Sunday, 30 November 2014

Live the Change



                                                                       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.


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