Issues are challenges and difficulties we face in life, but they are not beyond solution. Our responses depend on how prepared or unprepared we are. They reveal our hearts and test us whether we operate on the principles of truth and love.
The recent crisis that plagued our state has been unprecedented in three major ways. Never in the annals of Naga history has the state witnessed an uprising of the public of this magnitude and intensity. Secondly, never has a movement brought about all the Naga tribes as one voice and one people as closely as this movement did. This movement has been tried and tested and has ultimately proven that ‘together we can’ and ‘together we will’. Finally, ever since the Naga Peace Mission in the early sixties, the Church came out, open and on the offensive with the Kingdom of God’s mission for the first time. We all know how we responded. Notwithstanding the outcome, NBCC said the Church is always hopeful. What a message! ABCC, under NBCC, along with other denominations hopefully stepped out to do its best, calling all to stand on the values and principles of truth and love.
When love grows cold and truth becomes diluted, problems multiply and we land in a situation where everything makes sense and nothing makes sense! In every crisis encountered so far, all of us have been weighed and found wanting, falling short of our best. No exception! We need to think harder, learn and grow! Let this crisis be a defining chapter in the history of the Naga Movement and let us move forward from here, instead of dwelling on what has passed. There have been a great many important and crucial lessons learnt from this, and it is time we start putting these lessons into practice rather than repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Let us not forget that we are a slowly developing society, just barely emerged from an ancient lifestyle, but definitely progressing with the passage of time. New horizons are appearing, rays of hope are emerging for men and women alike. We need to advance cautiously and wisely in the direction of our dreams and endeavour to be more trust-worthy, contributing our mites. We are all challenged to brighten the corners wherever we are planted.
The recent turmoil has also put an oft repeated message across, loud and clear for all to hear in this instance, that it is time to put our various differences aside, be it tribal, political or social, and come together as one people, with a common vision, and with a common voice. The message is also clear to all who have been listening, that we should begin shedding the divisive institution of “unionism”, which itself is an unprecedented practice (in the world?) with every village and khel promoting its own union, tearing our people apart into tiny islands. Let us, for a start, try to make do with a smaller number of essential unions who have the capacity to represent a tribe as a whole, while being part of a common Naga Body. It is not wrong to envision that we can one day, be a people under one common body without further divisions.
This I say because we still have another big and pressing issue – the Naga National Political Issue. Politics flow in the blood of every Naga. Our prayer is always, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, and for which our people are ceaselessly praying throughout and all over the length and breadth of our land, because we love our people and our land, and we want to stand together on truth alone.
This time, we can learn an ancient lesson anew in a more refreshing manner. In a democracy, the will of the people is supreme. In a theocracy, whatever faith we believe and profess, the Will of God is the final word. Amidst all the recent chaos, someone had commented, “People usually deserve the government they get”. How aptly put! A seemingly simple line speaking volumes of wisdom! Let us take heed and respond to the call of our conscience. What do we stand to lose by being responsible citizens and playing our rightful parts in a clean and fair election to put a responsible government in its rightful place next time? Let us all be more truthful and more loving from now on, whether we are underground, overground or middleground. With that, our hope grows ever bigger!
