gap between people and nations enjoying conveniences and those that

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do not. The misuse of scientific knowledge has inflicted pain on both the environment
and people. To heal these pains, concerned scientists throughout the world have
started looking at the ethics in the use of scientific knowledge and technology, trying
to balance scientific progress without causing environmental and social damages.

Relation between Norms and Values:

Norms and values have salient relation. Norms are specific, values are not.
There may be, in a particular situation, delusion of norms, but values are commanding.
Norms are rules for behaving: they say more or less specifically what should or should
not be done by particular types of actors in given circumstances. Values are standard
of desirability that are more nearly independent of specific situations.

The same value may be a point of reference for a great many specific norms;
a particular norm may represent the simultaneous application of several separable
values. Thus, the value premise equality may enter into norms for relationships
between husband and wife, brother and brother, teacher and student and so on.

On the other hand, the norm a teacher must not show favouritism in grading
may in particular instance involve the value of equality, honesty, humanitarianism and
several others. Values, as standards (criteria) for establishing what should be
regarded as desirable, provide the grounds for accepting or rejecting particular norm.

Functions of Values

a) Values provide goals or ends for the members to aim for.

b) Values provide for stabilities and uniformities in group interaction. They
hold the society together because they are shared in common. Some
sociologists argue that shared values form the basis for social unity.
Since they share the same values with others, the members of society
are likely to see others as people like themselves. They will therefore,
have a sense of belonging to a social group. They will feel a part of the
wider society.
c) Values bring legitimacy to the rules that govern specific activities. The
rule are accepted as rules and followed mainly because they embody

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 the values that most people accept. The Americans for example, believe
that the capitalist organization is the best one because it allows people
to seek success in life.
d) Values help to bring about some kind of adjustment between different
sets of rules. The people seek the same kinds of ends or goals in
different field of their life. Hence, it is possible for them to modify the rules
to help the pursuit of this end.

For example, if the Indian people cherish the value of the principle of equality,
then they will have to modify the rules governing the interpersonal relationship of
husband and wife; and man and woman. As and when new activities emerge, people
create rules in the light of their beliefs about what is good and right.

Attitude
In psychology, an attitude is an expression of favor or disfavor toward a person,
place, thing, or event (the attitude object). Prominent psychologist Gordon Allport once
described attitudes "the most distinctive and indispensable concept in contemporary
social psychology." Attitude can be formed from a person's past and present. Key
topics in the study of attitudes include attitude measurement, attitude change,
consumer behavior, and attitude-behavior relationships.

An attitude is an evaluation of an attitude object, ranging from extremely

negative to extremely positive. Most contemporary perspectives on attitudes also
permit that people can also be conflicted or ambivalent toward an object by
simultaneously holding both positive and negative attitudes toward the same object.
This has led to some discussion of whether individual can hold multiple attitudes
toward the same object.

An attitude can be as a positive or negative evaluation of people, objects,

events, activities, and ideas. It could be concrete, abstract or just about anything in
your environment, but there is a debate about precise definitions. Eagly and Chaiken,
for example, define an attitude as "a psychological tendency that is expressed by
evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor." Though it is
sometimes common to define an attitude as affect toward an object, affect (i.e.,
discrete emotions or overall arousal) is generally understood to be distinct from
attitude as a measure of favorability. Attitude may influence the attention to attitude

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objects, the use of categories for encoding information and the interpretation,
judgement and recall of attitude-relevant information. These influences tend to be
more powerful for strong attitudes which are easily accessible and based an elaborate
knowledge structure. Attitudes may guide attention and encoding automatically, even
if the individual is pursing unrelated goals.

The Role of Ethics and National Culture

People prefer to work in companies that have an ethical environment. Studies

show that when an organization has a moral climate that values doing the right thing,
people tend to be happier at work, more committed to their companies, and less likely
to want to leave. In other words, in addition to increasing the frequency of ethical
behaviors, the presence of an ethical climate will attach people to a company. An
ethical climate is related to performing citizenship behaviors in which employees help
each other and their supervisors, and perform many behaviors that are not part of their
job descriptions.

