The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the apex recruiting body in India responsible for selecting candidates for various prestigious civil services positions. In 2015, the General Studies Paper 4, also known as the Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude paper, presented candidates with a challenging array of questions aimed at evaluating their ethical and moral reasoning, decision-making abilities, and overall aptitude. This paper, a critical component of the UPSC examination, tests not only the knowledge but also the character and judgment of aspiring civil servants. Let’s delve into the solved questions of the UPSC 2015 GS 4 paper to gain insight into the rigorous standards expected of future administrators and leaders in India.
Q2. Given are two quotations of moral thinkers/philosophers. For each of these bring out what it means to you in the present context.
(b) “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light” (150 Words, 10 Marks)
Tags: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
Decoding the Question:
- In Intro, try to give a brief introduction about the source of the Quote and its ideology.
- In Body,
- Throw a light on the problems associated with an ignorant attitude.
- Give an example to suggest this attitude in the present context.
- In Conclusion, try to emphasize on the importance of breaking free of this fear of negligence.
Answer:
This saying by Plato goes deeper than what meets the eye. There often is a tendency among the people to shun responsibilities and move away from truth and just action. Since childhood is a learning stage for a child, it is fine to forgive a child’s fear of darkness or ignorance. A child later will acquire the required knowledge and skills to perform the task.
Problems associated with ignorant attitude:
- The statement puts forth a situation that represents two acts, one of a child who represents innocence, unaware of the consequences of his act and the other of man who represents mature, well-developed human minds with full knowledge of consequences.
- Child does not know the consequence of his act; his act is all performed in innocence and hence could be forgiven. On the other hand, men are well educated, capable of making educated and well informed decisions for their actions, however they lack the courage and courage to face the light of truth.
- They are afraid of the consequences of representing the truth in its absolute form. Hence they take the shade of the dark and misrepresent the truth which is unpardonable.
- We have infinite potential, but we tend to seek comfort and pleasure. We restrict our world to places where we are comfortable. We are afraid of the pain, which we may get, while trying to realize our true potential. However we forget that pain is temporary. It may last for an hour, a day or a month but the victory and the inherent growth, is forever.
Example in the present context:
A lot of insensitivity has been witnessed in today’s bureaucrats who are inspired by their personal interest and the parochial feelings and thus, compromise on the public interest and the general welfare of the society. It is a tragedy that people refuse to take initiative for what is right. Often, they refuse to take a stand and pretend to be ignorant of the obvious injustice in the wrongdoings being committed in the society. There is a Lack of self-confidence among people and this makes them fearful of taking initiatives or carrying out their duties.
Breaking free of Fear of negligence:
This generalized tendency of citizens of many a times running away or calling off from the duty, must be countered. One should have nothing to hide and should be bold enough to do things in the open. Integrity, responsibility and accountability must be realized in public life.
When a man understands his very nature of existence he can spend a joyful life with full human potential. True nature of existence means to accept the basic realities of life and live accordingly. To live a joyful life one must raise his inner conciseness. An ignorant man spends full life with greed and desire which remains unfulfilled while a realized man spends life with full appreciation of its existence.
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