It’s like Ayn Rand said; “The hardest thing to see is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see”. When Anna Hazare sat down to fast unto death for the anti-corruption Lokpal bill to be constituted fairly, a lot of eyebrows were raised. Not because they didn’t want an anti-corruption law passed, but because it signified a tremendous force of change. A Change, which is inevitable and often uncomfortable for most.
Corruption is evident in our politics. But, it finds its roots and its most formidable ally in the lazy and tenacious attitude of indifference that its citizens posses. It sits back on the throne of our indifference and manipulates the people and processes to suit its needs. Its shadow passes over the entire land and it spreads its arms to capture and engulf as many people as it can until they languish, their value systems decay and they become a part of the monster. The error is in the attitude. The process of change takes years to materialize by which time the spirit of revolution takes a diminutive form. For this reason, it is imperative to always keep the spirit for Revolution of Change ignited.
We did not get freedom overnight. First, there were minor protests mainly based on personal issues such as religion, food or poverty. Then there came the Revolt of 1857 which gave a somewhat effective picture of a revolution. There were tribal uprisings and revolts of the peasants and artisans. And, slowly but steadily people started empathizing with each other and forming a ground for a common goal i.e. 'Swaraj’. For any change to occur, it is necessary to establish a common highest goal based on a true human value. For instance, the process of independence had one common goal based on a true human value of Freedom. Freedom from dominance, freedom from the shackles of stale establishments which ceased to serve the highest purpose of humanity.
The methods which were used earlier may or may not be effective in today’s context. The reason is an apparent lack of Patience. Any change that happens is based on a strong desire and urge. Since, the world is changing a lot many times faster than it did 50 years ago, the form that today’s revolutions take is different. The spirit remains the same. The desire remains as strong as it was but methods change. Processes change. Today’s revolutions are instantaneously aided by social media tools.
One drawback that the present population suffers from in this fast-paced world is what I call ‘The Temporal attachment’ syndrome. Since, there are so many changes occurring and so many minor or major revolutions happening (recall the Arab world’s uprising recently); that to put spirit into one and work towards its completion has become a big challenge. Our attention span for anything that lasts more than a few days is severely limited.
So, keeping the spirit up is the most important thing. To remain aware and focused on the long-term changes and effects on the world around us is vital. A conscious direction to steer our values towards the kind of life we have, want to have or will leave for our next generation to have will do well to remain a priority for us.
So, lookout Friends! The moment’s fleeting away and it’ll do us all well to capture it and create the best we can keeping in mind the highest goals of humanity. http://www.naidunia.com/Details.aspx?id=252824&boxid=30530140
Copyright created on 13th June 2011
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