Live the
Change
How many of us like a
change in our lives? Even those who aspire for a better position or a better
status or a better standard of living will be initially anxious to take the
leap but sooner than later resile from any contemplated change. When I see the
glossy advertisements of a new coat of paint for the walls inside and outside, I love to paint my house in those
rich hues but the labour involved in de-cluttering and re-cluttering the rooms and
the prohibitive costs stall my desire to see my house glossy like the ones we
see on our tele- screens. I would rather
wallow in the dust coated, rusty looking house than exert myself to change it. For
most of us status quo is always welcome as it demands the least disturbance to
the dull, pedestrian and ordinary existence we live. Maybe the foetal position we
were in for a little over 9 months before we came in to the world that we are
born inert and do not venture to stir ourselves even though deep within there is a wish to
accept life’s little and big challenges and emerge triumphant. But it costs us
little to dream and indulge in armchair talk about the need for change, to add
some spice to a boring life, to be courageous to get rid of placidity and lethargy, to move up the social ladder, to
live like Jones without the need to stretch and exert oneself. But when it
comes to action we revert to where we are with a philosophic resignation “ che
sara sara”.
This is true of a majority
of people and it is only a few among us who dare to venture out of their
cocooned life and seek to make a change in their lives for the better. These
few are the ones known as the game
changers whom the crowds hero worship, make them their leaders and expect them
to provide a few crumbs off their full
plate. It is no exaggeration to say that
we prefer someone spoon feeding us without our ever having to get up to have
our morsel. In schools and colleges, the teacher who refuses to dictate notes
and spoon-feed his students is considered a poor teacher. It is the game changers who re-write and modify
the world, its aspirations, culture and civilization while they become the venerable
object of mass adulation, fawning and sycophancy that catapult them as their rightful
leaders. People generally are overawed by men of action; so are they by men of
words. But only when the men of words become men of action, they can usher in a
change in the people, society and the world around.
But the biggest worry
about doers and changers is the kind of distinction they build in the change
they envisage for themselves and for others. In all cases the change is certainly
for the better for them( and they deserve it also) but it may not be for those who
have accepted them unquestioningly as their leaders and look up to them as a
source of manna. There have been many game changers –some good, some evil and all
of them have changed the world and given it a new direction. In the ultimate
analysis, good or evil, the change has been for the better.
The greatest game changer of the last century
was Hitler. Adolf Hitler never held a regular job and all through his brooding
teenage days he spent in idleness and
poverty in Vienna. He slowly rose to
become the leader of the Nazi party and of Germany largely due to his
extraordinary skill as a speaker, holding large crowds spellbound by his
oratory. He astounded everyone with a highly emotional, at times near
hysterical manner of speech making. But
after joining the German Workers' Party in 1919 at the age of thirty, Hitler immediately began a frenzied
effort to make it succeed by playing on the fears of Germans in case Communist revolution were to succeed. The rest
is history. He ruled Germany through totalitarian means from 1933 to 1945.
He promoted German pride and
anti-Semitism and spread irrational hatred for the Jews. This resulted in the Nazi
annihilation of 6 million Jews besides the death of many in the deadly Second
World War. The aftermath of Hitler’s defeat saw the founding of the United Nations
and the joining of the Western world to function as a deterrent to any war of
such magnitude.
By an opposing token we can see another game
changer, Abraham Lincoln who had popularized the phrase: “Log Cabin to the
Whitehouse.” Born in a poor family he educated himself to become a lawyer and
later the President of the United States. He fought against slavery and
outlawed it. Lincoln's simple values of equality and freedom led the U.S.
through its Civil War and made him one of the nation's greatest presidents. He appealed to the American people with his
powers of oratory and dedicated the United States to the principles of nationalism, republicanism,
equal rights, liberty, and democracy.
