GS4 · 10 marks · 150 words

What do each of the following quotations mean to you? (a) Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. – Martin Luther King Jr.

Answered by 6 toppers · CSE 2021

Syllabus: Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in-human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics - in private and public relationships. Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.

How toppers approached it

From all 6 answers · about 180 words.

Opening

  • No separate opening83%
  • A restatement17%

Body

  • Points and prose50%
  • Continuous prose33%
  • Points17%

Close

  • A summary67%
  • A way forward33%

The toppers’ answers

Gamini SinglaAIR 3 · CSE 2021 · 179 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening · a restatement

In the given quotation, Martin Luther King Jr. mentions that it is solely the decision of a man, about the path he/she wishes to walk upon.

Body · points and prose

Walk in light of creative altruism Altruism refers to selflessness and being ready for offering help to mankind.

e.g. Mahatma Gandhi chose to fight for downtrodden, Harijans. Similarly Mother Teresa, the epitome of kindness sacrificed her lives for the ill.

On the other hand, some choose towards darkness of destructive selfishness

→ e.g. As Hitler did, he used his competence and leadership to gain power & lead to mass killings of Jews.

→ Osama Bin Laden, used his energy to kill innocent lives.

Man's choice and decision based upon:

  1. His voice of conscience - based on getting ultimate satisfaction.
  2. Despite the negative circumstances, a man with strong will power can stand firm.
  3. Adherence to strong principles. e.g. Nelson Mandela's nonviolent struggle against apartheid.

Close · a summary

Each one of us must understand the significance of our decisions, and their effects on ourselves and the whole world before choosing one of the two paths.

More on Human Values

Values as such and where they come from: lessons from the lives of leaders, reformers and administrators, and the values named in the syllabus.

All GS4 questions on Human Values