IS HUMAN A FREE MAN

On being born a Human
Is human being a free man?
Modern western life style emphasizes that Man has a ‘free will’. But that does not make a man free.
Ancient Indian/oriental wisdom explained “ऋणँ ह वै जायते यो Sस्ति | स जायमान एव देवेभ्य: ऋषिभ्य: पितृभ्यो मनुष्येभ्य: || माध्यांदिन शत्‌पथ1.6.2.1”.
In our tradition, one born finds himself born in debts. These are
“देवऋण, ऋषिऋण, पितृऋण and समाजऋण”. In a very distinct manner this is a departure from the modern western hedonistic concept driving our society in India also. Thanks to modern educational curricula, that is teaching everything except the importance of being Human.
A person is still insolvent as long he does not pay all his debts. Western society particularly Americans are very sensitive towards financial solvency in their life time and work hard to protect their credit. Modern society will be very benefitted in many ways, if its concept of solvency embraced the Indian concept of social insolvency also.
A person born as human is said to be born with four debts.
1. Debt to the Almighty for his bounties of Nature, to be paid by looking after His creation – the environment.
2. Debt towards our Teachers and providers of wisdom. To be paid by sharing and imparting all our life time experiences and knowledge with the younger generations. This was responsibility to be met in the वानप्रस्थ आश्रम.
3. Debt towards our Parents. To be paid by having next generation of children, nurturing and providing for them to become good future citizens, and looking after our elderly parents. A joint family system provided grand children opportunity to grow in constant loving company of grandparents. This provided excellent role models for the children. The grand parents also benefitted by the company of growing grandchildren. The oldies never suffered from loneliness and consequent modern diseases like Alzheimer. This is the responsibility of गृहस्थ आश्रम. Society will not be burdened with taking care of Unwed Mothers and Old people care homes as an instance.
4. Debt to the Society. We are indebted to our society for all our riches, wealth and position in life. It thus becomes our duty to repay this debt to society to share in all our prosperity. Man has to work to ensure and share in his comfort and happiness with society. This was responsibility of both the गृहस्थी and वानप्रस्थी.
It is submitted that well wishers of society pay attention to incorporate in our education systems to bring about awareness to the four social debts that a human being is born with.
Do our modern public school educated metropolitan youth have any time to reflect on this? The entire Indian 'modern' education is producing a 'charwak' generation. I suggest we oldies spend some time to study the ‘page 3’ youth in big cities, and reflect upon its consequences in the long run.
Aim of life is considered just 'eat drink and be merry'. There is no time to consider responsibilities as human beings- towards our family, parents, elderly, society, country. Trend is blindly aping the west – ‘have no children- do not marry at all in the first place’-. Why marry?
This is modern opulent rich, doing well by business standards, praised by media as successful society role models, Metrosexual generation. 'Planners' also praise zero population growth.
But are we moving in the right direction? Is it not time that some thing is done about this rot before it proceeds too far?