KVE 301

UNIVERSAL HUMAN VALUES

UNIT- 1- NEED BASIC GUIDELINES, CONTENT

AND PROCESS FOR VALUE EDUCATION.
• What is the need of value education?

• The value Education enables us to understand “what is

valuable”.
• Correct Identification of our aspirations.
• What is valuable for human happiness is the values
education(VE). Thus VE enables us to understand our
needs and visualise our goals correctly and also indicate
the direction of their fulfilment. It also helps to remove
our confusions and contradictions and bring harmony at
all levels.
• Understanding the human values in in continuation to fulfil our aspirations: Values
forms the basis of our thoughts, behaviour and actions. Once we know what is
valuable to us, these values become the basis of our actions. We also need to
understand the Universality of the human values, because only then we can have a
definite and common program for value education. Then only we can assure happy
and harmonious society.

• Complementarity of Values and skills: To fulfil our aspirations both values and skills
are needed. When we identify and set the right goals and produce it in the right
directions. This is known as the value domain. The domain of the wisdom, and
when we learn practice and actualise this goal to develop the techniques in various
human endeavours. This is known as the Domain Skills.
• Evaluation of our beliefs:
• Each one have different beliefs, irrespective of
the fact that they are false or true in reality. We
attain these beliefs on the basis of what we read,
learn or hear. What our parents tell us, our
friends talk about this. What the magazines talk
about it. Value education helps us to evaluate
our beliefs and assumed values.
• Technology and Human Values: The present
education system has become largely skill based.
The prime emphasis is on the science and
Technology to provide the competence of deciding
what really is valuable. It is not within the scope of
science and technology can only help to provide the
means to achieve what is valuable.
SELF EXPLORATION

• Self-exploration is the practice of

“taking a look at your own thoughts,
feelings, behaviors and motivations
and asking why. It’s looking for the
roots of who we are — answers to all
the questions we have about
[ourselves],”
• [Self-exploration] helps people understand and
accept who they are and why they do what
they do, which improves self-esteem,
communication, and relationships,” Howes
explains.
• Additionally, self-exploration can increase our
self-awareness, which is the ability to self-
evaluate and recognize how we take up space.
Self-awareness can allow us to deepen our
understanding of our emotional triggers,
sensitivities, and best self-care practices. This
can lead to stronger emotional regulation and
greater empathy.
• Self-exploration can be draining, “it’s hard to go back
and recall painful memories, confront the realities of
our limitations or take the risk of making a difficult
decision,” but regular practice can help.

• “Self-exploration is like working out; it gets easier

when you’re consistent,”. This process should be
continuous.
• Existence-----Nature -----Society------Family-------The
Human Being • The process of self-exploration has to
continue and become a part of our day to day living as
well as our Professional work (as a
Engineer/Researcher/Scientist/Entrepreneur) .
• Now, recapitulate what transformation, what change in
our world view has it initiated in each one of us after
understanding Harmony in Human Being, Family, Society,
Nature/Existence.
• Natural acceptance: Natural
acceptance is way to accept the
good things naturally. Learn
everything that is good from others,
but bring it in, and in our own way
absorb it; do not become others. In
other words, natural acceptance is
process to understand ourselves first.
• Natural acceptance is a mechanism of self exploration. Self exploration is a
method to explore our self. Natural acceptance is process to understand our
self first. Natural acceptance implies unconditional and total acceptance of
the self, people and environment. It also refers to the absence of any
exception from others. In other words, Natural acceptance is way to accept
the good things naturally. Experiential validation is a process that infuses
direct experience with the learning environment and content. It may be
regarded as a philosophy and methodology in which the direct experience
and focused reflection of the individual helps to increase knowledge, develop
skill and clarify values. Most of what we know about our self is not only
through our own opinion of our self but also because of how others view us.
When what we already believe to be true of us is validated by some
situations, phenomena or outcomes. We may term it as experiential
validation
• Self exploration is the process to find out what is valuable to me by
investigating within myself, what is right for me, true for me, has to be
judged within myself. Through self exploration we get the value of our self.
The process of self exploration is a follows: First of all we have to keep in
mind that, Whatever is being presented is a PROPOSAL. Don’t assume it to
be true immediately, nor reject it without proper exploration. Verify it in
your own right, on the basis of it being naturally acceptable to you, Not
just on the basis of scriptures Not on the basis of equipment/instrument
data Not on the basis of the assertion by other human beings. Therefore, it
is essential to carefully ponder over these on your own right. Neither
accept these as true immediately nor reject them prematurely without
proper exploration. Don’t just accept / reject these only on the basis of the
following: Because something like this/ different from this, has been
mentioned.
CONTINUOUS
• Happiness is, to be HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY
in a state of liking and in harmony within
oneself, with others and with nature at all times. Unhappiness
is, to be in a state of dislike and in disharmony.
• Prosperity is, the feeling of having more than the required
facilities. To ensure that, one needs to know the required
quantity of physical facilities.
• For an animal, physical facility is necessary as well as
complete- where as for human beings it is necessary but not
complete.
• Working only for physical facilities is living with animal
consciousness, while working for right understanding as the
first priority followed by relationship and physical facilities
implies living with human consciousness.
• Transformation from animal to human consciousness forms the
basis for human values and value based living.
• There is an urgent need to rectify the prevailing notion about
happiness and prosperity through right understanding.
• Can one achieve continuous happiness through maximization
of pleasant sensory interactions? Can one attain continuous
prosperity by maximization of physical facilities & with
assumed unlimited wants and unlimited resources?
• When basic human aspirations tend to become unachievable,
contradictions, tensions and insecurity at various levels are
bound to increase, hence peace and harmony among human
beings are increasingly at peril.

