Partly this society, of which we are a part, should be blamed for the state of affairs. A state that promotes sale of lotteries and earns huge revenue through sale of liquor do not set good examples in financial discipline or simple living. In fact greed is being promoted in many forms .

The rat race for success prompted by the current materialism means ‘grabbing as much as one can.’ In a society which worships success and power, the wisdom of an Einstein will have little impact! He wrote: ‘A successful man is one he who receives a great deal from his fellowmen , usually incomparably more than corresponds to the service to them. The value of a man , however, should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.’ .

Work Culture
The present boom in the Indian economy has been propelled by the purchasing power of the middle and higher income groups and not from the prosperity of the poor! And when India hopes to become a super power in the 2020s, it will offer little comfort to millions who will find even the basic minimum health, education and food out of their reach.

If all men are created equal, their needs too should be considered similar and the assumption of men differing in abilities should not be made a matter for atrocious discrimination in respect of compensation for labour. Who makes one differ from another? This is a mystery still; a secret that the Creator had not disclosed to the human race. Better reward for harder work is justified; but the huge differences in the pay scales of higher placed and specialized workers and those at the lower rung are thoroughly unjust.

The socialist goal of ‘from each according to his ability and to each according to his need’ is something which has not been achieved even in communist nations. But when we are rushing towards an economic utopia, with our liberalism, this welfare ideal should not be lost sight of. Ultimately the rich and the well- to- do are not safe in an ocean of poverty. Crime-ridden cities, suicides, the extremists’ violence should all be taken as warnings reflecting that the patience of the desperate are reaching dangerous levels.

But more than three decades of socialist policies, (after winning freedom) it must be admitted, had only promoted corruption, hypocrisy, idleness and jealousy among the people. Trade union leaders and communists who profess sympathy for the poor should bear responsibility for the abysmal lack of development in pockets of poverty. They have only taught workers to keep on grabbing unmindful of the poor work culture that has been promoted. With no accountability and with increasing desire to grab more while putting in the least is no magic formula for ushering in prosperity.

The Capitalist class on the other hand has taken the route of ruinous entertainment and stupor. They have set up as models, cricketers, fashion designers, actresses and actors and entertainers on a high pedestal as role models. The tears and pains of fellow beings do not seem to move them.

What is the work culture that will save this country and usher in real prosperity all around? A clergyman of old, Rev Washington Gladden, has put it in these words: ‘ One thing I am resolved upon: I will not be a sponge or a parasite. I will give an honest equivalent for what I get. I want no man’s money for which I have not rendered a full return. I want no wages that I have not earned. If I work for any man or any company or any institution, I will render a full, ample, generous service. If I work for the city or state I will give my best thought, my best effort, my most conscientious and efficient endeavor. No man, no body of men, shall ever be made poor by their dealings with me.If I can give a little more than I get every time, in that shall be my happiness. The great commonwealth of human society shall not be the loser through me. I will take good care to put into the common fund more than I take out.’