Change is the law of nature. Everything in nature changes and finally dies. There was a time when man was uncivilized and lived like savages in forests. He did not know agriculture. But now he has conquered nature. He has become civilized. He has stepped on the moon. This is nothing but “change”. Society also must change. It must constantly adapt itself to changing circumstances. The English poet Tennyson was quite alive to this need for change. So he sang the old order should change and give place to the new. Even our good customs, ways of living and habits, must change with the time. For, if they do not change they would corrupt and become hindrances in the way of progress.
When an individual or a society does not change, it stagnates and begins to rot. An individual must change according to his circumstances. He must adjust himself to the changed conditions of his life. If the circumstances of a rich man change and he becomes poor, he should change himself and work hard.
Similar should be the case with society as a whole. Our old customs and traditions must be changed with the change of times. Indian society has not changed with the change of times. It follows the beaten track. So it has not progressed. It lags behind other nations of the world. If we want to take our rightful place among world nations, we must give up our old ways of thinking and living and become modern. The plough must go and the tractor must take its place. Modern methods of agriculture must be used. The country must be rapidly industrialized.
Many of our customs and beliefs might have been useful and desirable in the past, but they must be changed as the conditions of life have changed. The ways of thinking and living, that have come down to us from the bullock-cart age have outlived their utility and they can serve no useful purpose in this age of atom bombs and rockets. Even good customs retard progress and become positive hindrances, when they are not allowed to change. Society then becomes conservative and orthodox. It fails to march with others on the road to progress. It becomes weaker day-by-day. It becomes a prey to a number of superstitions. Ignorance prevails. Finally, it dies of stagnation and inactivity. So even good customs must be replaced by the new, otherwise the old ones would corrupt and be injurious.
World is rapidly changing. The pace of life grows faster every day. Man has already reached the Moon. India must change with the changing world. She must adapt herself to new conditions. The Soviet Union has disintegrated and as a result India has lost her closest and strongest friend. The world now has become weaker with the U.S.A. increasing assuming the role of the policeman of the world. India must look out for new friends. She must change her old attitudes or perish.
Source: An article “Law of Nature” published in “India Today” magazine in December by S.P. Jones