If people are happy at work and committed to the company, do they behave
more ethically? This connection is not as clear. In fact, loving your job and being
committed to the company may prevent you from realizing that the company is doing
anything wrong. One study showed that, when people were highly committed to their
company, they were less likely to recognize organizational wrongdoing and less likely
to report the problem to people within the organization. Whistleblowers, or people who
reported wrongdoing, were more likely to have moderate levels of commitment to the
company. It is possible that those people who identify with a company are blind to its
faults.

Companies trying to prevent employees from behaving unethically face a

dilemma. One way of reducing unethical behaviors is to monitor employees closely.
However, when people are closely monitored through video cameras, when their e-
mails are routinely read, and when their online activities are closely monitored,
employees are more likely to feel that they are being treated unfairly and with little
respect. Therefore, high levels of employee monitoring, while reducing the frequency
of unethical behaviors, may reduce job satisfaction and commitment, as well as work
performance and citizenship behaviors. Instead of monitoring and punishing

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employees, organizations can reduce unethical behavior by creating an ethical climate
and

The three major areas of study within ethics are:

Meta-ethics, concerning the theoretical meaning and reference of moral

propositions, and how their truth values (if any) can be determined
Normative ethics, concerning the practical means of determining a
moral course of action
Applied ethics, concerning what a person is obligated (or permitted) to
do in a specific situation or a particular domain of action.

Definition of Ethics

Dino Lobaton states that "standard definitions of ethics have typically included
such phrases as 'the science of the ideal human character' or 'the science of moral
duty'". Richard William Paul and Linda Elder define ethics as "a set of concepts and
principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient
creatures".

The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that the word ethics is

"commonly used interchangeably with 'morality' ... and sometimes it is used more
narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group or individual."

Paul and Elder state that most people confuse ethics with behaving in
accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs and the law and don't treat ethics
as a stand-alone concept.

The word "ethics" in English can mean several things. It can refer to
philosophical ethicsa project that attempts to use reason in order to answer various
kinds of ethical questions. It can also be used to describe a particular person's own,
idiosyncratic principles or habits. For example: "Joe has good ethics." It may also be
used to characterize the questions of right-conduct in some specific sphere, even
when such right-conduct is not examined philosophically: "business ethics," or "the
ethics of child-rearing" may refer, but need not refer, to a philosophical examination of
such issues. Philosophical ethics, or "ethical theory," is not the exclusive use of the
term "ethics" in English.

Work Ethic

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 "Who doesnt work doesnt eat" Soviet poster issued in Uzbekistan, 1920

Work Ethic is a belief in the moral benefit and importance of work and its
inherent ability to strengthen character.

Work ethic is a value based on hard work and diligence. Capitalists believe in
the requirement of hard work and its ability to enhance character. In the context of
class conflict, Marxists view the cultural ingrainment of this value as a mean to delude
the working class into creating more wealth for the upper class. However, in the Soviet
Union, work ethic was seen as an ideal to strive for.

Work ethics include not only how one feels about their job, career or vocation,
but also how one does his/her job or responsibilities. This involves attitude, behavior,
respect, communication, and interaction; how one gets along with others. Work ethics
demonstrate many things about whom and how a person is.

Work ethics involve such characteristics as honesty and accountability.

Essentially, work ethics break down to what one does or would do in a particular
situation. The begging question in a situation involves what is right and acceptable,
and above board, versus what is wrong, underhanded, and under the table.

Throughout the last few years, there have been companies whose work ethic -
- honesty, integrity and accountability -- have been rather shady and have a rather
negative impact on other people. This has involved people looking the other way when
people have done something questionable, or thinking it would not matter.

Work ethics, such as honesty (not lying, cheating, and stealing), doing a job
well, valuing what one does, having a sense of purpose and feeling/being a part of a
greater vision or plan is vital. Philosophically, if one does not have proper work ethics,
a persons conscience may be bothered. People for the most part have good work
ethic(s); we should not only want to do, but desire to do the proper thing in a given
situation.

Work ethics are intrinsic; they come from within. A question may involve where
they came from, if they come from within. Philosophically, this may lead to various
perspectives; however, the truth about work ethics, and where they come from are
answered from a Christian worldview. Work ethics come from God the creator. God
made humans in His image, and His word proclaims these various work ethics --

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honesty, integrity, doing a job well, keeping things above board, and accountability
factors.

