CHANGE-Where is it to be found?

A clichéd phrase “Change” is what everybody is fervently searching for in this country. The common man is desperately looking for leaders who will work honestly and arduously for his homeland, traders who will bargain fairly without equivocating him, friends who will not betray him, colleagues who will not be envious of him and relatives who will stand besides him in gruesome circumstances instead of working for their personal motives. The common man dreams of a society where there are no suicide attacks, where women who want to pursue education can do so fearlessly, where there is no injustice, where everyone can afford the basic necessities of life, where no one hears the stories about kidnapping, robbery and murders and where people live in peace and harmony.

No doubt this is the challenging task that we face today. But does anybody think about how these thought can be provoked into reality-how this bleak situation is to be changed? The answer is a big NO of course. The reason is that we have become inured to finding faults in others. Every other day, I hear people stating that a secure and peaceful society is improbable unless we start following the law. However, the very next moment I observe them breaking traffic signals.

Furthermore, the norms and values of our society have degraded to the extent that is far below those which are entailed by humanity. We throw trash on the roads, we laugh heartily after breaking a traffic signal, we take pride in dominating our counterparts and making them feel inferior to us, we consider those who can manage to hoax others as successful and we speak lies to others in order to pursue our personal motives. We criticize others for being dishonest, for deceiving others, for pursuing illegal means to earn their living and for arguing needlessly with peers but we do not realize that we are the passengers of the same ship: we ourselves possess these qualities.

The only way forward is to peep into our own collars before carrying out a detailed post mortem of the character of others. If everyone reviews his/her actions critically and aspires to become a better individual by overcoming our faults and atoning for our deeds-instead of defending them blindly, we can surely achieve the bliss and calm in our society that we so fervently desire. Of course the change is not going to take place overnight but the first step-the initiative-is all that is required to inaugurate the process. Change is to be found in ourselves!