Essay, Paragraph or Speech on “Modernization and Westernization are not Identical Concepts” Complete Essay, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.
Modernization and Westernization are not Identical Concepts
As we march triumphantly towards the 21st century with the glare and glitter of satellites, supercomputers and sophisticated technology, life seems to have become a bed of roses. The old order has, indeed, changed yielding place to new. Elegant outfits, fashionable hairstyles, preference for pop music and ultramodern amenities have become an attribute of the modern man. There is a craze for Western lifestyle, music, food habits, and culture—in shortly, anything bearing the epithet of ‘Western’ finds a ready market even in remote areas. In all this humdrum do we ever pause to reflect, over the evil effects of adopting an alien lifestyle ? We often forget that one man’s meat can be another’s poison. Does a modern man necessarily have to be Western in his words as well as deeds ? Are westernization and modernization identical concepts?
Modernization implies an improvement in the standards of living, marching towards progress and aspiring for the very best in every department of human activity. It means reaching the higher plane in thoughts, words and deeds.
Winds of change are sweeping every sphere of activity in science and technology, trade and transport, sports, commerce and education. Industrialization and urbanization have revolutionized the life of man today. Life has become cozy and comfortable as the exquisite gifts of modernization like the ‘television, computers, robots, aero planes, etc., lie scattered around us. Nehru had described modern industries as the Temples of the Modern Age.
In the last decade of the 20th century, innovative technology has accelerated production and development. Modernization in agriculture has come as a blessing to the farmers. Easy accessibility to improved and high-yielding varieties of seeds, fertilizers, manure and modern equipment have all facilitated progress. Our scientists and researchers are busy blazing new trails in every conceivable field. Costly surgery, which was earlier the privilege of the elite, is now performed efficiently in India. Advances in medical science have improved the quality of life and conferred immense benefits on the society.
Attention to women’s education is another salient feature of modernization. If a women is to be treated as a human being, instead of a chattel or burden or plaything—it is imperative that she must be educated. It is everyone’s individual responsibility not to misunderstand freedom and liberty and make it synonymous with licentiousness and obscenity. One can be modern without necessarily adopting the false values of the western culture. A sound education policy makes one aware of one’s duties and responsibilities in personal, family and societal relations. It attacks paramount importance to character as a firm foundation on which the institution of life rests.
In a truly modern society, material and moral progress go hand in hand. Charming looks and narrow-minded outlook are not compatible; they lead us nowhere. Modernization consists in shedding the insular beliefs of caste, creed sex, and status. Social evils such as the dowry system, bridge-burning, drug addiction and eve-teasing beckon the westernized segment of our society; but one who truly discards them is modern in the real sense of the term.
In the West the cup of materialism is full to the brim and overflowing, but the cup of spiritual pleasure is sadly empty. Broken homes, ruined lives and an insecure existence remind us of our failures as human beings as we boast of our conquest over the material world. Children in the West are exposed very. early to obscenity, vulgarity, drugs and sexual abuse-. This half-baked knowledge proves to be dangerous and youngsters try to fill the void caused by lack of affection and understanding at home by obtaining devious pleasures from dating, drugs and drinks. At the end of the road, frustration stares them in the face and the realization dawns on them that crowd is not company, faces are but a gallery of pictures and lust has taken the place of love. The institution of marriage is no longer respected. Leave aside a marriage of the true minds where “love alters not with the brief hours and weeks”; for them it is a favorite pastime sans meaning, sans sanctity, sans commitment. Western culture does not regard women as companions and helpmates in life, but as means of satisfying only the carnal desires. While the children are engrossed in movies, music, parties and dates, the parents are busy pursuing their materialistic goals. Where, then, is the time to sit together and discuss or imbibe spiritual values? Emotional void, neurosis, disintegrated personalities are the outcome of the empty cultural values of these people.
However, there is no denying the fact that there is much that is good in the West: their spirit of adventure, the policy of earning while learning, their sense of time, sophisticated technologies and scientific adventure. There is no harm in accepting the good and discarding the evil in the West.
Who will deny that Gandhiji was a modern man ? He lived and died for his lofty ideal and believed in simple living and high thinking. He, however, hated the westernized way of life where morals are on the decline. We must follow in the footprints of such modern men and women, who possess tremendous courage, confidence and strength of character to ring out the old and the false, and bring in the new and the noble modes of life. Elegant looks may be a mark of westernization; elegant outlook is the mark of modern life. Modernization almost leads to peace, progress and prosperity. Westernization may not do so. We dream of a modern society that combines the best of the East and the West.