The Christian worldview holds fundamentally to two central work ethics --

humility and the treatment of others. Humility is being humble, no task is too
demeaning. Humility involves servitude, which emphasizes placing other peoples
need before ones own. Treating others with decency and respect equate to the golden
rule. The treatment of others involves loving your neighbor, loving your enemy, doing
good to those who dislike you. It involves valuing others, and knowing they have worth.

Factors That Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic

A strong work ethic can improve your career.

A strong work ethic is vital to a company achieving its goals. Every employee,
from the CEO to entry-level workers, must have a good work ethic to keep the
company functioning at its peak. A work ethic is a set of moral principles an employee
uses in his job. Certain factors come together to create a strong work ethic.

(a) Integrity: Integrity stretches to all aspects of an employee's job. An

employee with integrity fosters trusting relationships with clients, coworkers
and supervisors. Coworkers value the employee's ability to give honest
feedback. Clients trust the employee's advice. Supervisors rely on the
employee's high moral standards, trusting him not to steal from the company
or create problems.

(b) Sense of Responsibility: A strong sense of responsibility affects how an

employee works and the amount of work she does. When the employee
feels personally responsible for her job performance, she shows up on time,
puts in her best effort and completes projects to the best of her ability.

(c) Emphasis on Quality: Some employees do only the bare minimum, just
enough to keep their job intact. Employees with a strong work ethic care
about the quality of their work. They do their best to produce great work, not
merely churn out what is needed. The employee's commitment to quality
improves the company's overall quality.

(d) Discipline: It takes a certain level of commitment to finish your tasks every
day. An employee with good discipline stays focused on his goals and is

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 determined to complete his assignments. These employees show a high
level of dedication to the company, always ensuring they do their part.

(e) Sense of Teamwork: Most employees have to work together to meet a

company's objectives. An employee with a high sense of teamwork helps a
team meet its goals and deliver quality work. These employees respect their
peers and help where they can, making collaborations go smoother.

Five Characteristics of a Good Work Ethic

While some individuals try to get by doing as little work as possible, others
possess a dedication that leads them to give it their all every day. People who possess
a strong work ethic embody certain principles that guide their work behavior, leading
them to produce high-quality work consistently and without the prodding that some
individuals require to stay on track.

(a) Reliability: Reliability goes hand in hand with a good work ethic. If
individuals with a good work ethic say they are going to attend a work
function or arrive at a certain time, they do, as they value punctuality.
Individuals with a strong work ethic often want to appear dependable,
showing their employers that they are workers to whom they can turn.
Because of this, they put effort into portraying -- and proving -- this
dependability by being reliable and performing consistently.
(b) Dedication: Those with a good work ethic are dedicated to their jobs and
will do anything they can to ensure that they perform well. Often this
dedication leads them to change jobs less frequently, as they become
committed to the positions in which they work and are not eager to abandon
these posts. They also often put in extra hours beyond what is expected,
making it easy for their employers to see that they are workers who go
beyond the rest of the workforce and truly dedicate themselves to their
positions.

(c) Productivity: Because they work at a consistently fast pace, individuals

with a good work ethic are often highly productive. They commonly get large
amounts of work done more quickly than others who lack their work ethic,
as they don't quit until they've completed the tasks with which they were
presented. This high level of productivity is also due, at least in part, to the

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 fact that these individuals want to appear to be strong workers. The more
productive they are, the more beneficial to the company they appear to
those managing them.

(d) Cooperation: Cooperative work can be highly beneficial in the business

environment, something that individuals with a strong work ethic know well.
Because they recognize the usefulness of cooperative practices -- such as
teamwork -- they often put an extensive amount of effort into working well
with others. These individuals commonly respect their bosses enough to
work with any individuals with whom they are paired in a productive and
polite manner, even if they do not enjoy working with the individuals in
question.

(e) Character: Those with a good work ethic often also possess generally
strong character. This means they are self-disciplined, pushing themselves
to complete work tasks instead of requiring others to intervene. They are
also often very honest and trustworthy, as they view these traits as befitting
the high-quality employees they seek to become. To demonstrate their
strong character, these workers embody these positive traits daily, likely
Indian Vision of Humanism

Humanity

Humanity today is regressing. Whatever steps we take forward, they take us

back as human beings.

