NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
General Studies – 1
Topic: Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism
Difficulty level: Moderate.
Reference: The Hindu , Indian Express
Why the question:
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday spoke out against hate speech, saying it goes against the country’s culture, Constitution and ethos, and that “every person has the right to practise and preach his or her faith”.
Key Demand of the question:
Briefly write about hate speech, its impact on society, mention legal and constitutional measures, whether they have been successful or not.
Directive word:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by briefly defining what is hate speech and cite some recent examples of hate speech.
Body:
First, write about the impact of hate speech on society,
Next, write in detail about various legal and constitutional measures that have been provided for curbing hate speech.
Next, write about how far they have been successful or unsuccessful in achieving the desired results.
Finally write about what can be done in future by government, civil society etc so as to reduce instances of hate speech.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
The term hate speech is understood as any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other identity factor.
The Law Commission, in its 267th report on hate speech, said such utterances have the potential to provoke individuals and society to commit acts of terrorism, genocide, and ethnic cleansing.
There is no international legal definition of hate speech, and the characterization of what is ‘hateful’ is controversial and disputed.
Body
Impact on the society
- Hate speech is a discursive process of pushing marginalised groups outside of social, economic and political spheres of society by disseminating hate propaganda and encouraging discrimination.
- At its most harmful, it is widely recognized as a precursor to ethnic cleansing.
- Internal Security: The Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 was triggered by a fake video that incited communal passions. In the West, hate speech combined with fake news on minorities has induced an anti-immigration sentiment (e.g. : France, Italy, Greece)
- User homophily and Bubble phenomenon: Users with matching political views exchange one-sided information and opinions that suit their own convictions, reinforcing them even further, even if those were based on false information. E.g. : Twitter prompts users to follow those who express similar views or posts.
- Igniting extremist sentiments: Fake news’ perpetuates, previously locally found, extremist ideas and groups together dangerously like-minded people e.g. – Neo-Nazis in Germany, Separatists in Kashmir.
- Mob lynching: Rumours of child lifting in Jharkhand led to mob lynching on innocent victims.
- Violence: An atmosphere of violence and chaos is created directly or indirectly. The Christchurch Terror attack on a mosque by an extremist was a result of Islamophobia (a direct result of hate speech).
- Misinformation and disinformation due to hate speech and fake news have led to riots as seen in the Delhi Riots case 2020.
Legal Provisions to deal with hate speech
- Indian Penal Code:
- Sections 153A and 153B of the IPC:Punishes acts that cause enmity and hatred between two groups.
- Section 295A of the IPC:Deals with punishing acts which deliberately or with malicious intention outrage the religious feelings of a class of persons.
- Sections 505(1) and 505(2):Make the publication and circulation of content which may cause ill-will or hatred between different groups an offence.
- Representation of People’s Act:
- Section 8 of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951 (RPA):Prevents a person convicted of the illegal use of the freedom of speech from contesting an election.
- Sections 123(3A) and 125 of the RPA:Bars the promotion of animosity on the grounds of race, religion, community, caste, or language in reference to elections and include it under corrupt electoral practices.
How sufficient are legal provisions?
- For a country like India with a massive population of diverse backgrounds and culture, subjects like hate speech become a complex issue to deal withas it is difficult to differentiate between free and hate speech.
- Several factors are to be considered while restraining speeches like the number of strong opinions, offensive to certain communities, the effect on the values of dignity, liberty, and equality.
- Certainly, there are laws for such atrocities but a major part of work is still left.
Way forward
- Clarity and technological upgradationis needed to deal with this and a mechanism to get down such material, which is prone to disturb social setup.
- Improving the level of training in equality and non-discrimination among police forces and legal bodies,improving research and encouraging reporting of such content.
- Indian government has been pushing for internet platforms to locate their serversin the country, which might help address dangerous speech in real time.
- Generating contra-narratives on social networks and raising public awarenessthrough campaigns to tackle extremism.
- There can be an internationally accepted law that places the responsibility on social media companieslike Facebook to tackle hate speech by deleting obviously illegal content within 24 hours if there is a request from the Government of a particular nation.
- Social media platforms need to take responsibility to ensuretransparency, accountability and a system of rules and guidelines that users can recognize as standards, and which when enforced in a regularized fashion can begin to act as precedents. Thus, users, police and civil society actors will have a clear sense of what kind of material is likely to be taken down.
