Benito Z. Swu
[dropcap]P[/dropcap]erception and reality, when it comes to solving problems and puzzles may not run parallel and in all fairness cannot be expected to be so as well. The fact that they are two different words in itself justifies many of the actions that fails to measure up to words. It can thus be considered and is also actually a considerable, or better – a justifiable sin. This justifiable sin however is said to can become an unforgiveable sin if knowingly abused. Abused for self interest, abused for the sake of the family, abused for the sake of a clan, abused for the sake of a tribe, abused for the sake of power, blackmail……… one can go on.History, both Biblical as well as secular, has been very clear in one front. The failure and instability of the people is not that of the people, but ultimately that of the leaders of the people of the time. In our Naga context, we talk and debate, introspect and retrospect, and we are indeed serious about the urgency of the need for us Nagas to shun the mentality of tribalism – the No.1 mother of roadblocks on the road to our enlightment and wisdom of the collective Naga society and the journey to our common destiny. Why has this boon turned into a bane? Why are we not being able to change our then, very correct ancestral framework of thinking, along with the changing times and even after having Christ in our lives? As long as this is there, the drought of wisdom and enlightment and thereby suffering will remain and continue, turning days into years and years into decades.
We have the tendency and the propensity, if not purposefully, to frame the demerits and the evils of tribalism just according to that narrow beaten path of our convenience and is real afraid to try the unbeaten path. We fear to venture out or to even stick our neck out and test the waters even just for the purpose to ease the conscience. If at all we do so, the first sign of some irregular pebbles and we take the convenient approach of retreat. We are just fooling ourselves and the people by being in denial. We are aware that our taking ownership of such an approach could and very well can cost us our leadership position and our esteem in the public view because we will be contradicting our very long held beliefs which we had and have been spoon feeding our constituents all this time. We are just afraid of denying ourselves because we have nailed ourselves unwittingly to that cross, which is very clearly in the public domain. We fear the weight of that cross because having stepped into the evening stage of life, it can prove to be too physically taxing, never mind the toll that the soul has to bear and lift. The fear of being labeled as a hypocritic leader by even that one individual critic – who can be a lowly scumbag of an individual could very well be that one compelling reason for that one leader to not deviate from the beaten path and be a leader enough to rough it out and weather the storm for something which he knows will be soul liberating. The real tragedy lies in that inability to offer oneself to the people and to walk a new talk which is doing the damage. That much damage which we cannot comprehend.
Yes, there are big leaders along with the smaller who have been feasting on the induced fear of their respective constituents. Channelizing oratorical skills, streamlined with the required edited ancestral anecdotes along with half-baked truths and ground realities, sprinkled with some dry, wet, or dark humor, buttering it all up with a dose of religion, keeping firmly in mind the beliefs and the side to which the listening ears sides up to, and you have them where you want them. Raising one up on a pedestal somewhere near to the door steps or the pearly gates of Heaven, or roasting a target charcoaling it down to the bones comes easy to many a leader. And it is all finger pointing, but never finger pointing. Concluding for safety measures will be the exhortation that finger pointing involves three other fingers pointing at self and therefore an attitude to be avoided. Spicing our tongue up, such leaders suck up the intelligence of a commonsense that definitely was there with that of the tailor made recipe of an education, leaving no room whatsoever for the people to think otherwise, but to end up as head-nodding suckers with a bitter aftertaste, thankful for the light for enabling to harbor the bitterness that was not there before the leader’s researched talk.
“Igniting the mind to bitterness because of getting to know the bitterness that is in us.” This is something which we should have studied and mediated upon. Instead people have been provoked with “Igniting the mind to bitterness because of not getting to know the bitterness that is in us.”
Our people have been manipulated and abused. Our leaders have definitely failed us. Our leaders have taken us for granted. The seed of mistrust which is the root of tribalism did not just come about by nature, because nature is God and God is nature. And God does not discriminate. It is the leaders of the people who must shoulder the blame, and in the same breath must work to eradicate the same, if we at all are serious in presenting ourselves as a deserving people which today we are very proud of but not living it up enough.
The leaders in the government, the Church, the NPGs, the NGOs and in all other various aspects of teaching and leading positions will be all the more appreciated if they would kindly acknowledge to the truth and fact that the common people of Nagaland by and large and as a whole, leaving aside the incidents of the recent past and ofcourse those black sheeps, have been law abiding and subject to the governing authorities as clearly and in no uncertain means mentioned in the book of Romans 13:1-3. As Christians, people of Nagaland are also aware of how Paul admonished Titus to be loyal to the subjecting authorities and to always do good work in Titus 3:1. Submission is one aspect of the people adhering to the word of God which tells us that there is no point of obeying without submission. As stated by Paul, submission to the earthly authority is submission to God.
There is but one fear that has been and is there. If senior leaders of today fails to bring about the requisite changes, the younger generation who are the leaders of tomorrow might not forgive them. All the inherited failures along with their own failures, which one can even foresee, will be squarely blamed on the leaders of today and they are going to have all the reasons to say and do so. Yes, yesterday’s leaders can be argued to have failed, but that will be like just crying over spilt milk. Yesterday and today are poles and worlds apart in all respects. It will hold no water and can only serve the purpose of an excuse, the arguments of which will not be convincing.
However today we are living in a time where the umbilical cord of today and tomorrow cannot be severed. It is like as if God and Science has conspired to this end, maybe to hold people and leaders accountable. And Naga leaders of today very much runs the risk of being forgotten by history but be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Let us hope and keep praying that it is all not so. Ultimately, the ultimate Book reads “truth prevails,” and as such it is for the leaders of today to keep the faith and bring forth change or welcome change which–so-ever by remaining in position.
