Industrialization and Modernization: The Upheaval of Indian Society’s Morality and Spirituality

Modernity is preceded by industrial revolution which signified and for all practical purposes, implied a change in the nature and thrust of economy: mercantile and agricultural to industrial economy and simultaneously the industrialization/commercialization of agriculture. The economy changed its thrust from need based to market based i.e., profit making. The whole process is resulting in making individual economically independent and leading to breaking up of joint family system. The economic independence of individual is bound to have brought up certain critical changes in their attitude towards family, community, society and particularly the value-system that had evolved during the course of history and had come to stay, at times, backed by the force of religion. The big issue before us is that how to resist/minimize/curtail the impact of the forces which we have adopted and have continuously been adopting? In essence, we wish to fight the consequences but promote and preserve the causes. Indian educational system has, at times, been sought to be geared to meet this challenge. We have to seek to partly spiritualize the content and/or thrust of education by adopting and incorporating thoughts of great spiritual leaders of the country. The question, however, remains: can we rear our generation by teaching them spirituality in an extremely materialized environment which does not strengthen the desired value system. The issue is wide, deep and of vast significance. The outcome of the problems has certainly psychological ramification but it has its roots outside the psychology. This may perhaps be resolved if at all it can be resolved, by inter-disciplinary collective synchronized efforts.