UPSC Essentials : Mains answer practice: GS 4 —Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude (Week 2)

QUESTION 2

CASE STUDY

Ravi is a strong supporter of girl child education. He motivates a lot of members of society to realise the importance of girl child education to sponsor the education of a girl child. For the past twelve years, he has been sponsoring the education of Asmita. Now, Asmita has cleared medical entrance exams and her name appears for provisional admission in two of the medical colleges. One of them, say XYZ, is ranked one in the state and happens to be Asmita’s dream college too. Asmita has worked hard day and night for this college and Ravi knows it. The fee of the XYZ college is very high but Ravi is ready to pay it for Asmita’s bright future. However, unfortunately, on the day of the submission of admission fees to XYZ College (which is the last day of fee submission), Ravi’s mother meets with an accident. The doctors tell Ravi that his mother has to go through an operation immediately. Ravi figures out that the operation will cost him a lot and he will not have any money for the admission. If he doesn’t pay the fees, Asmita’s admission might be cancelled.

(a) What are the ethical issues involved?

(b) What should Ravi do? Justify.

THOUGHT PROCESS

You may enrich your answers by some of the following points

QUESTION 1

What is conscience? How parents can raise children with a conscience in a virtual world?

Introduction:

Since the question has two parts and there is a word limit, you may simply start with a definition of conscience. For example:

Conscience is a kind of faculty which is unvarying, innate, and incorruptible and it is present in all human beings. In other words, conscience is the true self of human beings and a kindle of guidance. It is a dependable source and it carries a voice. It is that inner voice which guides a person ethically by telling him or her what is right or wrong.

or

It is the blend of morality, self-awareness, and self-analytical ability that separates rationality from blind belief or rage.

You may add if time and space allow:

The challenge to conscience is the noise around us. The noise of confusion, ignorance, beliefs, notions, power, dogmas, upbringing, pressure, and other temptations. And in the midst of that noise, one will have to learn to heed to the voice of conscience. For listening to that voice in the middle of that noise of darkness one needs that input of human values and ethical competence. That ability to investigate that noise will prepare a mortal to listen to the voice, the voice of conscience.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Moral empathy vs digital

— Children from the age of 0 to 7 years are highly malleable and their sub-conscious is heavily influenced by life experiences which are majorly dependent on their parents. However, being a role model in today’s age is double the challenge, thanks to the exposure of digital platforms which makes children susceptible.

— Children today are exposed to digital media before they are even born, with their parents using digital media during the gestation period.

— However, that is just the start of the digital infiltration which affects the way a child thinks and reacts. Thanks to the constant viewing of the screen, the ability to feel and respond in real time takes a beating as the brain is aware that it is the virtual world.

— This virtual connection cuts the link between real-life empathy, blurring the lines between what is right and wrong. Though digital is not all bad and does create a medium of engaged learning, it is always a big no-no for children under two years and should be allowed in moderation for other children.

How parents can help germinate conscience

— Parents are role models. There is no denying that a child learns first in his home and then steps into school. Therefore, it is imperative that adults pay attention to their behaviour around the child.

— For that, they need to get rid of negativity that can impact their communication. Granted that adulthood comes with its own set of challenges, but efforts should be made in keeping a negative atmosphere at bay when around a child.

— Parents must form a strong bond with their children and communication is the key element that effectively reinforces this connection. A child should be able to talk to his/her parents who will help them understand the nature of their actions.

— For instance, if they are taught that cyber bullying is wrong or hurting someone physically or emotionally is not the act of a virtuous person, they will think twice about taking that action. The conscience will be at work here, telling them this is wrong. The spiritual path is a constant guiding light in a child’s heart but setting them in that direction is the job that parents have to fulfill for the betterment of their children.

— The early rectification is especially important because as they grow into teenagers, children learn from their own decisions and mistakes. It is important to give them controlled freedom to make choices, fail and learn. Children have a safety net in their parents and can learn lessons for the future when they may not be around. Any experience of the child becomes a part of him.

— Almost in all cases, these habits, belief systems, traits continue for life. So this is an apt time to inculcate good values. But the first step to do that is to raise your own awareness as a parent, heal your emotional wounds and become more conscious.

The right path to growth

— A parent can love the child unconditionally and accept them wholeheartedly, sans any judgment. After all, a child with great self-esteem and self-love quotient, who is also empowered with a spiritual practice, is not vulnerable to bad decisions.

— The initial stages are meant to provide unconditional love and acceptance right from the pregnancy stage. This will give them a strong foundation of great self-esteem and self-love.

— Keeping the parent-child relationship as a bidirectional one instead of hierarchical is important to remain connected so that when the child grows up, it is easy to step in if we need, to maintain their conscience.

(Refer: How parents can raise kids with a conscience in a virtual world by Kuhoo Gupta, founder of The K Junction.)

Conclusion:

Your conclusion can be a general suggestion. For example:

Above all this, the most important thing is to grow, evolve and heal personally as an individual for the parent to set the right role model for the child in a physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and psychological sense.

OR

Your conclusion can have a striking quote. For example:

To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society. – Theodore Roosevelt. (What does it mean? Think and answer in the comment box below.)

OR

You may make the conclusion fresh and interesting by hinting at a related concept. For example:

‘Tabula Rasa’ ( What it means and how is it relevant here? Think and answer in the comment box below.)

(Sources: UPSC Ethics Simplified | Voice of Conscience — the concept  by  Nanditesh Nilay and How parents can raise kids with a conscience in a virtual world by Kuhoo Gupta, founder of The K Junction.)

Point to ponder: How to listen to that voice of conscience?

QUESTION 2

CASE STUDY

Ravi is a strong supporter of girl child education. He motivates a lot of members of society to realise the importance of girl child education to sponsor the education of a girl child. For the past twelve years, he has been sponsoring the education of Asmita. Now, Asmita has cleared medical entrance exams and her name appears for provisional admission in two of the medical colleges. One of them, say XYZ, is ranked one in the state and happens to be Asmita’s dream college too. Asmita has worked hard day and night for this college and Ravi knows it. The fee of the XYZ college is very high but Ravi is ready to pay it for Asmita’s bright future. However, unfortunately, on the day of the submission of admission fees to XYZ College (which is the last day of fee submission), Ravi’s mother meets with an accident. The doctors tell Ravi that his mother has to go through an operation immediately. Ravi figures out that the operation will cost him a lot and he will not have any money for the admission. If he doesn’t pay the fees, Asmita’s admission might be cancelled.

(a) What are the ethical issues involved?

(b) What should Ravi do? Justify.

Introduction

There can be many ways to start a case study. One of the ways that a candidate may choose is by highlighting the problem and mentioning the stakeholders. For example:

The above-mentioned case study represents the problem of conflicting priorities. The situation creates a dilemma due to the paucity of time and money.

The following stakeholders may be identified: Ravi, Asmita, Doctors of Ravi’s mother, the medical college, and the members of society (Why members of society? Think and answer in the comment box below.) You may add or reduce the number of stakeholders as per your answer.

Body

(a) Ethical issues arise due to conflicting priorities.

What are the conflicting priorities in the above case study and why? (Obvious! Answer in the comment box below)

You may use:

1. Paucity of time and money.

2. Family responsibility Vs social duty.

3. Life Vs Career. 

(b) Whenever there is a conflict between two or more responsibilities, one may prioritize based on urgency and importance. (Do you know what it is called?)