- Public authorities must be held accountable for dereliction of the duty of care and also for non-compliance with this court’s orders by not taking action to prevent vigilante groups from inciting communal disharmony and spreading hate against citizens of the country and taking the laws into their own hands.
- Therefore giving a proper definition to hate speech would be the first step to deal with the menaceand other initiatives such as spreading awareness amongst the public is the need of the hour.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Indian Constitution– historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure
Difficulty Level: Easy
Reference: Polity by M. Laxmikanth
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 2 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable
Key Demand of the question:
The constitutional provisions relating to the statement, highlighting its interpretation by the Supreme Court
Directive word:
Comment– here we must express our knowledge and understanding of the topic and form an overall opinion thereupon
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Brief on the constitutional provisions-Article Numbers, schedule, related detailed provisions
Body:
First, mention the expanded scope of Article 21
Then, the ordered interpretation by the Supreme Court in relevance to the statement
Conclusion:
A relevant closing statement
Introduction
Article 21 of the Indian Constitution ensures every person right to life and personal liberty. Both the terms, life and personal liberty has been given a very expansive and wide amplitude covering a variety of rights. Its deprivation is only possible through the procedure established by law. The expression “life” has been broadly interpreted by the Supreme Court, which has given it, an expansive scope.
Body
Supreme Court’s interpretations of Article 21
- Right to Live with Human Dignity
- The Supreme Court in the case of Maneka Gandhi vs. Union of India held that right to life embodied in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, is not merely a physical right but it also includes within its ambit, the right to live with human dignity.
- In the case of Francis Coralie vs. Union Territory of Delhi it was held that right to live includes the right to live with human dignity with bare necessities of life such as: Adequate nutrition, Clothing, and Shelter over the head etc
- Right against sexual harassment at workplace
- In the case of Vishakha vs. the State of Rajasthan, the court declared that sexual harassment of a working woman workplace amounts to a violation of rights under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. The guidelines have been laid down in order to protect the rights of a woman at workplace
- Right to clean environment
- The Right to life under Article 21 means a life of dignity to live in a proper and healthy environment.
- The maintenance of various things like: Health, Proper sanitation system, and Preservation of environment comes under the purview of the Article 21.
- In the case of Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum vs Union of India the Supreme Court held that though industries are vital for the country’s development, having regards to the pollution caused by them, the principle of ‘sustainable development’ has to be adopted as the balancing concept
- Right to know or right to be informed
- It has been recognized by the Courts, in the case of Reliance Petrochemicals Ltd. vs. Proprietors of Indian Express Newspapers that right to know falls under the scope of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution as an essential ingredient of participatory democracy.
- Right of prisoners
- The protection under Article 21 is also available to those who have been convicted of any offense. Even though he is deprived of his other rights, but he is entitled to the rights guaranteed under Article 21.
- Right against illegal detention
- In the case of K. Basu vs. State of West Bengal, the Supreme Court laid down the guidelines to be followed by the Central and the State investigating authorities in all cases of arrest and detention
- Right to Legal Aid and Right to speedy trial
- It has been held, in the case of Hussainara Khatoon vs. State of Bihar, that right to free legal aid at the cost of the State to an accused who cannot afford legal services for reasons of poverty, indigence or incommunicado situation is a part of fair, just and reasonable procedure under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
- Disclosure of dreadful diseases
- The Court herein opined that the lady proposing to marry a person with dreadful disease is entitled to all human rights, which are available to any human being and the right to be told that person is suffering from a deadly disease which is sexually communicable, is her right to life guaranteed under Article 21.
- Right to Privacy
- In the recent case of Justice K.S. Puttuswamy vs. Union of India and Others, the Supreme Court held privacy to be a fundamental right under the Constitution of India.
- Right to die with dignity
- Supreme court expanded the right to life to incorporate the right to die with dignity.
- It legalised passive euthanasia and approved ‘living will’ to provide terminally ill patients or those in persistent and incurable vegetative state (PVS) a dignified exit by refusing medical treatment or life support.
