WHEN A SMALL CHANGE BECOMES THE BIG CHANGE










I do not like party politics… But, I do keep in touch with what is happening in and around our country as far as politics goes. I do not know about others, but, I speak for myself: I started liking a particular political party or a particular political leader by watching my dad. My initial political view was, therefore, shaped by my immediate influence. But, as I grew older, I began to examine my mental conditioning… how much of it was subjective and how much of it was objective. So, slowly, I saw myself stepping back and watch things around me… holding back my instinctive reactions… Stopped branding a particular political party as totally corrupt or totally clean… ditto for a particular political leader… I became more and more aware of the way I would be influenced by the media and its endless debates… I could see how my own close friends were found taking their extreme hardliner-stand… Even, today, I find my friends reacting strongly without realizing the truth that so many of their friends do not like such extreme stands in public… that, such things pollute things further, divide things further… and, importantly, it exposes us as less tolerant and less accommodating citizens…

I would rather advocate people around me to be agents of small changes in society. I tell it to every little-one and every young-one and adult: Be the change you wish to see in this society. From that space, it is, always, easy for you to effect change in this society. For example, if I want my son to phone up and tell me at what time he would be home in the night, I must do it myself when I am out in the night… call up and tell him, “Son, I will be home at 12 in the night.” If I want people to listen to my views, I must first show it myself: I should not interrupt when they speak.” If I want others to make less fuss about the food they eat, I should do it myself first…

There is no other way more effective than that… The things within our reach and control should be taken up by each and every one of us… with good intent and with a holistic world-view of ‘Malice towards none and charity for all’…

When we constantly react, constantly blame and decry others, what we actually end up doing is this: We lower our own self-esteem and and we do more harm to the society.

To me, living in harmony with my fellow-being is dearer than anything else in this world… It doesn’t matter which God he worships, which leader he obeys… and what food he eats or what clothes he wears…

Brotherhood, to me, is being good socially, politically and spiritually… yes in all respect. To own such an outlook towards life and my fellow-being is within my reach… And, it is a very effective and constructive medium of causing a change in society… It is contagious!

And, mind you, whether you are a 10-year-old or 70-year-old, to effect small changes around us, what we need is a good intent and a clean heart…

My friend, Namratha, had shared this inspiring video, this morning…





“Start from wherever you are,” I tell everyone around me, “Start with whatever you have.”


GERALD D’CUNHA
Video: YouTube
Pic.: Chetna Shetty


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