Concept of Morality:

Morality is “the behaviour by certain standards of what is good and what is evil, imbibing the good and rejecting the evil”. (Kohlberg 2008). It comprises ethics, principles, virtues, kindness and goodness. Morality is the rules and regulations for living life with certain standards. It includes the do’s and don’ts of the society, community, and religion. It also involves belief about human nature and its relationship with God, his fellow beings, his surroundings, and the world. It includes everything that is considered good in society. However, it differs from society to society and the development of society. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Morality can be used in two ways:-

1. Descriptive morality refers to certain codes of conduct put forward by society or a group of people ( such as religion) or accepted by an individual for their behaviour.

2. Normative morality  refers to rules and regulations that all rational people put forward. It would be accepted by anyone who meets certain intellectual conditions.

The most commonly known moral virtues included kindness (to people and animals), charity, forgiveness, honesty, patience, justice, respecting elders, keeping promises, controlling anger, loving others, and submitting to God. Morality is innate (Something we are born with), and some values are learned through experience and socialisation. People have high morality if they follow strict ethical rules.

IMMORAL ACTS IN INDIAN SOCIETY

India is a multi-religious, multicultural, highly populated, and diverse country. People of different religions and sects live together under the umbrella of the constitution of India and live together on the ground of humanity. But nowadays, India faces many incidences of immoral acts in society, which is a matter of concern. This is an emergency alarm for Indian culture. India is a culturally rich country, but social evils such as prostitution, pornography, LGBTQ+, intolerance for others, and a decline in family and community structure are leading Indian society toward downfall. Some are highlighted here:

1. Intolerance towards others: Intolerance in society means a lack of respect for the practices, beliefs, opinions, or manners of others. It involved the rejection of diversity. In our society, various shades of intolerance appeared, such as intolerance based on religion, race, culture, traditions, and customs. It badly affects the growth and development of the nation. A few examples are Hate speeches against a particular group and violence against minority (mob lynching) communities based on religion or ethnicity. According to one report of “ The Hindu” ( 13 Aug 2021), intolerance in Indian society arises due to the growing influence of Hindutva politics. These conditions arise from a lack of kindness, manners, patience and humanity. 

2. Decline of family structure:

The family is not only the centre of social and economic life but also the main source of support for the members. It nurtures and develops children with high moral values, but Indian society is witnessing many changes in family structure such as:

• Career-oriented couples beginning to bear children at a later age.
• The nuclear family system replacing the joint family.
• Live-in relationships, homosexuality, surrogacy, etc. becoming more common.
• Children being born outside of marriage.
• The rise of ideologies such as feminism.

3. LGBTQ+

Recently, Indian society has been facing this unnatural, immoral behaviour of people. This is not only against nature and culture but also affects religious beliefs. Although legal protection, permission, and rights to homosexual cohabitation promote LGBTQ+ in Indian society. This kind of immoral act not only kills society but also promotes child pornography and sexual abuse.

Other immoral acts that are raising concern and destroying families and society are prostitution, pornography, drug addiction, etc. Due to technological advancement, children today explore the internet, watch corrupt programs and get involved in immoral activities. Due to the fashion industry, our decent dress has given way to the most indecent. Women no longer value their modesty. Society is also indulged in stealing, robbery, nepotism, cheating, violence, illiteracy, inequality, justice and drug addiction.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF FAMILY IN MORAL TRAINING OF CHILDREN

Family is no doubt the 1st institution of a child. A child first learns with family before learning from anyone or school. Children are is a reflection of their family, especially parents. They play the most significant role in developing moral decency in them. The appropriate behaviours, patterns, values, attitudes, tolerance for others and patience, norms of society, rules and regulations, etc. are first implemented in the child by the family. The training of developing moral values in a child begins at birth and never stops.

Children learn the difference between right and wrong and good or bad behaviour towards others through their families. A child learns three important concepts of morality from his family.

1. Moral standards, such as peace, justice and kindness
2. Moral responsibilities: respect, caring, kindness, sharing, helping, tolerance, fairness, justice, patience and sympathy.
3. Moral identities: Good behaviour, truthfulness, honesty etc.

This helps them maintain good relationships with other human beings. Moral values or ethics provide a social organisation within civilisation. These values form the basis of many of our laws. They also help children not only to be law-abiding but also to treat others in society with respect and dignity. An educated family can properly transmit these moral values to the child, and this helps the child set his ideals and govern his life.

Example: Fairness and justice are vital moral lessons children learn from their families. Families fix boundaries on the distribution of resources such as food, space, etc., allowing family members different benefits depending on age and gender. This manner of family improves thoughts regarding the rights of others and impacts their ideas of sharing, correspondence and respect. Similarly, positive encouragement and punishments help children to good practices or deter them from engaging in harmful behaviours (Report: Department of Public Administration Jagannath University Dhaka, 2019).

Conclusion:

But now, morality has become a complicated issue in the multicultural world we live in today. In the name of individual freedom, feminism, and consumerism, people have liberated themselves from all the boundaries of society and nature. It is becoming difficult to set the standards and ethics today. People place their limits and live according to their own rules and regulations, even by ignoring the divine guidance of the creator. This is the reason for the downfall of our society. So now, saving society from these so-called ideologies that entrap humans into false notions of freedom is important. It is the and foremost responsibility of family to implement moral education in children in light of the divine guidance of God.