Be the change you want to see  in the world    

Sreedhanya was traveling in Delhi Metro along with her mother. They were looking for a seat as her mother was old and suffering from arthritis. She had wanted someone to be sensitive and offer her mother their seat. That day they decided that from now on, she would offer her seat whenever she would see a needy person. It’s been three years since that incident, and nowadays more people have started offering their seat to needy individuals. It’s not the change she alone has brought, but she has contributed in her own way to it.

Sreedhanya had wanted just a seat at that time, but today all of us want many changes to be seen in the world. What are those changes? How can an individual catalyze these changes? What is stopping “You” from being that change? How can it be removed? We shall try to discover answers to these questions in this essay.

What are these changes:
As individuals, we want happiness, peace, contentment, a meaningful life, and so on. These are invariably related to our external world. Thus, as part of society, we want opportunities to realize our potential, a transparent and honest bureaucratic system, politicians to be truthful to their promises, harmony and brotherhood in society, a good education system, a better health care system, a smart police force, a faster criminal justice system, and so on. We also want more sensitive humans who can offer seats to those in need, just like Sreedhanya’s mother. Lastly, as citizens, we want the safety and security of our nation, an ever-growing status of women in the world, peace and progress in every region, resolution of international disputes, and not to forget our sports teams winning world cups.

Individual as a catalyst:
Happiness, peace, contentment, and a meaningful life are very subjective. People find them in different things. For example, one may find it in a corporate job while another finds it in public service or NGOs. The key is to find what drives oneself. Deepika Padukone finds it in acting, Virat Kohli in cricket, Satyendra Subey (an IES officer) in his honesty, and Mother Teresa in helping, caring, and loving others. Thus, for individual needs, one needs to change oneself.

But what about the expectations from the external world like bureaucracy, political system, economy of India, etc.?

An individual, in order to have a transparent, responsive, and honest bureaucracy, has to take charge. If he/she is part of the bureaucracy, he/she should be honest and transparent and ensure the same from his/her subordinates. If he/she is not part of the bureaucracy, then he/she should make the system more accountable by asking for his/her rights and improvements. If you are a politician, be an honest politician and ensure that honest individuals win elections and not just the “less corrupt” ones. The same applies to every system, whether it is the criminal justice system, judiciary, corporate sector, or government.

As part of society, one needs to do only that much which is reasonable – not more and not less. For instance, as a parent, focus on morals and the all-round development of your child instead of resorting to illegal and immoral practices like some parents did in Bihar by helping their children during exams. If you are a teacher, be a good teacher like Shri Radhakrishna Sauvepati and Shri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

You can promote harmony by accepting and not just tolerating different opinions, belief systems, and new points of view. One cannot be just a spectator of injustice; one has to speak up for oneself and for others. For instance, speaking up against eve-teasing or advocating for increased women’s participation in politics, economy, and society can lead us as a nation towards progress. In such a scenario, every person would be a true citizen.

Coming to our national aspirations and wants, the safety and security of our nation are ensured when we as soldiers do our duty at the borders and as civilians within the borders. As civilians, we should be vigilant about internal threats like traitors, data thieves, radicals, extremists, and so on. Apart from being vigilant, we can also learn about digital technologies ourselves and teach others who may not have access to this knowledge.

As citizens, we should make good use of common service centers and government cyber safety apps and learn from them. Similarly, we should consume news media rationally. Analyzing a situation before reacting can help us respond in a better way. For instance, we should question why Gauri Lankesh (a journalist) was murdered or why cow vigilantism was covered extensively. We should not take deaths of children in Muzaffarpur, Bihar lightly just because media coverage has stopped. As better humans and good citizens, we have to ensure that this changes. How can we ensure this? What is stopping us from bringing about this change?

What is stopping you?
Many times what stops us is the inability to balance various responsibilities on us. For instance, to ensure that events like Muzaffarpur don’t happen again, an individual needs to take action. This requires registering complaints and following up for potentially years. And who has time for that with professional and familial responsibilities?

Thus, if a person has to bring about change alone, they would be stuck in a vicious cycle and very soon may even get frustrated, eroding their mental, emotional, physical, and economic health. If this is the case, then what needs to be done?

Path to bring change:
As discussed, it is indeed difficult for a single person to bring about change alone. But it is indeed possible for all of us together. For instance, in the case of Muzaffarpur care, if all of us including parents, doctors, lawyers, policemen, etc., divide responsibilities among ourselves, what would happen? We would be able to register complaints and follow up effectively. We would be able to provide timely healthcare services. Definitely, we can! We can bring about the change by doing what is expected from us. We did it in the past when we united against colonial rule and brought freedom to our beautiful country India. We have to just unite again and do our bit because:

“TOGETHER WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL.”