By Thangtinngam Lhungdim
In the name of fighting for our rights, we have lost many invaluable lives.
In the name of Homeland we have been rendered homeless in our own land. In
the name of Politics, our cohesive and highly bonded society has
been gradually and systematically fragmented into multiple diverging
entities. In the name of spiritual growth and everlasting dwelling place in
heaven, we have spoilt, looted and robbed the once brave and proud people of
its identity. Its high time we stop
splitting hair and let's all keep in mind that we share a common origin and
our destiny couldn't be otherwise.
None of our intellectuals, politicians and even
religious leaders questions those social ills creeping up in our society.
There is a thin line dividing a man from animal and what do we expect from a
man who lost his conscience. The animal in
us, fully liberated, armed to the teeth with the tacit support of our
budding politicians and above all left with not an iota of respect for human
lives and spiritual inhibitions is sure to create havoc. Expecting
them to carry the bible and giving sermon on the pulpit on peace and
brotherly love will be far fetch. We are creating a
terminator a real one indeed, but
the sad thing is that we don't have the magic wand to control it. I don't
know what kind of picture we are tying to portray to our brothers and
sisters who are still in their adolescence. Students are the pillar of
tomorrow and I'm scare with the type of pillar we are trying to groom.
We have corrupted and filled their mind
with violence, blood and hatred.
It's neither the central government fault nor the
state that placed us in this pitiable state of existence, but the result of
our collective making, either by supporting the evil or by not opposing it.
We are living in a dream land. Roads and bridges exist on paper, electricity
without transmission lines, never thought that we have such a great
scientist. These are not jokes happening in Laloo's land but in our
own backyard and committed by our own people. I think in our preoccupation
to out do one another we might have misinterpreted the definition of
democracy, or should we redefine democracy
as the looting of the people and its resources by few people to fulfill
their selfish ends.
Pay without work, kidnapping and lawlessness are
some of the ills that are afflicting our societies and they needed
immediate correction. It goes against the very basic teaching of the Bible.
Teachers are recruited for a particular school and their absence from
duty implies some children in the far off places are managing without
teacher. Otherwise, those deprived will one
day take up arms and we will be caught in a vicious cycle of lawlessness.
The cost
involved in maintaining law and order may be high but failure to do so is
enormous. Had all the developmental schemes initiated by the
central and states been executed, at least a fivefold progress, if not ten
would have been witness, But for our short sightedness, our love for self
and money. Just imagine the cost over run in Khuga dam project. The money
could have been spent for setting up 50 bedded hospitals in all the sub
divisions of Churachandpur. After all they are our people and their heath
needed to be taken care off. The dam when completed may not be economically
viable and might produce only 5 Mega Watt of power (around 1/20th of power
produced in NHPC's Leimatak power house. I
don't know whether the politicians in colusion with the engineers are
cheating the people or cheating themselves. What ever the case may
be the people are the looser and the include you and me.
We have a choice either to lead peaceful life with all round development as
a bonus, or to continue leading the present state of penury with insecurity
as its punishment. Peace is a requisite for
development and being the follower of Christ, it is high time we learn
respecting human lives.
Posted on February 27, 2005
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