Change

Change, one word that most people dread, especially the ones who are content with the comfort and warmth of their own shells. I read a quote somewhere that goes along the lines of  "There are only two facts, Birth and Death, everything else is fiction".There is one more fact that remains constant between birth and death, and that is Change. Change is inevitable just like the other two facts.

There was a time, when the term "Change" used to bother me only when paying utility bills  and buying tickets in a city bus. The moment you show up with a note of higher denomination they go into a shock of dread and terror as if they have seen a hoard of zombies rushing towards them and their heads involuntarily turn sideways alternatively while chanting the mantra "No Change" repeatedly.

While most people dread change, there are some who want change, no, not the beggars, the politicians. However the former ones are a lot more successful in getting the change they wanted. Let me rephrase Politicians promise change, Obama did, Chiranjeevi did. That is all that they did. There are some who have actually made statements, as if the mere utterance of that statement itself will bring the change. Need Proof!! the famous "गरीबी हटाओ" translated to "Remove Poverty" from our very own Iron Lady of India. No matter how many times she shouted that out in the meetings the bloody poverty still remains.

Apart from these politicians who promise or talk about bringing change there are people who are working with all the passion to bring change to this world we are living in, trying to make it a better place for everybody. They are working on many issues we are facing today. There are people trying to save various species of animals, there are people trying to save forests, reduce pollution, reduce poverty and hunger issues etc. There are places that have completely banned the usage of plastic, the shops are encouraging customers to use the bio degradable bags (actually they are trying to make money out of selling these bags). With all these happening did the world become a better place?? No, not yet. Will it become a better place somewhere in the near future?? I seriously doubt it.

One of the reasons being any change that happens quickly tends to wear out quickly and for a change to leave a long lasting impact it has to be slow and steady. Another reason is that while working at bringing the change we need to change the root cause of all these problems.

Today I see people with total disregard to others and the world except themselves, their kin and their home. A simple example, a person however well educated he/she maybe, will cut through traffic , violate traffic rules, jump traffic signals, drive wrong way and cause inconvenience and sometimes accidents, because all he/she can think of is reaching the place they want to no matter what the circumstances are and whatever the consequences might be. There are people who support this kind of attitude and back it up with lame excuses and twisted theories.

Although violating traffic rules might not be one of the issues that is most concerning, I am talking about the mind set the attitude, the thought process of that person who can't think or act beyond his own existence.I personally believe that before trying to change anything else, one should try and change the very sinews of their mind and the minds of those around. it is the thought process of the people that has to be changed. Again trying to change the mind set of a person is almost impossible because I also believe that once a person is moulded and has formed a perspective of the world, it is difficult to convince otherwise. People are receptive to change only if it works out for them in a way that will benefit them.

Without changing this mindset of people, no matter how hard we try, the world will still be in the same rut that it is today. I believe that the best way to bring about this change is to cultivate the right things from the child hood as part of education. Show by example to them the joy of sharing, the virtue of being kind, courteous  and respectful to each other, to think over and beyond themselves, help them see the bigger picture of how the earth is our home and every single act of ours directly or indirectly affects the earth in either a favourable or adverse way, let them experience the pleasures in preserving the nature's balance and living in harmony with the nature around them. This change will be slow, it will take generations but I am sure that it will last.