Humanity can be defined as quality of being human; the peculiar nature of man,
by which he is distinguished from other beings. Being human does not mean that an
individual possesses humanity.

If you want to understand the quality of humanity in an individual take note of

what he does for people who give noting back in return to the favour they have offered.

One of the most outstanding examples of extra- ordinary humanity in a human

being has been portrayed beautifully by Mother Teresa. Humanity means caring for
and helping others whenever and wherever possible. Humanity means helping others
at times when they need that help the most, humanity means forgetting your selfish
interests at times when others need your help.

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 Humanity means extending unconditional love to each and every living being
on Earth. A perfect example of humanity can be demonstrated by the following story.

A king with a kind heart once saw a pigeon and an Eagle fighting. He possessed
the ability of communicating with the birds and animals. The pigeon asked the king to
save him from the eagle. The king told the eagle that he is ready to pay any price in
return for saving the pigeon. The eagle asks the king to give him the equal amount of
flesh to the weight of the flesh of the pigeon. Agreeing to the Eagles condition, the
king starts chopping off his own flesh equal to the flesh of the pigeon. After donating
a little bit of his flesh, he still finds the pigeon heavier. Finally he surrenders the whole
of himself to the Eagle to eat. That is the moment when both the Eagle and the pigeon
turn into angels who appeared on the earth to test the extent of the kings humanity.
The king is now rewarded with the most precious rewards and heaven after life for his
deed of humanity.

This story can be understood as an exaggerated statement so that individuals

understand the importance of humanity in their day to day lives. It is important to
understand one important fact; an individuals life is successful not by the number of
degrees he or she attains but by the degree of humanitarian activities that individual
is into on a day to day basis.

Serving the poor and the disabled is one of the greatest humanitarian help an
individual can provide in his or her lifetime. It is essential to understand the fact that
we are extremely lucky to have everything we desire at any point of the time we need.
Serving the needy means that you yourself think that you have more than enough
resources to your disposal.

People who always crib that they do not have sufficient facilities available
despite having everything can never provide humanitarian services because if one has
the mind set of not being self- sufficient, how can he or she help someone else. One
is always remembered for his or her good deeds and it is essential to understand that
there is no better deed than providing services for humanitarian causes. If eating and
having fun is only what we are born to do then we should keep one thing in mind; even
animals can do such activity; if God has made us humans there has to be some reason
behind it.

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 Only human beings can understand the importance of humanity and it is
humanity as a result of intelligence which actually gives the core essence to human
existence. You will not need a hefty bank account to contribute towards humanitarian
activities. Paying your domestic help fairly is also humanity. You are willing to pay
thousands of bucks for your medical check- up but when it comes to paying your
employee; you want to save every penny.

Humanitarian activities should never be performed in order to achieve fame or

to gain a status symbol. You can easily achieve fame by the work you do. Lifting the
heavy bag of an old woman is humanity, helping a disabled to cross the road is
humanity, helping your mom in doing work is humanity; in fact helping anyone who is
in need is humanity.

As soon as we understand the importance of humanity in day to day life, the

purpose for which we are on Earth is automatically fulfilled.

4. Moral and Non-Moral Valuation

5. Standards and Principles

6. Value Judgments

7. Importance of Cultivation of Values

8. Sense of Duty

Sense of duty - a motivating awareness of ethical responsibility

Similar Terms: conscience, moral sense, scruples, sense of right and wrong -
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's
thoughts and actions

A sense of civic duty is influenced by deeply rooted personality traits. Aaron C.

Weinschenk finds that a number of the Big Five personality traits,
Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Openness, are positively
correlated with a perceived duty. Sense of duty refers to a belief that an individual has
an obligation to undertake actions that benefit others even when the actions are costly
to themselves. From the standpoint of democratic theory, the idea that people should
have a strong sense of civic duty is one that has received a great deal of attention.
Indeed, in their classic work The Civic Culture, Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba build
the sense of duty into their idea of what defines a civic culture. If we know where the

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sense of duty comes from, we will be better equipped to figure out whether and how it
can be cultivated. Psychology research has noted that most individual differences in
human personality can be classified into five broad, empirically derived domains.
Research revealed that a number of personality traits have important effects on the
sense of duty. For instance, those with high scores on the Conscientiousness trait
feel a stronger sense of duty than those with low scores. Conscientious people tend
to abide by norms and rules, so the positive relationship between this component of
personality and the sense of duty makes a great deal of sense. It is also found that
those who had high scores on the Agreeableness trait had a stronger sense of civic
duty than their counterparts. This makes sense because Agreeable people tend to
have a communal and prosocial orientation. Interestingly, it is also found that
Extraversion had a positive and statistically significant effect on feelings of sense of
duty. The Openness trait also had a positive and statistically significant effect on
feelings of obligation.

