Children do not follow what you say but what you do. What you value you emulate. Behaviour is the key to values adherence. These are some sayings that are said frequently. The role of values in shaping your character, your conduct is huge.
In individuals the values start influencing at a very early age. Every organization has their own value system that drives behaviour of their workforce. In a country the collective behaviour of the people exhibits the values that are held by the majority.
Ultimately a society, an organization and an individual is governed by the values they believe in and practice. Whatever values you practice is the results you will get. The trade deficit, the budget deficit, the health deficit, the literacy deficit that Pakistan is facing is due the values deficit we are facing.
The role of role models in a society is the most important role to model behaviour. Role models are people who influence behaviour by their own conduct and its subsequent consequences.
They may be public figures whom you have never met. They may be a successful entrepreneur whom you have read about. It may be a person in your family who has left a mark on you. Unlike mentoring, role models may or may not be alive, or people you have interacted with.
The reason why role modelling is so important is because the youth are the most likely to emulate the role models they associate with. Role models influence the lives of adolescents in a variety of ways.
Research by Bandura done in 1971 suggests that people tend to display behavior that are learned either intentionally or inadvertently, through the influence of example.
Since identity formation is a central focus during adolescence, adolescents are particularly likely to be influenced by the adults in their environment. Adolescents often look to adults in order to determine appropriate and acceptable behavior, as well as to identify models of who they want to be like.
The sequence goes as the type of role models, the type of values and the type of behavior. What ails Pakistan is that many of our successful people have negative values associated with them.
Negative role models exert an influence similar to that of positive role models, but they differ when it comes to the type of behavior being modeled. Negative role models are more likely to inspire a “prevention mindset,” which encourages kids to pursue avoidance strategies to prevent negative outcomes.
Examples of avoidance strategies include cheating on a test to avoid failing or abusing drugs or alcohol to block out life’s challenges. From time as a value to honesty as a principle, the concept of valuing it and practicing it is decreasing fast. The mindset that defines the values you practice has the following belief system behind it:
- Being honest is being stupid— The definition of a successful person has undergone a change. One of the most oft heard social statements in Pakistan is that “sharif admi ki to koi zindagi nahin (An honest man will have no life)”. This is a dangerous belief as it makes villains heroes.
The man who stops on red light is made fun off and the one who zooms off in while the red signal is still on is looked at with admiration. This is true for people standing in queues and those waiting for their turn to pay toll taxes.
What has happened to create this perception? The answer is that the success role models have changed. The highest offices in the country are thronged by people who have years of corrupt practices behind them. The big black four wheelers that carry these elite are symbols of power and money.
While a decent professional who has worked for decades in offices cannot afford the expense of marrying off his children, the social media shows of months of elaborate millions of rupees being spent on weddings of the rich and the notorious.
The social media is one of the biggest influencers to form perception. The luxury of people who have made the quickest rise to the top and the constant misery of the people who try to make an honest buck is creating negative role models that are creating social and emotional upheavals in the country.
- Shortest cut to destination— Frauds and fakes are multiplying exponentially. Everybody wants to make easy money. TikTokers and YouTubers now include 6-year-old millionaires. The easy money virus is spreading in most parts of the society.
The number of fake bank calls, the number of muggings and thefts are almost unprecedented. The rate, width and depth of bribery are sprawling. The bribe takers quote the high rate of inflation as the reason behind the escalation in payoff rates.
To get a basic facility the nerve wrecking process of going to government offices and trying to make your case is almost impossible for the ordinary man. In contrast, the rich and the power grabbers get illegal exemptions and instant concessions through just a simple call in the right quarters.
This has become so common that it has become a symbol of accomplishment and achievement. This has created a society of short-cuts where exam papers are out before the exam; cheating is the done thing.
Faked CVs, instant appointments, premature promotions are all creating a society that is looking for the best way to circumvent the process, bend the rules and stampede ethics.
- Money can buy it all— This “insta” society behaviour has further cemented the belief that money talks and money rules. From a child to a young man the race to put content on social media that lures and gets more followers is on.
This has fuelled consumerism, has made a mockery of decency, and has started affecting very young minds dangerously. Schools which were supposed to be levelers are now party extravaganza competitions, especially the private schools.
Private schools used to have very tough standards for taking top students. They now have tough standards for interviewing parents to see if they belong to the “who is who” club.
In young people you are not judged by your character of behavior but the brand of your mobile and your car. This ultra-consumerism has created a lust for money that is insatiable. This unlimited desire has taken over social graces, social dignity and the balance in the society.
This is a difficult time for every Pakistani. A worker recently shot down the CEO of his company for delays in his salary. Economic shocks are constant. Business shutdowns are frequent. Jobs are far and infrequent. This has caused a mass exodus of the young and the professional. 1.5 million professionals have gone overseas. A recent Gallup survey shows 94% Pakistanis want to quit the country given a chance.
For the poor it is the economy but for the professional it is dual-the economy and the society. Many professionals quote their fear for the upbringing of their children.
The moral and ethical demise always leads to socio economic decline. The Half a page Ads that start with Wanted-Professionals with Caliber need to be replaced with Wanted-Role Models with Character.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst and can be reached at [email protected]
Comments
Comments are closed.