Conclusion
Article 21 is not an absolute right. The State can impose restrictions on the right to life and liberty but it should be fair, reasonable and just, and as per the procedure established by law. But it cannot be suspended during an emergency. The fundamental right under Article 21 is one of the most important rights provided under the Constitution which has been described as the heart of fundamental rights by the Apex Court in Unni Krishnan case.
Topic: Indian Constitution– historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Reference: Polity by M. Laxmikanth
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 2 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable
Key Demand of the question:
The limited nature of Fundamental rights in India, and how balance is ensured between their absolute and qualified nature
Directive word:
Analyse – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Brief on qualified nature of fundamental rights in India
Body:
First, elaborate on the need to balance societal and individual rights
As the directive is to analyse, take up each fundamental right, and elaborate upon its absolute yet limited nature.
Mention the related interpretation by the Judiciary as well if any, to curtail/extend the nature of fundamental rights
Conclusion:
A relevant summarising statement
Introduction
Fundamental rights are the basic human rights that are guaranteed to the citizens of India by the Indian Constitution. They act as a limitation to the power of the State. These rights are highly revered and any law that is found to be in contravention of them can be challenged in the Supreme Court by the virtue of article 32 of the Constitution, and subsequently struck down to the extent of the inconsistency. The Supreme court can also pass any appropriate order, direction, or writ for the enforcement of these rights. Similar powers are present with the High Courts under article 226 as well.
Body
While the Fundamental Rights are an integral part of the Constitution, it would be incorrect to term them as unconditional. These rights, by the Constitution itself, are restricted by conditions which aim to balance the individual freedom and rights to the necessity of public good and welfare.
- The Fundamental Rights though justiciable are not absolute.
- The fundamental rights can be controlled and are subject to reasonable restrictions for the protection of general welfare.
- The Constitution empowers the government to impose certain restrictions on the enjoyment of our rights in the interest of public good
- Further, the Supreme Court has ruled that all provisions of the Constitution, including fundamental rights can be amended.
- Some of the fundamental rights and the extent of their enjoyment can be restricted or even abrogated by Parliament under Art. 33. Thus the rights of the citizens in the armed forces or the forces in charge with the maintenance of public order can be restricted or abrogated
Are restrictions justified?
- The restrictions imposed on fundamental rights are justified in the interest of safety and integrity of the country. It is totally acceptable.
- The prescribed limitations are in the interest of public good, social reforms, public order, morality and the safety of the state.
- Under social contract theory, every “right” that you have under that social contract has corresponding responsibilities. For example, your right to freedom of speech is not absolute. One cannot say anything you want about anybody, it is limited by the other person’s right to not be slandered.
- The constitution allows the state to impose ‘reasonable restrictions’ on certain rights, but the ‘reasonableness’ of the restrictions is a justiciable matter.
- It is the responsibility of the government to protect its citizens from internal as well as external disturbance. If we are not safe then there are no reasons to have rights.
- In case of violation of these rights individual can approach the court for the protection and duty of the court is to protect and safeguard them if someone’s rights are violated.
- If a government enacts a law that restricts or violates any of these rights, it will be declared invalid by courts.
- Further, these are social concepts which change with time and social environment. What is a right today may turn out to be a social liability or even a crime tomorrow. For instance, triple talaq and rights of women
- Absolute grant of rights could be prone to misuse. The fundamental rights are only limited to the degree that you cannot reduce another individual’s human rights by your actions. (Harm principle).
- Different persons have different conditions and they cannot be treated equally, which could further enhance socio-economic injustice in the society.
- absolute fundamental rights would have rendered hindrances in governance and too much of baseless writ litigations
- A qualified rights aims at striking a balance between rights of an individual liberty and social control. E.g. free speech (Ar.19) is robust but not absolute. Can be suspended on in emergency due to external aggression.
Conclusion
Thus, fundamental rights are not absolute rights and will be subjected to reasonable restrictions. The state can impose reasonable restrictions to protect the legitimate interest of the state. Any law passed by the state or action that result in an infringement of the rights will be subjected to judicial review.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Indian Express, GaoConnection
Why the question:
The article is by renowned agriculture expert Ashok Gulati. He explains the negative impact of the MSP system in India as well as suggests measures to reform it.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain the MSP system, how has it been helpful for the farmers as well as issues associated with it.
Directive word:
Critically examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we have to look into the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgment.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Give a brief introduction of the MSP system followed in India
Body:
Give a brief description of how MSP system has helped safeguard the interest of the farmers in India.