9. Devotion

10. Self-Reliance

Self-Reliance means reliance on one's own powers and resources rather than
those of others. Synonyms of self-reliance are self-sufficiency, self-support, self-
sustenance, self-standing, independence.

When we are self-reliant, we use the blessings and abilities God has given us
to care for ourselves and our families and find solutions to our own problems. As we
become self-reliant, we are also better able to serve and care for others. The Lord
wants us to become both spiritually and temporally self-reliant.

11. Confidence

Confidence is generally described as a state of being certain either that a

hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most
effective. Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself. Arrogance or hubris in this
comparison is having unmerited confidencebelieving something or someone is
capable or correct when they are not. Overconfidence or presumptuousness is
excessive belief in someone (or something) succeeding, without any regard for failure.
Confidence can be a self-fulfilling prophecy as those without it may fail or not try

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because they lack it and those with it may succeed because they have it rather than
because of an innate ability.

Two main things contribute to self-confidence: self-efficacy and self-esteem.

We gain a sense of self-efficacy when we see ourselves (and others similar to

ourselves) mastering skills and achieving goals that matter in those skill areas. This is
the confidence that, if we learn and work hard in a particular area, we'll succeed; and
it's this type of confidence that leads people to accept difficult challenges, and persist
in the face of setbacks.

This overlaps with the idea of self-esteem which is a more general sense that
we can cope with what's going on in our lives, and that we have a right to be happy.
Partly, this comes from a feeling that the people around us approve of us, which we
may or may not be able to control. However, it also comes from the sense that we are
behaving virtuously, that we're competent at what we do, and that we can compete
successfully when we put our minds to it.

Some people believe that self-confidence can be built with affirmations and
positive thinking. There's some truth in this, but that it's just as important to build self-
confidence by setting and achieving goals thereby building competence. Without this
underlying competence, you don't have self-confidence: you have shallow over-
confidence, with all of the issues, upset and failure that this brings.

12. Concentration
Meaning:

a) the act of concentrating; the state of being concentrated.

b) exclusive attention to one object; close mental application.
c) the focusing of a student's academic program on advanced study in a
specific subject or field.
d) intense mental application; complete attention
e) the act or process of concentrating

Related Words are: attention, centralization, concentration gradient, defocus,

endosmosis, exosmosis, concentering, concentrate, concentrate on, concentrated,
concentration

A few Quotations

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 Concentration is the secret of strength.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Concentration of the mind is in a way common to both knowledge and
yoga. Yoga aims at union of the individual with the universal, the reality.
This reality cannot be new. It must exist even now, and it does exist.
-- Ramana Maharshi
Concentration can be cultivated. One can learn to exercise will power,
discipline ones body and train ones mind.
-- Anil Ambani, Billionaire Businessman
The five essential entrepreneurial skills for success: Concentration,
Discrimination, Organization, Innovation and Communication.
-- Michael Corbor

Concentration has been defined as "the ability to direct one's thinking in

whatever direction one would intend".

We all have the ability to concentrate some of the time. But at other times our
thoughts are scattered, and our minds race from one thing to another. To deal with
such times, we need to learn and practice concentration skills and strategies. To
concentrate, we have to learn a skill, and as with any skill this means practice repeated
day after day until we achieve enough improvement to feel that we can concentrate
when we need to.

Our ability to concentrate depends on

commitment
enthusiasm for the task
skill at doing the task
our emotional and physical state
our psychological state
our environment

Commitment: We need to make a personal commitment to put in the effort

needed to do the task in the way which we realistically plan to do it. If we just play at
it in a half-hearted manner then it is much more difficult to take the task and ourselves
seriously.

