VALUES vs. PREJUDICES

by Bakhtiar Hakeem,

HoD Management Sciences, HITEC University, Taxila, Pakistan

VALUES vs. PREJUDICES : All what I love, eulogize, praise and practice are values. And all what I despise, or reject and decline to do are prejudices. How simple! Let us explore this simplicity; rather an over simplification, with an approach of a social scientist. It has not been easy to define ‘value’ even for

lexicons. xxx And other dictionaries xxxx. We can develop a small bank of keywords, of some phrases and terminologies to help venture further. Values, Core Values Social Values Culture, Civilization Justice & Injustice Love Hatred Moorings Moral, Immoral Origin People, Family Clan Kinship Conservative Liberal
Ethics T here is an inferior self and a superior self. There is a mundane self and a spiritual self. Born out of clay and mud I do have all the biological measures of life and animal instincts. The beauty lays I do not stop or end here. He blew into me , later tested me in knowledge (names and definitions) and raised the level to be His viceroy. Now, here lies the catch, what I am, a polished and modified form of apes, or son/daughter of a prophet. It is too huge a gap to befilled-up, too complex a predicament. He does try to help me through His injunction , whether I learn it and follow or ignore, or go against these by setting my own isms, theories, customs and traditions; is a the test, or call it life. I refer to a Punjabi master-piece by Faiz A. Faiz, ‘Raba Sachya’ Justice Charity, love and being liberal all are values. These will all turn into prejudices, when I start raising boundaries around them. Weaker, lower and more porous the boundaries, less prejudicial it would be. When administration of Justice is based on widely accepted or in the light of Universal laws – it will be a ‘value’. And when Mr. True, man orders to make the two cities of Japan – it may be considered fruitful for his ladies, children and unarmed civilians but for those in those two cities of Japan? S o could be the value of charity. How do I decide to give subsidy? Where and to whom I take my items and cash – to orphans, single parent children, people with land-holdings of acres twelve and below, or to my ‘family’, clam or caste. First come first serve is a value, great if it is practiced without hatred towards sunni and shia. And without informing favorites in advance. How about casting a vote. What a significant exercise it is. It embodies a national cause. It catapults an insignificant common street urchin to a king maker. And what if I cast my vote for an inferior and non deserving candidate, knowing it to such. It turns into a prejudice. So is the rule of those in line; from thumb imprinter to Chief Election Commissioner. And just see Imran has even involved CJ of Pakistan. All are as much prejudiced as much they trampled the values of fairness, justice and honesty. Family is a great reference for love, care and sacrifice. All invaluable, valuables. The moment it means a son or a daughter preferred over other, one wife ditched against other, and an uncle is invited while other is ignored – it turn into prejudices. And you all are aware of word ‘step’ in the inventory of our relations. No amount of love, care and sacrifice can be justified at the cost of hatred, indifference and exploitation for some. Western would throughout the last century remained divided on ‘origin’ and ‘roots’. Jewish laws were different for Jew and non-Jew. (EN ref to) If a Jew was to be burn to a Jew, who was Adam (pbuh) and how could first Jew