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    19 June 2012| last updated at 01:05AM



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    Spiritual education needed now more than ever

    I READ with interest the thought-provoking comment "Why I am not a criminal" by A. Kathirasen (NST, June 14). I agree with his view on why some have a predisposition towards committing criminal acts.

    I posed the same question to myself and as a Hindu, my answer was, maybe due to my past karma, I didn't inherit criminal tendencies.

    Humans are endowed with intellect to discriminate between good and bad. This reasoning power can be further enhanced by spiritual studies.

    Genetics determines the way our brain is wired, hence, our personality is predetermined by nature to a large extent. We have no control over nature but good character can be nurtured through various means.

    The writer mentioned that research showed those with a small orbital frontal cortex and deformed amygdala have a greater tendency to be anti-social and more likely to become a criminal.

    Maybe in the future, we will be able to identify would-be criminals and rehabilitate them at an early stage before they become a threat to society. Teachers should be trained to identify students who show criminal tendencies and provide help through counselling.

    We have to nip the problem in the bud. We should not label them bad hats and just mete out punishment for their offences. I agree with the writer regarding a parent's role in shaping their children's character. They must discipline their children if they display bad behaviour. Parents should also monitor who their children befriend.

    Criminal thoughts leads to criminal acts so every effort should be made to subdue these thoughts by infusing noble ones instead. There is an urgent need for spiritual education now more than ever.

    Concerted effort by the government, NGOs and media is needed to bring down the crime index. Proper rehabilitation for criminals who finish serving their sentence is necessary to prevent them from committing crime. A crime-free society may sound too idealistic but if we can change even one notorious criminal to become good, it would be a great feat indeed.

    T. Kumar, Batu Caves, Selangor

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