Then go on to detail the issues with the MSP system e.g. MSP distorts the basic logic of the supply-demand mechanism, slows down the process of diversification, and is economically a very expensive and inefficient policy instrument, besides leading to massive leakages and corruption.
Briefly list down some of the suggestions to reform the system especially the call by some to legalise the MSP system.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a balanced viewpoint and need for further reforms in MSP system.
Introduction
Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the rate at which the government buys grains from farmers. Currently, it fixes MSPs for 23 crops grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons. The government recently hiked the MSP for wheat by Rs. 40 to Rs. 2,015 per quintal and for mustard seed by Rs. 400 to Rs. 5,050 per quintal for the current crop year in order to boost crop area as well as income of farmers.
Body
Yes, MSP helps farmers to an extent
- MSP has been beneficial in transferring incomes to rural areas and to counter farm level inflation.
- It can also counter the agricultural distress brought on by natural hazards in the country. It gives farmers hope of earning more in the new sowing season.
- In the last few years, India has become a net importer of pulses. Massive hike in the MSP of these crops will encourage the farmers to grow nutritional crops. It will help in changing the cropping pattern which was long due.
- A higher MSP regime will also help in achieving the Government’s target of doubling farmer’s income by 2022.
- It also acts as an incentive for farmers to produce the crop which is in short supply.
- Higher profits for the farmer will also help them to invest in necessary infrastructure and equipment.
- The MSP to some extent will protect the farmer by guaranteeing a minimum floor price so that they can plan in advance for the next season.
However, MSP fails the farmers more
The trouble with MSP is that while it is touted as an all-important factor for farmers promising an instant rise in their income and stability, it also has many drawbacks in implementation. This affects the price realisation of farmers, in reality for several reasons.
- Methodology: MSP covers numerous costs such as the cost of sowing (A2) and labour (FL). These considerations are controversial with suggestions that it should be based on comprehensive costs (C2), which also include land rent costs.
- Inflation: Too much of a hike on MSP either paves way for inflationary effects on the economy, with a rise in prices of food grains and vegetables, or loss to government treasury if it decides to sell at a lower price as compared to the higher MSP it bought at.
- Diverse factors: MSP is a nationwide single price policy. However, the actual costing for production varies from place to place, more severely so in areas lacking irrigation facilities and infrastructure. Thus, not all farmers have equal benefits.
- Procurement at MSP is flawed: First, procurement of wheat and paddy for meeting the requirement of the public distribution system (PDS) is undertaken largely by state governments.
- Of the total procurement of wheat and paddy from farmers, the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI’s) share is less than 10%.
- In the north-east and many other states, procurement operations are almost non-existent and farmers are forced to sell below MSP.
- As the experiences of these schemes show, the benefit of higher MSPs for kharif crops or rabi, is unlikely to be available to most farmers as the states lack adequate storage capacity, working capital and manpower for undertaking large-scale procurement of all commodities.
- The MSP-based procurement system is also dependent on middlemen, commission agents and APMC officials, which smaller farmers find difficult to get access to.
- Agri-Infrastructure: Hiking the MSP without investing in infrastructure is just a short-term play. While it does deliver immediate results, long-term developments to back-it up are also important.
- Environmental harm: It degrades the soil because of irrespective of the soil condition, some crops are preferred which have MSP over them which results in exploitation of group water resources, alkalinity, decrease in the production of the crops in long run and much harm to environment.
Conclusion
The government should shift its focus from providing only price support to farmers and focus on building better infrastructure, minimizing the gap between farmers and the market, land reforms, policy reforms to increase flow of credit to farmers, establishing food-processing industries for perishable goods, providing better irrigation facilities etc so, that agriculture emerges as a viable means of sustenance.
Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Indian Express, Niti Aayog Report
Why the question:
India is facing the paradox of having to balance its immediate need for fossil fuel for its energy security with the long-term need for clean energy transitions. The article tries to suggest policy measures that India can follow to overcome it. It has been recently in News due to India’s ambitious pledge at COP26 for a Net-Zero economy by 2070.
Key Demand of the question:
Briefly describe the challenges for clean energy transition and measures to overcome them.
