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Be the change you wish to see - Mahatma Gandhi
I'm sure everyone would have heard of this proverb. Its been in use from a long time. The thing is, I never actually understood the USE of Proverbs. Of course, they are all exceptionally true, but I've not seen a single person who has actually implemented it in their life. I can go around all day, stating Proverbs after Proverbs, but what's the use? Neither I, nor will the one who actually listens to me will implement it.
I have heard of many proverbs, but this one always confused me a lot. BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE. I wish to see many CHANGES, but I can't BE all that change. Am I confusing you? Good then. I'm doing my job right.
Thanks to Indi And Stayfree people, as they have now given us a chance to speak out what we would actually like to CHANGE in this world. As soon as I saw the topic, I smiled and said, "This is the easiest one of all", Now I'm wondering if that was true. Cause it really is not so easy. There is so much to be changed. Finally, after a lot of thought I decided when I had to write about. So well, no more suspense. Lets head right to the topic.
Change! What would I like to Change? I want to eradicate Corruption.
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Aah! Corruption. You can find corruption going on, on every corner of the street. So, when thinking about Corruption, the Proverb came back to my mind again. For once it made some sense. First I have to Change myself, in order to change the world. Ok, So done. I'm Corrupt Free. Hahaha! That's the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life. Me and corrupt free? Oh please. I may not be extremely corrupt but I'm corrupt in my own way. How you ask?
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Lets take lie for instance. I'm not Satya Harishchandra's great-great-great-grand daughter or something so yeah, I lie. Actually I have lied about a lot of things. Being in school, I prefer to eat in canteen once in a week. I would have taken money from mom and would have gone, but due to some reasons I wouldn't have eaten. You know teenagers right. Even a tiny thing upsets us. So yeah, I starve the whole afternoon, and as soon as I go home, my mom comes rushing to me, and asks, "Poo you ate right? Did it fill your stomach? Rice is ready. I'll get it for you?". I look at her, my stomach would be rumbling and tumbling in hunger but I can't hurt her. If I tell her that I hadn't eaten she will feel sad and then she'll ask me what had happened. And of course I wouldn't be in mood to talk nor to eat. So I just say, "I ate mom. I'm full. No thanks", and give her a tight hug. At that moment, it feels like the right thing to be done, but then its not right. I know it will hurt my mom, but that doesn't give me the rights to lie right? So, there it goes, Corruption #1.
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Lets take another instance. Bribing! Well, I haven't exactly given bribe till now, but the future doesn't exactly go as we wish right? Being in school and preparing myself for college this year, I feel scared. What if I get less marks? What if I don't get seat in a good institution? What if no college accept me? Then it flashed, Donation. Oh! My parents will have to pay so much money for my mistake. Wait a minute! What? Donation? Giving money to useless people to push your file forward? Any idea how much money colleges and schools make every year? Well, Neither do I. Anyways its not about them. They don't exactly ask everyone to give donation. If the college is good and your marks isn't then please make sure your money is good. The funny thing is, I am speaking against donation, but if I don't get a seat in good college, then that's exactly what I'll be doing. I'll be on the tip of my toes, to pay them so that I could get in. This is Corruption #2 right?
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One more instance. Just imagine, your college is over and you are stepping into the corporate world now. What would you do if you don't get a job? Or imagine that you are struck in a company who wouldn't let you leave? What to do then? I know what parents say - "Call that chairman or minister. He/She will get it done. Without influence nothing works these days". Influence! Begging some corrupt people to get you into or to get you out of a job. Waah! Its just like Begging from a beggar. Think I'm scolding a lot? Well, what about it? Its not like I won't allow my parents to say so or not do it. So, this is corruption number WHAT? I couldn't keep track of it.
I can go on all day, but for now, these are the only things on my mind. And you know what? I feel no wrong in stating this. Because I know I won't feel wrong while doing it.
The funniest thing is, everyday people shout that Government is corrupt and that all the officials are corrupt. I just have one simple question for you all. Who made them corrupt? Who was the one who showed them money for everything? Even to get a simple task done? You call them Corrupt, but what about you yourself? You aren't corrupt? You've never Lied? Cheated? Paid extra money to get a job done? Burst out a secret? Gotten influence? Please! Find me one such person and I'm ready to do anything they ask me to do.
I'm saying it so confidently cause I know very well that there isn't such a person. Everyone is corrupt in their own. They just don't accept it. I don't know what's there to hide though! Its not like people wouldn't know about it. A saying goes in kannada, "Bekku kannu muchkondu haalu kudidre lokakke gottagallava?" which means Just because a cat is drinking milk with Its eyes closed, it doesn't mean that the world doesn't know about it.
So, all I'm saying is, I myself have so many defects, in this case, its not right for me to say that I'll change the world. First I have to get rid off my defects and then only can I change the world. Moreover,One should always know that, when we Point our finger at someone else, three other fingers are still pointing to ourselves. As soon as Stayfree people put up this contest, it has been overflowing with posts. Everyone wants to CHANGE things around them, but no one is ready to change themselves. No one is ready to accepts that they have defects as well. When this is the case, how can one change the world?
A small story, Once a KING announced that there will be a PARTY in his kingdom and ordered every person to bring a bottle of wine. There was a poor farmer in that kingdom and he told his wife, "We can't afford a bottle of wine. So we'll just take a bottle of water. When it is mixed with all the other bottles, people won't notice the difference". In the same way everyone planned, even the rich ones. Finally, the whole Barrel was filled with WATER instead of Wine. In the same way, everyone is ready to bring WATER, but none, not One is ready to bring Wine.
This is the state of our people and our constitution. In this moment, shouting I WANT CHANGE is useless. As I conclude my elongated post, Once again I wonder, What does that Proverb actually mean? I guess I'll never know.
This post if written for the contest Stayfree-Time To Change on IndiBlogger















