Individual Social Responsibility
Good Afternoon Friends,
Today, I have chosen a ticklish topic, ISR meaning Individual Social Responsibility. Today’s topic is very close to me.
The speech is divided into two parts, in the first part, I would describe what is ISR and why should one go for it?
And in the second part, I would request each one of you take become responsible and take up ISR, and show some simple examples to illustrate it.
Everybody is aware of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Sometime back, I used to wonder, what is this social responsibility?
From a younger age, in the primary school, we are used to have moral science, which instilled in us, that we have to give back to the society. Help others.
I always wondered why we have to. Has the society given us something? Or why should we worry about the society? Especially, as an individual… why do we have to worry?
Because there is government, there is a public administration set up specifically to drive the society, or manage the society. We vote and elect a government to manage all this.
So, where do we fit in? We are punctual tax payers, and give enough money for these government and administration bodies to run and do their duty, so aren’t we doing enough, then?
These questions I feel, would have surely crossed in your minds, sometime or the other. If it has not crossed your minds, please ponder over this.
So, I started digging up this subject.
Scientifically we have evolved from animals. So, I wondered what is the major difference between animals and humans. What is the difference between us and other animals then?
If you look at animals, they don’t have any society, they live for themselves, they don’t care of each other. Two tigers don’t live in the same place/forest. So, the word society is human induced word.
Firstly, I would like to ask you, what is a Society, according to you? It’s you, me, our neighbors, and our neighborhood. This is only become a mini society.
Mathematically speaking, when we do unions of such society across places, then we belong to one Bigger Set/Society as humans as society of Human beings.
Therefore, as we are social animals, we cant live alone. We depend on each other for everything. From electricity, water, to food, cloth and shelter, we are all part of a big circle. We are dependent on some one, and that some one is dependent on somebody else.
This is the significant quality that drives us apart from animals, the enduring human quality/ human dependence.
And therefore, we need to synchronize this circle, which means to live in harmony; we have to give back to the society.
That is why, we say, we should care for each other. We share our joys and sorrows together.
If our neighbor is in distress, how long can we be in merry?
To put more light on this, let’s compare this circle, to a factory’s machines and line feed.
In a factory, there will be some machines which are termed bottlenecks, so the input and output ratio in a factory is majorly depended on these bottlenecks. No factory is successful until and unless these bottlenecks are taken care of.
Clear example is the recent recession, which affected globally. And the awaiting Greece
In a similar fashion, in a society if some section of people are not happy, then that will surely affect the other section of people. This negativity spreads. High level examples are Dacoits, terrorists, newly added Naxalites, etc. Low level examples are politics in administration, in each level and the lowest level being in one’s own family.
All these giving back to the society, helping others, etc. are also individual’s responsibility, as we are the member of this society/human race. And this individual gestures are now coined as “Individual Social Responsibility”.
Now, I hope everybody understand what is ISR and why should we be interested in it. Lets, move on to the second part of my speech.
First of all, I want to know, how many of you take up new year resolutions? How many of you follow it?
Now, more specifically, how many of you take a new year resolution keeping society in mind, or specifically towards your family, friends, neighbors, etc. Nobody…
Well, this because we usually, never think about anybody else other than us, I need to be lose my weight, I will do something, etc. It’s always, I.
Now is the time, when we start thinking about we/us. I don’t say, dedicate your life to mankind… Just for the beginning… making somebody’s day / following simply the rules / smiling at our neighbors/ socializing, etc. are gestures that work towards ISR.
Interestingly, most of us know what the right things are, we have read it, we see it, but hardly do it.
So called good manners to a certain extent is followed by everybody. At least I hope so.
ISR activities?
There are many ways to do ISR activity, there is no exhaustive list. Sky is the limit. You can monetarily help, join a NGO, etc. There are innumerable ways. But the only thing required is the interest and the humbleness to do it.
Well, I don’t want preach/elaborate on these activities. It takes a lot of courage, commitment and a passion to do ISR in a very large scale. I want to focus on what we can do on every day basis.
I want to stress on the fact that, as they say, any good act should begin from home.
On a day-to-day basis if we can at least create a positive surroundings or increase the positive quotient in one’s surrounding by helping others, socializing with everybody, caring for others, treating all the maids/gardeners/security guards, etc with respect, will also work wonders.
These are very small gestures, but means a lot.
Well, an important example, if we are parents/would be in future, bringing up our kids rightly is also a ISR in itself. The comparison/jealousy with other kids, etc, if avoided while young will be good when they grow up.
I recently, heard this ad in the FM. It was a discussion between two kids, one says, my father bought an apartment, I have room for me, so the other one goes back to his father and asks him. His father as part of consoling tells him, that your papa will buy u a villa..So the kid goes back to his school next day n lets his friend no about it… Such ads promote the divide n rule policy what was bestowed on us by the British.
And this is no joke, this kind of upbringing will surely hamper our kids in future as well the society as a whole.
As I said at the beginning, it is all a big circle, whatever good you do, it comes back to you. So you have nothing to lose, but you only gain.
For eg. If you have a maid, she is also a human, so respect her as another human being. Both of you inter dependent, instead of creating scenes and humiliating them, if we actually talk them in a good manner, they will be surely happy, you will be much more happier.
Let me give some simple examples, just think about these scenarios.
You have been invited to a party by your close friend, you meet a new person who is the friend of him, you come out of the party and your waiting near your car for somebody, you see the other person also in the car parking, waiting for somebody else.
You see that he has low priced model of the same company and you r having a high end car of a different model.
What do you usually do? We ignore that fellow…. Give a look at him… Cannot ignore; go upto him with full ego and half heartily chat …Don’t know what to talk about? The other person surely will develop a negative vibe towards you, and you yourself are shwing that you r not interested.
Instead of creating such a negative scenario, if we actually went upto him and chatted with him in a casual way, positively ignoring the car models? You would have made another friend for you.
Well, all said and I can just add,
"The future is not completely beyond our control. It is the work of our own hands."
I strongly believe that, we are all like the units in the whole system. If each unit is energized and exhibit positive syndrome, then the whole system will have to change subsequently, a major revolution is for sure.
I hope, each one of us, would take a plunge to make the society a better place to live in.
Thank You.
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