Directive word:
Examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to probe deeper into the topic, get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Introduce with the current status of energy dependency and efforts for clean energy transition by India.
Body:
Give a detailed description of constraints with the clean energy transitions such as clean energy transition will be long and expensive, fossil fuels will dominate the energy basket during this transition phase, “ OPEC plus” will resurge in market influence, etc.
Then suggest what measures can be taken e.g. create a facilitative ecosystem for the search and development of the minerals and metals required for clean energy, create a “clean energy aatmanirbhar supply chain”.
Conclusion:
Conclude by saying that despite constraints, the long-term sustainability of our energy security heavily relies on the pace of clean energy transitions. You can cite some country which has successfully transitioned their energy need to clean energy.
Introduction
Clean energy is energy that comes from renewable, zero emission sources that do not pollute the atmosphere when used, as well as energy saved by energy efficiency measures. In other words, it is the energy derived from renewable, zero-emissions sources (“renewables”), as well as energy saved through energy efficiency (“EE”) measures.
Clean energy is energy gained from sources that do release air pollutants, while green energy is energy derived from natural sources. There is a degree of crossover between clean energy and green or renewable energy sources, but they are not exactly the same. The perfect clean energy mix occurs where green energy meets renewable energy, such as with solar energy and wind energy.
Body
Clean energy Sources:
- Sunlight
- Wind power
- Hydro or water power
- geothermal power
- Biomass
Clean energy works by producing power without having negative environmental impacts, such as the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. A lot of clean energy is also renewable, including wind power, some hydro resources and solar powered energy generation.
Prospects for India:
- Clean energy provides a variety of environmental and economic benefits, including a reduction in air pollution.
- NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) have released Towards a Clean Energy Economy: Post-Covid-19 Opportunities for India’s Energy and Mobility Sectors report.
- The report states that India’s transport sector can save 1.7 gigatonnes of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions.
- It can also avoid about 600 million tonnes of oil equivalent in fuel demand by 2030.
- A diverse clean energy supply also reduces the dependence on imported fuels and the associated financial and environmental costs this incurs.
- Renewable clean energy also has inherent cost savings, as there is no need to extract and transport fuels, such as with oil or coal, as the resources replenish themselves naturally.
- Other industrial benefits of a clean energy mix is the creation of jobs to develop, manufacture and install the clean energy resources of the future.
- There are financial benefits related to clean energy, not least due to the creation of work to improve the infrastructure, manufacture clean energy solutions and install and maintain them.
- Renewable and clean energy are growth sectors as the world begins to move away from fossil fuels, meaning that more opportunities will arise in areas ranging from eMobility to power generation and storage.
- The expertise that comes with developing these next generation power solutions can be of benefit of those that attain it, offering work and contracts to those who are slow to take up clean energy.
Challenges:
- Availability of Power: One of the biggest concerns in the field of renewable energy is power generation depending on natural resources that are uncontrollable by humans. For example, solar powered electricity is generated only when sunshine is available and turns off at night; wind energy also depends on the availability of wind, so if the wind speed is very low, the turbine will not turn, and this result in zero power flow to the grid. The uncertainty in energy production in renewable energy technologies is making integration more complex.
- Power Quality Issues: Consistently high power quality is needed to ensure stability and high efficiency of the network. It can lead to high costs and equipment failure. Power quality problems include frequency disorder, voltage/current harmonics, low power factor, voltage variation and transmission lines transits.
- Resource location: Most renewable energy plants that share their energy with the grid require large areas of space. In most cases, renewable energy sources are dictated by location which can be off-putting to users. Firstly, some renewable energy sources are simply not available in different regions. Secondly, the distance between the renewable energy source and the grid is a major aspect in term of cost and efficiency.
- Information Barrier: While this area is improving, there is a lack of information and awareness about the benefits and need of renewable energy. Investment and capital allowances have been made available for the implementation of renewable energies.
- Cost Issue: The high initial cost of installation is one of the major hurdles in the development of renewable energy. Although the development of a coal plant requires about $6 per megawatt, it is known that wind and solar power plants also required high investment. In addition to this, storage systems of the generated energy is expensive and represents a real challenge in terms of megawatt production.
Way forward for India:
- India needs to identify strategic opportunities for economic recovery in the short, medium, and long terms that can translate challenges posed by the pandemic into clean energy transition opportunities.
