What is professionalism? In simple terms, it is the competencies required of a professional and the right way to behave and conduct oneself. It is not just rules and regulations, though they could well be a part of it. It has more to do with the propriety, dignity, decorum and demeanour, not to speak of appropriate skills and knowledge, expected of a profession.
There are protocols in certain professions. They are rigid conditions and practices laid down by an organisation to be observed by all concerned. This becomes a tradition or culture of that organisation. The best example would be the defence services, the very paragon of the protocol.
In fact, every profession has its own time-honoured traditions and practices. They are handed down from generation to generation.
Of late, there has been a steady decline in professionalism in every sphere, not only in governments or among politicians. It is quite conspicuous in their case because of their omnipresence, but it has slowly seeped into nearly all professions.
Take any field today—medicine, law, education, industry, business, religion, bureaucracy or even sports. Is there a single field that is unblemished, with reference to the sanctity of its calling? Each one of them had exemplary practitioners, and may still have a few left. We hark back to the good old days and lament that we do not have such people anymore.
We regard Mahatma Gandhi with great respect and awe. We are saddened to hear about his statues being vandalised, which is symptomatic of the decadence that has set in. The reverence accorded to such great leaders has stealthily worn off. We hailed Gandhiji as the Father of the Nation, but today we hear discordant voices which dismiss the very idea as a mere shibboleth.
A society digs its own grave when it turns its back on its forebears who toiled to make life better. A citizenry degrades itself proportionate to the levels to which they consign their once-revered forefathers. It also goes against the grain of our precious democratic heritage.
Professionalism gets eroded when we dishonour our long-established good practices and practitioners. Politics was noble and dignified when our freedom was at stake and our leaders went all-out to win independence for the country. They had one sole aim, which was ‘swaraj’ in the words of Gandhiji. No sacrifice or renunciation was too great to attain that goal.
'Satyagraha'’ means 'holding on to truth'. Today the word is used to mean 'protest' or 'agitation'. An idea is only as good as the ones who implement it. Our past leaders had a noble cause to fight for. Today’s politicians use that very freedom to search for power and pelf. Maybe there are some exceptions here and there.
Another factor is the value system of our society which has undergone a colossal change in recent years. ‘Money speaks’, and so money started controlling all other human impulses. All our virtues and values are subordinate to money now. Money comes easily through the acquisition of power and position. So people want to grab them by hook or crook. There is no place for professionalism once money becomes the arbiter.
Then there is ‘snobbery’ which is the sibling of money. Ill-gotten wealth makes sense only when one can exhibit it. It is therefore vanity and snobbery that drive people in their mad rush for positions of power and prestige.
Interestingly, there are people who enjoy positions of authority, for the sheer delight of controlling others. They revel in exercising their powers and enjoy the helplessness of their subordinates. The more submissive the subordinates, the more authoritative they become. There is a streak of sadism in this transaction that is seldom revealed. These are the secret pleasures of the vainglorious bosses.
Most importantly professionalism goes for a toss when ethics and integrity embedded in the profession are held to ransom. A glaring example is the state of universities today. A string of complaints exposing nepotism and arbitrariness get frequently reported, demoralising those devoted to learning and education. Even the selection of vice-chancellor is not above board, which is most reprehensible. Where is professionalism?
Not even the field of sports is spared. We hear about selections to teams, not entirely based on merit, but on extraneous considerations. Genuine talent gets short shrift.
A conscientious citizen will be disgusted to see such unacceptable conduct in almost every sphere these days. The blacksheep among doctors, engineers, bureaucrats, journalists, academics et al are specimens of what professionalism is not.
Where there is no professionalism, society will inevitably sink to unfathomable depths. No society can flourish without ethics and integrity at decision-making levels in key professions. That is the heart of the matter.
(The writer is Director, Little Rock, Brahmavar, Udupi)