Are we really hollow men? : A search for the root in the 21^st century.

Now-a-days we are passing through an era of moral and ethical anemia. The wheel of progress has unveiled the mysteries of the universe beyond Milky Way or the mysteries of God Particle. But the wheel may be clogged up with the deterioration and corrosion of human values. The outward glittering cannot hide the hollowness of our inner beings. It is true that different aspects of moral and ethical deterioration were rampant in human society since the dawn of civilization. In modern society, the nature and scope of moral and ethical corrosion varies in accordance with caste, creed, gender, economic and social conditions etc. But the root or basic causes are almost same. This re -search for the root is the aim of this research article. It is a discourse on the context of 21 st century Indian urban society. The root can be traced in bringing up a child. A child is not only a father of man but a father of a future nation also. Unfortunately, a child is enlisted in the rat-race from his cradle. He/she becomes a victim of parental ambition and is brought up as a project, a mission, an ambition, a target, an investment, a settlement or a requirement. A child’s potentiality, creativity, maturity are mocked. His/her imagination, passion and emotion are knocked. There is no parental care in the matter of the development of heart and soul. Consequently, their blood is thickened and emotion is dried up, but their brains shine in use. Knowledge they have much; but wisdom hey do lack. Naturally, the end product is neither for the use of family or society nor for the use of any nation. Herein lies the birth of hollow men who suffer from moral, ethical, spiritual, and physical paralysis. Besides in the fabric of our family, society, education system, nation etc., the root causes of moral and ethical degradation of young generation lie dormant. This paper also throws a flood of light on the probable consequences, remedies and recommendations that social scientists and educationists may utilize for the betterment of postmodern society.