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 Enthusiasm: If we are interested in the task and enjoy doing it, then we find it
easy to motivate ourselves to start. Once started, our feelings of involvement in the
activity keep us going - we want to do it.

Skill: Knowing how to do something gives confidence that our efforts will be
successful, so we don't have to deal with anxiety about will this work or not. Anxiety
tends to impair concentration.

Our emotional & physical state: When we are in good physical condition - i.e.
feeling rested, relaxed and comfortable - and our emotions are calm and benevolent,
then we tend to be positive about things. This in turn raises self-esteem, which makes
us more able to concentrate, if only because we don't have to worry about how awful
we are or life is.

Our psychological state: For example, if we are in an obsessional or

distracted state our thoughts are pre-occupied, leaving little mental space to think
about anything else.

Environment: It is much more difficult to concentrate if our surroundings keep

intruding on our awareness, perhaps because it is noisy, too hot or too cold, the
furniture is uncomfortable or the people around us are stressing out.

13. Truthfulness
Meaning:

the fact of being true; truth.

the fact of being realistic or true to life; realism.

Synonyms: honesty, veracity, sincerity, lack of deceit, trustworthiness,

genuineness, candour, candidness, frankness, openness, forthrightness; truth

Society, especially Western society, places a high value on truth.

Truth is the foundation for a fair and just society. In court, we require witnesses
to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, because only that
way can justice be delivered.

Most modern religions also have something to say on the matter, and it is clear
that they place a high value on the principle of truthfulness.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. - Buddha

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 I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life - Jesus Christ

Two Types of Truth

There are two aspects of truthfulness: being true to yourself, and being true to
others.

The two are not quite the same thing, although they are closely linked.
Shakespeare, for example, suggested that someone who was true to themselves was
unlikely to be false to others.

To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as night the day, that thou canst
not then be false to any man.- William Shakespeare

Truthful people will:

Understand themselves, and know their own strengths and weaknesses.

They will not delude themselves about their successes or failures;
Present themselves in a way that shows who they really are. Their
reputation will be founded on what they are and, whether in public or
private, they will be the same;
Meet any commitments or promises that they make;
Be accurate in their descriptions of themselves or others, so that they do
not mislead others.

The Importance of Truth

Truth matters, both to us as individuals and to society as a whole.

As individuals, being truthful means that we can grow and mature, learning from
our mistakes.

For society, truthfulness makes social bonds, and lying and hypocrisy break
them.

If you doubt this, consider what happens when you find out that someone has
lied to you. You feel less inclined to trust them next time, and also less inclined to trust
other people more generally.

14. Cleanliness

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 Cleanliness is one of the good qualities. It is a part of our civilization. A man of
dirty habits is far from civilization. So, with the progress of civilization man cleans
himself more and more. He cleans his body. He cleans his mind and heart. He cleans
all his action and manners. He cleans his soul. This will lead him to the highest form
of civilization. But on the cleanliness of body, depend all other cleanings. Hence,
cleanliness is considered so important.

If we clean our bodies and limbs we will be free from many kinds of disease.
Clean food cooked in the clean pot and served in the clean dishes, will give us health
and happiness. If we clean our bodies regularly, our complexion will be brighter. We
will look fit and smart. If we wear clean dress our mind will be happy. Cleanliness gives
us a cheerful mind. We are more interested to write on a clean khata than on a dirty
one. Hence, we write more and better. We like to read clean books. Hence, we read
more and understand better. So, cleanliness brings us progress and improvement in
all fields of activities and in all spheres of life. By cleanliness of body and limbs,
cleanliness of all our articles of use, cleanliness of our dwellings and soul, we gradually
move towards divinity. Hence, there is saying. Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

In order to keep ourselves neat and clean, we should properly take daily care
of ourselves, of our articles of use, of our dwellings and surroundings and of our
neighborhood. We should clean our teeth and tongues two times a day in the morning
and before going to bed. Beside, we should clean our mouth properly before and after
each meal and each tiffin. We should wash our bodies two times a day with soap and
water. We should clean our cloth and shirts with washing soap every day at the time
of bath. We should sweep our house off all dirts. We should remove the filth and
rubbish into a pit, dug out at a distance for this purpose. We should clean our beddings
and lay them exposed to sun and air. We should look to the proper drainage and
sanitation work of our house and the surrounding. We should wash our house and
furniture with soda and water once a week. We should advice our neighbors to be neat
and clean. Because we cannot be perfectly clean, if our neighbors are dirty. We should
wash our latrines and urinals everyday with Dettol and phenyl. We should get our hair
cut and our nails pared at proper intervals. These are some important to keep
ourselves neat and clean.

