Our society; An unfinished poem

Andrew heanngam Pamei *

A row of burning tyres at Keishamthong area during a Bandh in December 2012 :: Pix- TSE

I'm a dilettante and not a prolific writer to put down into words; the face of our present day society, but, when I look around the state of mankind today- the wars and violence, greed and vanity, sexual perversion, broken families, diseases and depression, envy and hatred, I couldn't help myself but delineate this very face of our society, which is like an unfinished poem, is too brief to be left unread but too problematic to be summarized.

As one flips through the day's local daily, one would come across news of unthinkable crimes, gruesome slayings, murders, rape and a host of other vicious evils. Tear jerking stories of unimaginable cruelty fill the news. Few days back, I met an incident at the residence of my Maternal Grandpa that some unidentified miscreants set the house ablaze at the wee hours of the 9th day of April, 2015.

In such a civilized world, it is really hard to understand the stark nihilism that drove some heartless individuals, who out of sheer mindlessness muster up the courage to carry out such an inhuman, barbaric and uncivilized act.

And also I could no longer pretend to understand the stark nihilism that drove some mindless uncivilized individuals who trigger the series of blasts in our society killing hundreds and thousands of innocent men, women and children. My powers of empathy, my ability to reach into another's heart, cannot penetrate the blank stares of those who would murder innocents with abstract serene satisfaction.

Moreover, horrifying news where babies are killed by their mothers, infants are ripped from their mother's womb, numerous children are exploited as sex slaves and adults are tortured by their own sons or daughters- these news smear the pages of newspapers and websites daily, and the list of tragedies is endless. In fact we have come to accept this sad state of affairs as normal, which is another ghastly reality of life. Such atrocities occur frequently.

The reality is, brutality and callousness are spreading. But most of us when we hear such stories turn the page or switch channels and never really think about what is happening. In this society gone on berserk and brutality, how can we guarantee our younger generations to grow up as warm, loving and compassionate human beings with a healthy respect and appreciation for the human life?

So, to all the youths of our society, let's be the change, the change that we all seek. Let's not just keep on breast-beating over this sorry state of affairs, because positive change will not come if we wait for some other people or some other times, we are the ones we've been waiting for, we are the change that we seek. Change is never easy, we are either always fighting to hold on or fighting to let go.

But, by saying that it isn't easy let's not be afraid of it for we may end losing something good but on the ultimate, we'll probably end up gaining something better. Now is the time to stay out of our own way, never dream up a thousand reasons why we can't do what we want to but find out one reason why and how we can, because it will be a lot easier to do all things we should do than spend the rest of our life wishing we had.

We youths may not form 100% population of our society but we need to be aware that we form 100% future of our society, so let us arise, awake and act boldly and decisively that we'll stand for truth even when we're alone. It is far better to be associated with a few who are right and truthful than with the mob who are wrong and corrupted, because Righteous and truthful are always the winner in the end.

If we choose to use our status and influence to raise our voice on behalf of those who have no voice, if we choose to identify not only with the powerful but also with the powerless, if we retain the ability to imagine ourselves into the lives of those who do not have our advantages, then I hope not only will our family celebrate our existence but hundreds and thousands and millions of people whose reality we have helped to change will celebrate.

Let's find the problems we're an answer to and solve it with courage, for there's no better exercise for the heart than reaching down and lifting someone else up. Just one positive action to bring a change may be all it takes to turn the tide of another person's life.

Majority of the people of today's generation no longer hope for the best, they only hope to avoid the worst, but let's stand up to do ordinary things extraordinarily well, hope for the best and build a better future with our strong and courageous step, for future is not some place where we are going but one that we create.

And this activity of making the future changes both the maker and the destination. From today and from now, let's be the change, build a better future and a better world, where we can live with mind without fear and our head held high. God bless you all.