“One creature hurting another is a common occurance among the low order of creation. Uncivilized men and women sport in it. But mercy to living beings is a marl of civilization ….the law of life is uniform. Harm done to one is keenly felt. That the same is the feeling of fellow beings require to be realized “says Yoga philosophy.In the month of January in General and Today in particular every proud Indian respectfully remembers Mahatma Gandhi , the Mahatma who had a dream for his countrymen : a dream that they live in tolerance , committing themselves to Truth and Ahimsa ( Love) . Perhaps he was the only Indian in whom there was no contradiction between his creeds and deeds.
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The core teaching of every religion found expression in him. For him , commitment to Truth (Satyagraha ) was the only social transformation and Universal Love(Ahimsa ) the means to such radical social change.
All will praise the Mahatma for his ideology but hardly any one will dare to be influenced by his life style.. Many so called leaders of today will lure the common people by sweet talk quoting from the great teaching of the Mahatma but secretly they prepare for atrocious action. What has happened to the dreams of this Great man??
Tolerance , truthfulness and genuine love are rare commodities found in our world which is so much marred by violence . One feels nausea at the merciless and brutal massacre of innocent people.Wars, political and religious intolerance , destruction of peace,felling of place of worship , terrorism , killing of unborn babies and many such acts . Our society today seems to be ruled by the rude philosophy of “Tit for Tat”.
Many of us remain passive spectators to the lawlessness and valuelessness of our society and run behind momentary influence of top politicians who proclaim from the house tops that they are guardians of society while secretly they are no more than white washed sepulchres and venomous sneakers. What is morally wrong cannot be politically right.
The need of the hour is to come to grip with the deep rooted values of our society. Gandhiji who fell in love with Indian Philosophy and Indian people spared no effort to reform the society. Time is ripe for us to make the positive force of Ahimsa come alive . It is time to act in love shedding hatred.
The peal of bells that rang in 2015 pushed me hard to think of how we can usher in an era of peace that will lead to national integration for generations to come in India. I want to say that New Year’s Day is not to bother about resolutions but to work for good days to come soon for our nation.
We have had slogans such as India Shining, Incredible India, God’s Own Country, so on and so forth. We now have a new slogan, ‘Make in India.’ However, what is important is that we should make India the pride of the world.For the last decade, India has seen unprecedented development in many spheres. The development we should celebrate now is the spirit of human progress in India.
India has been and is the home to leading spiritual leaders. Collectively and individually, they have worked over the century for non-violence, harmony and ethics. They have addressed delicate issues relating to human behavior, life religion with extraordinary vigour, integrity and selflessness.
Their long-standing engagements with multiple dimensions of people go far beyond their own religious traditions.We are deeply touched by the spirit of these rare individuals who surged from the grassroots and brought substantial change in the society but removing many social stigmas such as un-touchability, religious intolerance and caste divides.
India is well on its way to becoming a Five trillion Dollar economy by 2025. The first trillion took us 60 years, the next trillion will happen in 10 years and the next trillion can happen in another 10 years. A tide of rising expectations has pushed the image of India up in the global scenario. However, there are significant issues concerning peace and national integration to overcome on this journey towards making our nation being recognized as Unstoppable India.
India is grabbing global attention and could eclipse all other nations if we play our cards right in terms of bringing in lasting peace and communal harmony that could lead to national integration.
The stability of the democratic system in India has served the purpose of raising India’s global profile as well as mobilizing India’s diaspora on its behalf.We have wallowed in negative sentiments for a long time. We should now realize that the tailwinds are behind us and learn the habit of greater co-operation.This year, 2015, can be our year as Indians, if we begin to break out of some old fashioned prejudices against each other and see everyone else with new eyes.
Swachh India starts with cleaning our minds against prejudices we may harbor against our fellow citizens. This will give an insight and new perspective on how to bring about national integration. India can realize its true potential.As Indians, we need to thrive, not just survive. The lack of unity is making us underachieve consistently. As Indians, we need to thrive, not just survive.
The lack of unity is making us underachieve consistently. Bringing unity amongst ourselves is the primary task now. I want to ask you, “If it is not now, then when?”People say that unity amongst people is hard since States are divided on linguistic basis. Many retrograde steps that were taken by various Governments and local administrative bodies which led to communal flare-ups frequently. While there are several shortcomings in the administrative machinery, it is the duty of learned citizens such as ourselves to recognize that unity is an important area for development of our motherland.