It is really a matter of sorrow that most of our students are dirty. It is very
sorrowful when we think that they keep dirty. Though they read science and hygiene.

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To make our countrymen neat and clean we should put ideals in the public institutions.
So, our students should learn to keep themselves clean regularly.

15. Honesty
Meaning: The quality of being honest.

Usage: "they spoke with convincing honesty about their fears"

Synonyms: moral correctness, uprightness, honourableness, honour, integrity,

morals, morality, ethics, principle, (high) principles, nobility, righteousness, rectitude,
right-mindedness, upstandingness; virtue, goodness, probity, worthiness, high-
mindedness, justness, fairness, incorruptibility, truthfulness, truth, veracity,
trustworthiness, reliability, conscientiousness, scrupulousness, reputability,
dependability, loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity

Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and connotes positive and virtuous
attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness, including
straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft, etc.
Furthermore, honesty means being trustworthy, loyal, fair, and sincere.

Honesty is valued in many ethnic and religious cultures. "Honesty is the best
policy" is a proverb of Benjamin Franklin; however, the quote "Honesty is the first
chapter in the book of wisdom" is attributed to Thomas Jefferson, as used in a letter
to Nathaniel Macon.

Others have noted, however, that "[t]oo much honesty might be seen as
undisciplined openness". For example, individuals may be perceived as being "too
honest" if they honestly express negative opinions of others, either without having
been asked their opinion, or having been asked in a circumstance where the response
would be trivial.

16. Power of Faith

Faith is the tool that must be utilized if you want to manifest your desires!
Without faith, you will not experience success in any area of your life! Faith is
absolutely critical to your life and to your success.

Faith means full-reliance or full-assurance in something.

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 To have faith means to be fully-confident, fully-persuaded, or fully-convinced
that something is going to occur. Faith is a belief in the unseen or the un-manifest; its
a knowing that somethings going to happen, and faith allows you to rest-assured.

When you have faith, youre not wondering; faith is not hoping or wishing for
the best, faith is a knowing!

To have faith that youre going to succeed is to know that youre going to
succeed (its just a matter of time).

Seven Lessons on the Power of Faith

(a) Faith Requires Action

Faith is taking the first step even when you dont see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

The scripture says Faith without corresponding action is dead. In other words,
faith without action is not really faith at all. If you believe, you will act differently. A
person who knows theyre going to win plays differently from someone who thinks
theyre going to lose. A person who is expecting a child acts differently from a person
who is not expecting a child, expectation determines faith. Expectation is a sign of your
faith.

Do you have faith in your dreams? Are you expecting them to be manifest?

(a) Faith Makes the Impossible Possible

Without faith a man can do nothing; with it all things are possible. Sir William
Osler

The faith that Im referring to will actually cause your desires to be manifest. Its
the strangest thing, having faith that you will succeed, will actually cause you to
succeed. Your faith will attract to you the components necessary for your success.

(b) You Can Grow Your Faith

You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.
Mary Manin Morrissey

The Apostle Paul said, Faith cometh by hearing. I say, Fear also cometh by
hearing. So guard what you hear, guard what enters your thoughts, because what
you continually hear will grow on the inside of you, be it faith or fear.

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 (c) Have Faith in Faith

I would rather err on the side of faith than on the side of doubt. Robert Schuller

Without being fully convinced that what you want to happen is about to happen
you wont take the steps necessary to make it happen. When you believe something
is going to happen, you get prepared, you start making changes, you get ready for the
pending modification that youre about to experience, youre certain its about to come.
Youre telling people about it and youre getting excited it, not because youre faking,
but its a natural reaction from your belief system.

(d) Fear is Faith

Fear is faith that it wont work out. Author Unknown

If youre using your faith, use it for your benefit. Since youre going to believe
something, you might as well believe something positive. Use your faith to do the
impossible, dare to do whats never been done before.

