The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Materialism blamed for conflict in society

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 13, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Materialism blamed for conflict in society

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUPATI, SEPT. 12. Speakers at a seminar blamed avarice and materialistic approach for the strain in relationships between individuals, which sometimes even transform into societal conflicts.

At a seminar on "Mental health - Human relations'' organised by the Tirupati chapter of the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) and AP Positive Thinkers Club here on Sunday, the TTD's Joint Executive Officer, N.Muktheswara Rao, said that right from determining the sex of a child to fixing a wedding alliance, career selection to getting an ailing person treated, everything was being viewed from the cost-benefit angle.

Inter-personal behaviour had touched a new low and the relationship between two persons had been reduced to that of a buyer and a seller.

Sharing, a rare trait

Mr. Rao said that from a time when man used to derive pleasure from growing plants and cattle in the backyard and sharing the yield among the neighbours, a stage had now come when sharing was being considered `a rare trait.' As could be concluded from the saying "Vasudaiva kutumbam,'' society used to be considered an extended family, whereas the present generation sees one's own family as the society, which was an indication of human relations touching the abyss.

The proliferation of nuclear families was blamed for the spurt in suicide among youth. "Grandparents have a role in providing counselling to the younger generations using their rich experience. With many of them relegated to old age homes, the youth have none to share their grief with and thus are driven towards suicide,'' he explained.

Concern over IPR regime

He also expressed concern that the Intellectual Property Rights regime could further wreak havoc on human relations. B.Govinda Reddy, secretary, Academy of Psychologists and N.B.Sudhakar Reddy, vice-president, AP Positive Thinkers Club, spoke.

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