The story of Mahatma
Gandhi rose from a merchant caste family to become the Father of the Nation
through his commitment to truth and non-violence. Not only did he succeed in
getting Independence for India, he inspired movements for civil rights and
freedom across the world. He was an inspiration to millions of Indians who were serving their years under the British
rule. He moved the masses with his speeches and was a prolific writer. By his
personal spartan appearance and living, by his steadfastness to his own
principles and living a life adhering to them, he made Indians realize the
virtues of sacrifice, love, truth and non violence. So did Jawaharlal Nehru
known for his silver tongued oratory and prolific writings inspire Indians to
fight and retain their hard- fought democracy. His works The Discovery of India, Glimpses
of World History and Letters from
Father to Daughter have become modern classics that look at India and the
world with the same degree of honesty, clarity and objectivity. Gandhi, Nehru and the other great architects
of Indian freedom Movement were able to change the history of India from being
ruled to self-rule. They were the real game changers whose personal achievement
was embedded in the national triumph and glory and who inspired the masses to
follow the principles of truth and ahimsa.
Closer to our times,
the most notable person who rose from humble origins to become the President of
India is Abdul Kalam, known for his motivational speeches and interaction particularly
with the student community in India. Born in a fisherman’s family, he rose to
be the 11th President of India. By his tireless work and study he
became a top scientist and the missile man of India. He has also written a
number of books and his simplicity and genuine passion for the nation have made
him the most loved President of India. His speeches appeal to all people, in
particular the young adults - to work not for personal glory but for the glory
of the nation.
I have listed a few of the game changers and barring Hitler(
and there are many more names of his kind like Genghis Khan, Idi Amin, Pol Pot,
Adolf Eichmann, Joseph Stalin etc) all the above mentioned game changers have
been a blessing to their nations and to humanity.
What makes these game
changers different from the Hitlerites? They did not set out to achieve
personal glory, but their efforts were directed at the larger interest of
others. It was their selfless approach that made them inspire fellow men and
women to rise up discarding their personal ambition and to work for the greater
glory of their nation and its people. But the singular fact that makes these
game changers a distinct group is they did not just write or speak about change
but they lived that change all through their lives. They were not ambitious
nor did they try to make others do what they themselves did not follow. For
them practice and precept were one and the same. They never indulged in
untruths to please and win over people. Abraham Lincoln’s famous saying “You
can fool some of the people all of the time, and all
of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of
the time” is a testimony to these adherents of truth, selflessness and
humanity.
Unfortunately the times
have changed. We are witness to a whole lot of politicians today who can
neither speak nor write and whose oratorical skills stop with lampooning their
adversaries. When they try to be persuasive and eloquent, it is only to fool
people and garner their good will for they know they will not be able to walk the talk which demands living to their
own words. The concern for fellow
humanity is the last thing in their minds except to mouth homilies that they
are committed to their development and prosperity. What is lacking is humility
and the correlation between their lives and their words. If one wants to
change, s/he should personally live the change to test its
worth before demanding change from the rest. Otherwise these tokenisms are
empty words. We have to wear our idea of change on our sleeves- not for others
to see, but for our own selves. If a teacher fails to turn up in the classroom
or is always unpunctual, can s/he make the students imbibe the virtue of
punctuality? If the teacher ails to
clean the board, pick up the bits of chalk and leave the classroom clean for
the next teacher, can the students learn the culture of cleanliness? No amount
of sloganeering ‘Swachch Bharat” will change the young people unless the
teacher lives the essence of his teaching. It is the same story at home. If
parents fail to keep the house in order, the children will never learn to
appreciate orderliness. They will accept a life of lies, deceit and corruption
as the norm when they see their parents indulge in unethical practices and also
reap dividends.
We have come a long way
from the era of our freedom fighters. The reason is not far to seek. It is not
just the leaders or politicians who have let us down, but it is we who have collectively let ourselves down.
What is needed from us is not any superhuman heroics but a simple effort to practise what we
preach. Jesus said: “Do unto others what
you do unto yourself”. You live the change that you wish for others and the
world will change with you.