- Opportunities in the transport sector include making public transport safe, enhancing and expanding non-motorized transport infrastructure, reducing vehicle kilometres travelled through work-from-home where possible, supporting national strategies to adopt electric vehicles in the freight and passenger segments, and making India an automotive export hub.
- In the power sector, opportunities include improving the electricity distribution business and its operations, enabling renewables and distributed energy resources, and promoting energy resilience and local manufacturing of renewable energy and energy storage technologies.
- To support growing clean energy, the expansion of transmission infrastructure, for both intra and inter-state should be strengthened.
- It should be carefully assessed to ensure that domestic content requirement does not hinder the growth of solar capacity.
- Investment in R&D programmes, as well as human resource development is necessary in addition to local content requirements
- Strengthen the institutional structure to facilitate effective flow of central financial assistance. It is also important to strengthen institutional structure to monitor implementation of Government policies and programmes.
- The government also needs to ensure that India’s distribution companies have the capacity to continue to purchase renewable electricity, especially if bid prices level off or rise.
Conclusion
Clean energy appears to be the future for the power needs of humanity across the globe as reliance of fossil fuels continues to diminish. As the drive towards clean, green and renewable energy continues to advance, the cost will fall and work will be created to develop and install these new power solutions. More and more people are recognising the environmental, societal and economic benefits of clean energy and, as more cities, states and nations sign up to a green power agenda, this will continue to advance.
Topic: Human values: Lessons from the teaching and lives of great leaders, administrators, and reformers.
7. “Honesty and happiness are always corelated to each other”. Discuss using suitable examples (10M)
Difficulty level: Easy
Why the question?
Essence of ethics; falling level of honesty in the society; rising unhappiness in the society
Structure of the answer
Introduction
Define honesty in a brief manner in the introduction.
Body
- In questions like these one has to focus on the multiple dimensions in the demand of the question. Ex: Happiness and honesty might be corelated in some instances; happiness and honesty might not be corelated in some instances; happiness and honesty might be corelated if not in the short-term but in the long-term.
- Give adequate examples for the above dimensions. You can draw inferences from the teachings and lives of leaders and philosophers like Gandhi ji, Buddha etc.
Conclusion
Conclude as to how we can develop and stick to honesty even if it means unhappiness in the short-term or how we can find a balance between the two.
Introduction
Human actions and behaviour are guided by pursuit of happiness. Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. Happiness is a very subjective feeling. It varies from individual to individual. Genuine happiness is impossible without authentic concern for and corresponding behaviour towards the well-being of others.
Body
Honesty is vital for our happiness and peace within because these demand congruence i.e., matching between our thoughts, words, behaviors , and actions or deeds. In case of non-congruence, there begins some dialogue within that may make us feel unhappy. Hence, people with integrity always aspire for consistency and coherence in what they believe and how they conduct their lives. This consistency of personal beliefs and values in day to day behaviour is referred to integrity. Integrity also means practicing what one preaches regardless of emotional and social pressures..
For instance, An honest bureaucrat by the end of her career may not have wealth as compared to a corrupt official. But she will have a sense of contentment that she has served the society to her best and sticked to her values. This feeling of inner satisfaction will result into true happiness.
Being honest with yourself is key to living your life to the full. Not only does it have positive impact on yourself but also to people around you. Being honest allows you to have a positive mindset even when life throws lemons at you, and instead of “running to the hills,” you gather up courage and face the problem by making “lemonade.”
Honesty also helps you detect self-deception that we use as a smokescreen to mask our problems. For instance, One may be jobless and in financial ruin, but unless you accept this situation first, you will find yourself struggling to maintain your lifestyle rather than adjusting to the current situation. Clark Moustakas said “Accept everything about yourself–I mean everything, you are you and that is the beginning and the end–no apologies, no regrets.”
Happy relationships are built around credibility. One needs to be honest in order to be credible. Honesty creates environment based on trust and commitment. Trust is derived from respect a person displays for others. So, honesty, trust, and respect in our relationships leads us to integrity that impacts our relationships.
Conclusion
True self is our best self – It is a spiritual truth that true happiness requires honest self-reflection. The more honest you are with yourself, the greater happiness you will experience. Being truthful brings about an inner ease and happiness flourishes when as.