• At individual level- we see problems of depression, anxiety,

suicide, insecurity, stress, lack of confidence, conviction etc.
• At family level- we see breaking up of joint families, mistrust
and disharmony in relationships, divorce, generation gap,
dowry deaths, neglect of older people etc.
• At individual level- we see problems of depression, anxiety, suicide,
insecurity, stress, lack of confidence, conviction etc.

• At family level- we see breaking up of joint families, mistrust and

disharmony in relationships, divorce, generation gap, dowry deaths, neglect
of older people etc.
• At society level- we see growing incidences of terrorism, violence,
communalism, racial and ethnic struggle, corruption, sex crimes,
adulteration, exploitation, wars between Nations, proliferation of lethal
weapons etc.

• At the level of nature- we see deforestation, global warming, weather

imbalances, depletion of mineral and energy resources, soil degradation etc.
• The global environmental imbalance is a serious threat to human survival.
• All the problems are a direct outcome of an incorrect understanding, our
wrong notion about happiness and prosperity and their continuity. This is an
issue for serious exploration.
• Relationship refers to the
interpersonal relationships that a
person builds in his/her life – at
home, at the workplace and in
society. Physical Facilities includes
the physiological needs of
individuals and indicates the
necessities as well as the
comforts of life.
• What are the basic Human Aspirations:
• Happiness:- It’s a process of assemble circumstances
which make a person feel happy. There is a set of state of
mind which we are able to accept naturally. Such as trust,
respect, loyalty being confident about your future etc. It is
a continuous process and these feeling always continue is
ourselves. We find these, that are the situations when we
are in harmony and these feeling are a replication of that
harmony. For an example- respect is a state of harmony
between two human beings. When I respect the others
and the others respect me, I like to be in that situation. It
gives me happiness. When I observe myself I have
harmony in my thought, my feelings I feel relaxed, happy.
• i) So the state of happiness is: -the state/situation in which I live if there is
coherence/collaboration in it then I like to be in that state or situation.
• ii) To be in a state of liking is happiness. On the other hand when we
experience feeling such as failure, disrespect, lack of confidence, being
doubtful in ourselves or about other, we feel unhappy as they are states of
conflict. These are the states when there is lack of harmony either within us,
or between us and others. So the state of unhappiness is:- 1. The
state/situation in which I live, if there is conflict/contradiction in it then I do
not like to be in that state or situation. 2. To be in a state of disliking is
unhappiness. We can define happiness and unhappiness as:- A) To be in a
state of harmony is happiness. b) To be in a state of disharmony is
unhappiness.
• Prosperity:- The material things or what we say physical facilities is related to
prosperity. It is conception that to acquire more physical facilities are
prosperity. To know what prosperity is two things are essential. a) Correct
assessment of need for physical facilities. b) The competence of making
available more than required physical facilities. One thing can be clearly
stated that we can prosperous only if there is a limit to the physical facilities.
If there is no limit what so ever be the availability in us. The feeling of
prosperity can’t be assured. Secondly just assessing the need is not enough.
We need to be able to produce or make available more than the need.
Suppose, a person has a lot of money, but does not want to share even a bit
of it. The person has wealth but feels deprived similarly a person who not
have a lot of wealth may welcomes you and ask you to stay back for a few
days and help you out. This is an indication of feeling prosperity. So, Wealth is