Disharmony amongst people is not predetermined. Every act of violence or disharmony has been created by us, though mostly unconsciously. Your negative thoughts and emotions of others around you are the drama that you created in your mind. You must be able to end it if peace must prevail.Every human being, either consciously or unconsciously, through the process of what we call life, creates a certain image, a certain personality of himself.
This image that you have created within yourselves has nothing to do with reality. It has nothing to do with the self, your inner nature. It is a certain image that you have built, most of the time unconsciously.Very few human beings have built a conscious image of themselves. All others have built images according to whatever kind of patterns or external situations they fell into. That is why we stereotype people as terrorists or radicals.
Now, why don’t we create a new self-image consciously, the way you really want to be? If you are intelligent enough, if you are aware enough, you can recast your image, a totally new image, whichever way you really want it. It is possible. But you should be willing to leave the old one. This is not pretension. Instead of acting unconsciously, you act consciously. You can create that kind of image which supports you best, that kind of image, which creates maximum harmony around you, that kind of image which has least friction. This is the way to build peace and national integration.
We need not say Unity in Diversity, we can Celebrate Diversity. This will make us relish each and every Indian in every part of our beloved country. We will start to appreciate their dress, food habits, local customs, beliefs and everything that goes to make that person living, for example, in a remote area such as the North Eastern part of our country. Recognise the commonality – the special things you share in common. Everyone can become your friend. “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met,” said William Butler Yeats.
How do we start the habit of celebrating diversity? Devotion to your country is the first step. Devotion is a dimension that will allow you to sail across even if you don’t know the way. It is a privilege that you were born in what the world calls India as ‘Karma Bhoomi.’ Every privilege comes with a responsibility. If you don’t take the responsibility, you will lose the privilege. Your responsibility is to build India into a greater nation, not just a stronger nation with military hardware.
It is time now to rejig your life. It is not your qualifications, but your exposure in life amongst others that makes you who you are.The moment you function in this world without being concerned about what is happening to life around you, you are a criminal. If you seek national integration, seek empowerment to everyone in the society. Do nothing short of the best that you can do to lift at least one individual or family around you. Don’t allow technology to surpass human interaction.
Looking at your neighbour from the cozy comforts of your room will only numb your perception of that person. It does not enhance your experience of life in any way. You should start to love the people around you. Love is not a relationship. Love is a certain sweetness of emotions. Love is a process of inclusion.Once you include others as part of you, they will be to you just the way you are to yourself. Once this is understood, it should not be difficult to love your neighbour.
Be life sensitive, not ego sensitive. If you think you’re big when compared to others, you become small. If you know you are nothing in this universe, you become limitless.Don’t say, “I want to change you.” That is not a revolution. Say, “I’m willing to change.” That’s a revolution. What is of utmost importance in bringing peace and national integration is within you.
You cannot control the world from outside. It takes so much work and in fact it is impossible. To change the world all you have to do is manage your thoughts and feelings on the inside of you and your whole world changes.Bringing about peace and national integration is our work. Unless we throw our entire self into it, we will never know what it is.
Peace and national integration can be achieved through service. Light up the lives of others. There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Rotary teaches you both the ways. I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know- the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve. Rotary teaches you to serve.
High levels of activity, especially pro-activity and service to the community increase the number of things that you do to bring about national integration and thereby immediately increase the probability that you will do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way.
If you want to be more successful, develop a bias for service activities. Develop a sense of urgency. Take action. Get on with it. Move fast. The faster you move, the more energy you have to make our country regain all its glory.You do not require money to start this work. Empty pockets never held anyone back from working for national integration. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. “There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge,” said Napolean Hill.
Bringing about peace and national integration is a matter of choice. You have the power to choose to take action. It is said that attitude is contagious. Do you have the attitude to bring about national integration? If so, others will find it worth catching.”Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love,” said Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is only one time when it is essential to work for peace and national integration. That time is now. Touch and transform many lives. You have that possibility and see your life become beautiful. How deeply you touch lives around you is how rich your life is.
30 January 2015