Social crisis: Losing integrity, honesty and discipline

If neither homes nor schools are capable of instilling these qualities, they will be paving the path to a serious social crisis

Sportsmen are ambassadors of a country, Policemen are guardians of a country while teachers nurture the citizens of the country, when such individuals lack self-discipline and easily vent to frustrations, it has a serious implication on the image and the well-being of the country

 

The recent incidents involving sportsmen, teachers, policemen as well as administrative officials have shown signs of deterioration in the standards of the professionals produced in Sri Lanka, some of these professionals have been unashamed in venting their frustrations in a carefree manner that has portrayed a bad image on their profession as well as the country.
This is a warning sign of a social crisis that has been haunting Sri Lanka for some time, sadly this crisis comes at a stage when the country is already battling an economic and a political crisis. However, this crisis could be managed and probably be solved if every profession maintains a high standard of discipline and follow them honestly. 

Honesty

Honesty is the act of being sincere which is a step beyond being truthful, as truth can often be spoken with dishonest intentions, and honesty can validate such intentions. An honest person is well aware of his strengths, abilities and capabilities, while a dishonest person hides his inability through power and arrogance as seen in many of these incidents.
Honest people have exemplary personalities that often add value to their professions, they never spend time defending their weaknesses and are never aggressive nor arrogant as they are aware of its repercussions.

It is sad to note that dishonest people are quite clever in getting their way through some means, the Sinhala language has an authentic word to describe this trait known as ‘Kuhaka’. This word had created such a confusion among British lexicographers at that time that Rev. Benjamin Clough who compiled the Sinhala English dictionary in 1830s had given six meanings to describe this word which are ‘Juggling’, ‘Deception’, ‘Sleight of hand’, ‘Hypocrite’, ‘Cheat’ and ‘Rogue’ (pg.128). 

A good example of this would be the issue of the dress code of teachers that has turned into a debate, the honesty of debating this topic is questionable, as none of the teacher’s unions or authorities gave priority to discussing the drop in the quality of teachers and the standard of education, instead of debating about the saree. The time wasted by debating this topic shows the irresponsibility of the relevant parties in prioritising problems.
 
Responsibility

Responsibility is the ability to respond to actions that one has committed, so one has to be mindful of the acts they commit as they are liable to justify them.
The sportsmen who represent Sri Lanka overseas should know that they were not sponsored on a holiday, but on a sporting, tour to represent the country, whatever they say or do reflects on the country, so they are expected to be responsible in all their activities, including the way they eat and drink. The case of the cricketer who has been charged with sexual assault and the case of the female rugby player who went missing from the team are clear examples of the uncaring attitude of such professionals. 

In the case of the principal, who had called the Police to punish the students for an alleged act of theft not only showed signs of irresponsibility by giving the guardianship of her students to another authority but showed signs of a weak personality, and was unable to handle a crisis in the school that was entrusted to her, if the principal had responsibly handled this incident, she could have been an example of a model Principal. 

As for the senior Police Officer who manhandled the female constable during a commotion clearly showed that he had the required strength for his job with poor reasoning skills when dispensing his strength, policemen indeed have to deal with hostile situations where they have to take unpopular decisions, yet these professionals are expected to be trained to handle such situations without venting into their frustrations.
This is a clear indication to show that Sri Lanka has been breeding talented yet irresponsible professionals, that lack the ability to make moral judgements when making decisions.

Morality

The alleged human trafficking scandal that had taken place with the knowledge of certain officials in the Sri Lankan embassy in Oman showed a severe lack of morals in our foreign service, which is a blatant shame to the entire country, yet none of the officials working in the Foreign Service had the decency to tender a public apology to the citizens for such an uncouth act which shows the arrogance and lack of humility in our government service. 

Yet, we see certain trade unions representing some of these institutions being vociferous in administrative and political issues which shows hypocrisy in their moral standards when it comes to the service of the people.
Morals are nurtured with intelligence and humility, and having good morals adds value to one’s personality, apart from that it acts as a layer of protection against any legal offences as it is often the immoral acts of people that are considered offensive by law.

The Australian law enforcing authorities were quick to respond to the alleged unconsented acts by the Sri Lankan cricketer that was deemed offensive to its citizens, yet in Sri Lanka females face several forms of unconsented sexual harassment in public ranging from catcalling to inappropriate touching where they are compelled to endure silently.
This incident gives our lawmakers and law enforcing authorities an acid test on the efficiency and integrity when dispensing their duties.

Integrity

Integrity is a quality that is reflected by being honest and having strong moral principles. 
Such a person could be trusted and reliable. Due to the lack of integrity, our people get embroiled in unethical conduct and get ridiculed or admonished both locally and internationally, as a result, both the country and its citizens get a bad reputation. 

One need not be religious to be disciplined, it comes with continuous reforms within oneself by questioning one’s own thoughts and reflecting on one’s own deeds, and as a result, they groom to be well-disciplined people.
Sportsmen are ambassadors of a country, Policemen are guardians of a country while teachers nurture the citizens of the country, when such individuals lack self-discipline and easily vent to frustrations, it has a serious implication on the image and the well-being of the country. 

The Government has been busy building infrastructures and highways, so scant attention has been given to the development of human values that enriches one’s integrity, these should be the base of all the professional training institutions in the country. 
If neither homes nor schools are capable of instilling these qualities, our professionals and citizens have to instil these habits themselves, failing they will be paving the path to a serious social crisis in the country.

Courtesy Daily Mirror