PREJUDICES

STORY OF HANDICAPS

What are the causes of these prejudices ?

Ignorance - We believe whatever others say blindly and without any verification.

Rumours - Believing rumours without checking them.

Non - verification of news and information - Believing all news and information be true without critically examining them.

Traditional behaviour - Using proverbs, narrating stories and quoting sayings which ridicule and offend the weaker sections of society without examining their truth, value and content. When elders at home speak negatively or disparagingly about individuals and other communities, we believe blindly whatever they speak blindly. "These people are like this because they belong to this community" - such generalizations are quite common among us.

Jealousy - Because we are jealous of a prarticular person or a group of persons, we tend to form wrong opinions and ideas about them.

Caste - The upper caste people look down upon the other caste people and speak ill of them. Like caste, riches and high position in society are also factors that give rise to prejudices. We gradually internalise these prejudices and when we relate with others with these prejudices, we disregard human dignity, and destroy humanness, we do not give importance to love and compassion in our lives.

         We should get rid of such prejudices. Only by critically examining traditions, verifying rumours and checking the news, information,events, etc., can we weaken the hold of, and even eliminate, prejudices in us. Such efforts will result in the growth of humanness in us.