a physical thing. It means having money or having a lot of physical facilities or
both. Prosperity is a feeling of having more than required physical facilities. It
is not just physical facilities.
• It is the misconception in the society that only accumulate
physical facilities are prosperity. But we need to
understand it clearly. The basic requirements for fulfilling
the aspirations are: Right Understanding:-This refers to
our skills – the need to learn and utilize our intelligence
effectively. Good Relationships:-This refers to the
interpersonal relationships that a person builds at home,
at the workplace and in society. Physical Facilities:-This
includes the physical needs of individuals and indicates
the necessities as well as the comforts of life.
• Level 1: Pleasure
• The first level of happiness includes the fundamental drivers in your
life — physical pleasure and immediate gratification. This form of
happiness is relatively short-lived and shallow. Examples include a
delicious meal, new clothes or even listening to your favorite music.
Although not inherently wrong, getting stuck at the first level of
happiness is a constant roller coaster of seeking satisfaction in
temporary desires.
• Level 2: Passion
• Whether it’s a hobby or getting recognition at your job, being
passionate about something is an excellent source of happiness. Yet
it’s usually based on a need to satisfy your ego.
• Passion is needed to gain self-confidence. However, if you get stuck
at Level 2, you may become obsessed with winning so much that
you feel the need to keep others down. This type of happiness is not
enduring.
• Level 3: Purpose
• When you feel like your talents and skills allow you to serve others
and are part of something bigger, this can give you a sense of
purpose, fulfillment and long-term happiness. Everyone wants to think
that their life has meaning. Deeper, longer-lasting happiness grows as
you make a positive difference in the world.
• Level 4: Ultimate Good
• The fourth level of happiness is known as ultimate good. This is a
fundamental desire we have as human beings for perfect truth,
goodness, beauty and love.
• Many people find this form of happiness through their religious
beliefs. Even those who don’t believe in a higher power can find
happiness in their pursuit of truth, beauty, love and goodness in
themselves and in helping others. This level of happiness is often
considered the most enduring and profound.
• If our living is only for physical facility, then
we are living with animal consciousness,
because animals live only for physical
facility and are fulfilled by that, not human
beings.
• Continuous Happiness and Prosperity as Basic Human
Aspirations
• Whatever we think, whatever we do is with some end
state in mind. That end state is our basic aspiration.
•
 • Content of Value Education
• The value of an entity is its participation in the larger order of which it is a part.
The context is always the larger order. Value has to do with the participation of a unit
in the larger order. E.g. a piece of chalk is a unit. The classroom is the larger order for
this unit. The value of chalk is that it can be used to write on the blackboard for the
desired functioning of the classroom.
•
• The value or role of a human being is its participation in the larger order. E.g. my role
in living with the other human being is to ensure the feeling of respect in the
relationship. Interestingly, I feel happy in fulfilling my role; and it is fulfilling for the
other as well!
•
• This value is worth understanding, worth thinking about, worth living. The value of
human being is to ensure mutual fulfilment in the larger order1, i.e. in the entire
nature/existence, but starting from within themselves, then extending in their family
and in the society.
•
• Hence, to understand human values, we need to study the human reality along with all
that is there in the entire nature/existence which constitutes the larger order. We need to
explore and understand things as they are; so that we are able to recognize and fulfil
our participation with them.
•
 When you ask yourself:

