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410. The Value of Scales

In a school where there are no exams and no marks are awarded, every boy is likely to feel he is above average. Many will consider themselves at the top. The scores in the exam put each boy in his real position. The enormous advance in the field of medicine is among other things due to the measurement of temperature, pulse, sugar level, blood pressure and a score of other things. Credit rating has almost become a science where the credit agencies exactly know the credit worthiness of individuals. In the West, if you want to buy a computer, there are rating manuals that evaluate the various computers on the market for their hardware, software, speed, accessories, scope of use, etc. so that one can choose according to his needs. I understand in the West most of the products in the market are thus rated. Even the popularity of leaders can be measured by sample polls.

Measurement of value is a measure of a nation's development. We, in India, wanting to choose a college or hospital go by impressions. The distance between impressions and exact measurement is like the knowledge of geography of an uneducated person and an expert in geography. It has one more advantage. The field of measurement creates a vast field of employment. When we want to read a book newly published, it is a great help to know how it is presently selling. The New York Times has a list on which it registers the best selling books. It even tells us how many weeks the book has stayed on the list. Unemployment of the educated is a real problem in India. Taking to the ways of the West where real progress can be made can create a vast field of employment.

To emulate something good from someone is wisdom. To apply it exactly here without modifying it to our local conditions is unwisdom. To acquire the mentality behind another's achievement in imitating them is to die to our culture. Our LIFE emerges from our culture. It is more so in India when there is something deeper than culture, the Spirit. Westernising one's mind is a sure way of dying to the realities of one's soul. To borrow another's values, without borrowing their mental structure requires a spiritual awakening unique in itself.



story | by Dr. Radut