(e) Faith Feels

Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark.
Rabindranath Tagore

Faith does not hope that you succeed; neither does it wish that one day you
succeed. When you have faith, you know that success is yours, and you act like it.

You act differently when you have faith!

You may not be able to see anything in the physical world, but you know whats
about to happen, you can see it in your mind; you can sense it in the atmosphere.

(f) Achievement Requires Faith

Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision,

hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those
who believe. Gail Devers

Faith is a power that can shape your destiny and that will alter your life!

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 Without faith that your dreams will come true, without knowing that they will
come true, they wont come true. All achievement requires faith. They werent
surprised when they landed on the moon, they believed it was possible. What do you
believe is possible?

17. National Unity

National unity refers to a type of government formed by a group of parties,
generally during times of emergency. These governments are said to be unified by a
love of country rather than by political affiliation.

National Unity is the name of political parties in various countries National

Unity Governments are coalition government made up of all or most parties in a
parliament. They are usually formed in times of war or severe political crisis.

Importance of National Unity

National unity is important because it arises when a country is in crisis, and

government parties who are normally in opposition to each other decide to work
together to solve pressing issues. The parties decide to put aside their differences and
work together because they are all bonded by a love for their country.

18. Patriotism

The Meaning of Patriotism

Love for one's ancestry, culture or homeland is the root meaning of patriotism.
Derived from the Greek kputrios ("of one's fathers") or patris (one's fatherland") the
Oxford English Dictionary defines a patriot as "one who disinterestedly or self-
sacrificingly exerts himself to promote the well-being of his country." A patriot is "one
who maintains and defends his country's freedom or rights."

While we tend to think of a patriot as a person who puts his country first in
opposition to another country, originally the term meant one who supported the rights
of "country" or "land" against the King and his court.

In other words, a patriot stood for the rights of local self-government and was
opposed to tyrannical rule-even by his own king. Thus, true patriotism is the impulse
to defend one's land, country or way of life against unjust governmental oppression.

Loyalty

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 the quality of being loyal.
a strong feeling of support or allegiance.

synonyms: allegiance, faithfulness, fidelity, obedience, fealty, adherence,

homage, devotion, bond; trueness, true-heartedness; steadfastness, fastness,
staunchness, dependability, reliability, trustiness, trustworthiness, duty, constancy,
dedication, commitment; firmness, stability, steadiness; patriotism; archaictroth

19. Love of Nature

20. Discipline
Meaning

a) The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using

punishment to correct disobedience.

b) Synonyms: control, regulation, direction, order, authority, rule, strictness, a

firm hand; routine, regimen; training, teaching, instruction, drill, drilling,
exercise; use of punishment

c) Activity that provides mental or physical training.

d) A system of rules of conduct.

e) Train (someone) to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to

correct disobedience.

f) Punish or rebuke formally for an offence.

g) Train oneself to do something in a controlled and habitual way.

Introduction

There is value of discipline in all walks of life. Whether at school or at home, in

the office or in the factory, in the playground or in the battlefield, discipline is a
necessity. Discipline gives us an opportunity to learn, experience and grow. Without
discipline, there will be complete chaos and disorder. There will be no peace and
progress. To be guided by rules, to pay due regard to elders and superior officers, to
obey them and to behave in an orderly manner, all these come under the term
discipline.

Value of Discipline

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 In college, if the boys are not disciplined, the boys themselves will learn nothing
and the very purpose of education will be defeated. Similarly, if the subordinates do
not obey their senior officers in offices and factories, it will become difficult to carry on
the work of production and administration. The office goers should maintain discipline
and reach office in time. They are expected to complete their assignments within the
allotted time. The country will not succeed if its public servants are not disciplined.
There will be no plan and no organization. Similarly, if the army and the police refuse
to carry out the orders of their generals and commanders, the enemy and the
hooligans will have no difficulty in establishing their sway in the country. Thus, an
undisciplined nation cannot expect to remain independent even for a moment. Even
in minor spheres, such as the home and the playground, people cannot do without
discipline. If there be no discipline in the family, all the members of the family will go
their own way. Then, there will be no peace and order in the family.

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