 Do I want to be happy?
 Do I want to be prosperous?
 Do I want the continuity of happiness and prosperity?
• The answers are in affirmative yes. We have a natural
acceptance for continuity of happiness and prosperity.
These are our basic aspirations.
• The word ‘order’ is used interchangeably with the word
‘harmony’, throughout
•
 Basic Requirements for Fulfilment of Human Aspirations
• When we try to find out if we have fulfilled our basic
aspiration, it is not always so affirmative. There is quite a
gap between our basic aspiration and our state of being.
•
• When we reflect on all the effort we are making, we can
easily see that we are generally working for accumulation
of physical facility!
• The basic problem is that we have assumed that ‘happiness
and prosperity will automatically come when we have
enough physical facility’.
•
• This is something we need to explore in our own life.
Where are we putting in our effort?
•
 • If continuity of happiness and prosperity
is not achieved by just accumulating
physical facility then what else is
essential to do? Let’s try to find out by
asking this question to ourselves:
• Is the unhappiness in my family
 More due to lack of physical facility,or
due to lack of fulfilment in relationship?
 • When you explore into it, you will find that the
major reason for the unhappiness in the family is
the lack of fulfilment in relationship and not just
the lack of physical facility.
•
• Now
out: to look at the investment of your effort, find
 How much time and effort you are investing for
 physical facility, and
 How much time and effort you are investing for
fulfilment in relationship?
 • most of the time and effort is being invested for
physical facility, assuming that everything is
going to be fine when there is enough physical
facility, and there will be no unhappiness in the
family.
•
• The problems are more due to lack of fulfilment
in relationship, and we are investing major part
of our time and effort for physical facility.
•
 • For human being physical facility is necessary, but
relationship is also necessary.
•
• In fact, by seeing this, we can understand the difference
between animals and human beings. Physical facility is
necessary for animals as well as for human beings. For
animals, it is necessary as well as adequate. But when it
comes to human beings, that is not the case – physical
facility is a necessity, but physical facility alone is not
going to suffice for the fulfilment of human being.
•
 • When a human being has lack of physical facility, (s)he
becomes uncomfortable and unhappy. Once (s)he gets
the physical facility, (s)he forgets about it and starts
thinking about many other things.
•
• So, we can conclude that physical facility is necessary
for animals; it is necessary for human beings also.
 For However:
animals, physical facility is necessary as well as
adequate.
 For human beings, physical facility is necessary, but
physical
 facility alone is not adequate.
 • While we do have a natural acceptance to
live in relationship, are we actually able to
ensure living in relationship? Have we
understood this or just assumed it? To
explore this further, find out if:
1.You want
2.or
to live in relationship (harmony) with others
3.You want to live in opposition with others or
4.You believe, living has to be necessarily in
opposition with others, i.e. there is 'struggle for
survival', ‘survival of the fittest’ and if you feel
happy living this way?
 • A little introspection will show that out of these three,
what is naturally acceptable is the first one. You certainly
do not want to live in opposition with others. But you may
be conditioned to think in a manner as mentioned in the
third option. If we adopt the third option, it has significant
negative implications in our life, in the family and in the
society. We can see this all around today.
•
 • From the preceding discussion, it may be concluded that for fulfilment of
human being– physical facility, relationship and right understanding – all
three are necessary.
•
• We can see that physical facility, relationship and right understanding are three
distinct realities. All three are required for fulfilment of human being. One
cannot be substituted for the other.
•
• If we investigate into the priority among these, we can see that right
understanding is the first priority, fulfilment in relationship with human being is
the second priority and ensuring physical facility with rest of nature is the third
priority.
•
• Right Understanding, Relationship and Physical Facility
• Human being wants to live with continuous happiness and prosperity and this is
possible by ensuring right understanding, fulfilment in relationship and physical
facility in the correct priority. This is living with ‘human consciousness’.
 • On the other hand, if one is living for physical facility alone, and not
ensuring right understanding and right feeling in relationship, s(he)
feels unhappy and makes others unhappy too. This is one outcome.
• The other outcome is that if the right understanding is missing, one is
not able to identify the need for physical facility. Now, if we are not
able to identify our need for physical facility then regardless of how
much physical facility we accumulate, we never feel that we have
enough. We keep wanting more. This feeling of not having enough is
the feeling of deprivation. As a result, one is deprived, exploiting and
depriving others.
• While physical facility alone may suffice for animals, it is not
adequate for human being to be fulfilled. Under this condition, one is
living with ‘animal consciousness’.
•
 • Role of Education-Sanskar

• (Enabling the Transformation to Human Consciousness)

•
• The role of education is essentially to facilitate holistic development, i.e. the
individual transformation to human consciousness as well as the societal
transformation to a humane society.

• For this, the education-sanskar has to ensure:

1. Right understanding in every child,
2. The capacity to live in relationship with other human beings, and
3. The capacity to identify the need for physical facility, the skills and practice for
sustainable production of more than what is required, leading to the feeling of
prosperity.
•
 • Education is developing the right understanding (holistic
perspective).
•
• Sanskar is the commitment, preparation and practice
of living with right understanding. The preparation
includes learning appropriate skills and technology.
•
•
 • The prime need of value education is to understand human
aspirations, to discover what is truly valuable (human value) in life.
Value of any entity is its participation in the larger order of which it is
a part. The value of human being is its participation towards mutual
fulfillment (harmony) starting from within themselves, then extending
in their family, in the society and in nature. The content of value
education has to be universal, rational, natural, verifiable and leading
to harmony. The process of value education has to be a process of
self-exploration, rather than being prescriptive.
•