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Rev Dr Wati Aier addressing the second day of the 67th triennial general conference of the Ao Students’ Conference at Changtongya village in Mokokchung district on Thursday.[/caption]
Changtongya, Jan. 19: There is a need for the Naga society to self-criticise and be forward-looking to ensure that the society moves forward for the ‘better.’ Instead, the Naga people today ‘look backwards’ at archaic social institutions in its attempt to forward.
The principal of the Oriental Theological Seminary, and peace activist, Rev Dr Wati Aier on Thursday said so in his address on the second day of the 67th triennial general conference of the Ao Students’ Conference at Changtongya village in Mokokchung district.
“Realisation of self-criticism should be rationalist in this post-modern era,” said Dr Aier while saying there was a need for self-criticism and be forward looking to build a better society.
Reflecting on the theme of the conference ‘Resolute affirmation’, Dr. Aier pointed out that the Nagas today were ‘looking backwards, at the archaic social institutions, and try to lead forward.’ He wondered how ‘we can lead forward while always looking backward.’
Talking from the perspective of an Ao, Dr Aier asserted that the Ao community should not be ‘too proud’ to think that they were the first to receive education or Christianity. He asked the Ao people to contemplate about how and what the situation would have been if Christianity or education came to some other community first. Therefore, he asked the Ao community not to think that they are better than others. Rather they should think that they are the fortunate ones, he reminded.
In this connection, Dr Aier said that the world today is a competitive world and everyone aspires to be the best and to reach the highest level. He asked the community to have serious self-criticism, and not to ‘look backwards too much.’ He said that ‘backward looking’ and leading comes from the ‘idea that we are right, a justification that we are right.’
The pacifist also called for ‘renaissance’ among the people. First comes renaissance, then comes enlightenment and industrialization, he said. However, he questioned ‘where the renaissance among the Nagas is.’ Encouraging the students that they were ‘the movers and shakers of the society who can bring great changes in the society,’ the church leader declared to the students ‘you can do it, you must believe you can do it.’
He also urged the students to never forget the power of God and His blessings when working for the betterment of the society.
Earlier, the AKM felicitated journalists Longranty Longchar and Aso Imsong for authoring a book title “The Breach Wall” based on Survival Mokokchung initiated by the organization.
Also, short speeches were delivered by Watsu Mungdang president Moachila and Central Nagaland Students’ Association president Charles Lotha.
