If the people in authority initiate change, it will bring about a transformation among the common public too, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj Ji
Over the past century, the world has changed manifold and with it, the landscape of development. Today, newer countries have emerged and our planet is now home to more than seven billion people where one in every four of them is a young person. The geopolitical scenario has also changed, with developing countries emerging as major economic forces and political powers. The coming century certainly belongs to India which is almost the size of a subcontinent and has an abundance of natural and human resources.
We all know that our country is home to about 100 million hectares of forest area with a rich variety of flora and fauna. There are thousands of gardens, big and small, and a great mass of cultivable land that can yield good crops of grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits, flowers and valuable herbs. It has vast areas of land which are lying barren or water-logged but can be reclaimed and cultivated. It has immense mineral and oceanic wealth which if properly used in the light of modern science and technology can be the source of great prosperity. But inspite of all these natural, mineral and human resources, the country is steeped in poverty. Why?
There is a lot of dirt, disease, illiteracy and inhumanity all around. There are millions of people in the queue, applying for jobs and unable to find a decent one. There is immense deforestation due to which the soil is unable to hold water. The run-off water causes siltation of rivers and dams and eventually, floods. We can blame this state of affairs on the mismanagement of resources or lack of proper harnessing of the available resources. There are millions of able-bodied youth but they do not play any constructive national role. They remain ignorant of their duties towards the society, be it in terms of maintaining cleanliness, following traffic rules or taking necessary measures to save the environment. There is no sense of national pride among them. They lack the strong drive to pull the country out of destitution. Lakh of people, whose time and energy could be put to constructive use by giving them some training and gainful employment, are roaming around, wasting their precious time in idle pursuits.
All this is happening because there is no plan that can enthuse them and stir them to purposeful activities. There are no leaders who inspire them, raise their spirits and organise them to do something for the task of building a strong nation. The bureaucracy is too narrow-minded to facilitate the social and economic change and to wipe the tears of the backward classes or the weaker sections of society. The businessmen and industrialists are engrossed in making money. Their sensitivities have become hardened to even notice their deprived brethren who are dying because they cannot stand the rigours of the climate or the pain of hunger.
History is evidence to how planning, determination and direction in earlier times brought up two major transformations by the ‘Green Revolution’ and ‘Operation Flood.’ The scientific method of cultivation had helped not only to fight the ravages of flood and drought but also offered food to the less fortunate neighbouring countries in Asia and Africa. Proper pooling and management of scientific know-how and funds had extricated the country from the state of begging bowl to the state of philanthropy. But today, the situation has changed. Why?
The answer is mismanagement of resources and power. India’s burgeoning population and leaders that are unable to manage themselves are to blame. This is where the ‘art of self-management’ comes to fore. And that is possible only if one completely understands the self and learns to be the ruler of one’s own mind. Leaders from around the world should change their outlook, lifestyle and work culture through a system of values and meditation. If the people in authority initiate change, it will bring about a transformation among the common public too.