Motives and intentions ignite sustainable development

CHENNAI : We all know that whenever a human being engages into an action, he does so with some motive or some intention. Right?. Even when a person explains, at the end of an action, that he had no motive in doing it, he did, in fact, have a motive at the back of his mind when he did that action though he did not have any clear awareness of it then. His explanation should not thus lead us to believe that he, really, had no motive at all, because every action must have some motive behind it. In fact, the very explanation offered by someone to convince others that he had no motive, clearly proves his intention of getting absolved of the accusation of having had a bad motive. Considered in this light, the intentions of groups, as compared to an individual’s motive, have much greater significance.

We find that the impact of these actions is generally, if not inexceptionably, proportionate to the social, economic, political or religious power or the scientific and technological know-how operative behind them. Thus, if religion and politics or science and politics align together with a noble intention or motive, the result may either be a great social and moral improvement and the establishment of law and order in the first case or a great scientific development in the latter case.

Conversely, if they align together with an inferior motive, the result can be disastrous. If we thus realise the importance of motives or intentions, we should be able to realise the importance of spirituality, for the very object of spirituality is to harmonize the intentions of human beings to achieve higher social goals, thereby achieving sustainable development.

We must remember that the thing which brings about the happy unity of wills and motivate humans or building a better society, characterised by love, unity, peace etc. is the real spirituality which is highly needed in today’s time when science, in alignment with political forces, have gained tremendous power which may be destructive as well as constructive. So, let us all understand that, behind the political force and the power of science is the motive force and, of all the forces at work, this needs to be empowered through the power of spirituality.