It is the year 2016 – another year for new year resolutions, new dreams and hopes. Although this may sound like an echo of the previous year, the significance of new years are meant to bring in exactly that and more – a renewed hope, a new commitment or stronger determination towards making our lives and the society we live in more meaningful. It is our hope that 2016 brings in a positive change for a Nagaland that we can be proud of, and so for our column this year, we begin it with a young minds’ perspective about her wish for the youth of 2016.
Young Minds of 2016
Everyone has a different past and now as the year begins, everyone is probably starting this year with different views, hopes and dreams. But I believe there is something common we all share. All of us want happiness, peace, love, protection and all the good things in life. We do not desire sadness, despair, pain and suffering. That is what makes us all human. The fact that we love and care about our family, friends, kids and elders makes us equal. The beginning of the year may be sad for one and may be the best one for another. Though we all have different experiences it is our hope that brings us together.
The importance we give in social gatherings especially during the Christmas season brings each and everyone together. As we value our experiences we learn from the mistakes that bring out the depth of true living. I believe that the depth of true living is the unity of different minds. We all have big goals but one mind can only aim up to a certain limit. Two minds can dream bigger goals. I believe that as the two come together we will learn more and achieve more, which can motivate us to aim higher and bigger to make a difference.
What do I expect this year? As a youth, I would want our generation to grow up and develop with a humble mind set. I would really want to begin this year with a better connection, understanding and love within the Naga community. Not forgetting the mistakes we made but accepting them and beginning with fresh and positive thoughts. We always talk about unity, but are we really implementing that, excluding the unity between family, and friends. Is our society united? I don’t think so, I honestly feel we are still very selfish and dishonest but what can we do to change that? I hear from elders about the problems of tribalism, favouritism besides the other problems of corruption, bribery, politics etc. in our society and it makes me wish that all these problems could be erased. But how? How should we move forward? With what attitude? What do I as a youth really expect?
Though I can’t give advice to people about how to mould our attitudes or how we should move forward; I can share my views on how I wish we can move forward.
We need change. That’s the word we all fear, whether it is a good or a bad change. I would like to welcome change whether good or bad into my life. To mould myself, to learn from good experiences and bad ones too. Someone once told me that the little things we do in life creates a greater impact than the big tasks we perform. Our behaviour, our attitude our habits inspire one another. Therefore, I wish that we, the youths begin this year by making small changes in our habits, ethics and attitude. The little changes we make in ourselves will inspire people and that in turn will make our state a respectable one.
By simply being honest everyone’s life will be easier; by simply being clean and avoiding littering will reduce so many sicknesses if you really think about it. As a youth I really expect this year to be an eye opening year for the Nagas, especially the younger generation. I always hear our elders talking amongst themselves about how smart the younger generation are and how with every new generation they are becoming smarter and smarter. But I sometimes wonder if we really are smart enough to understand the real problems of the world and not just our society?
What drastic changes can we make? Thus, I believe the younger generation has a huge responsibility and high expectations from elders to grow up with inspiring experiences and attitudes. I really hope that this year all our past experiences will mould us and that will be the foundation for an amazing result. As they say that with each generation the knowledge, confidence and smartness level is drastically increasing, I also hope that we witness improvements in our behaviour and our personality too. What I am talking about is giving importance to the spoken word. How effective are our words?
The motto of the London stock exchange market “my word is my bond’ really inspires me. The fact that such a big market can function with just being totally honest with his/her clients and financial transactions shows the value or importance they give to the words once spoken. The only way to improve our society is to value our word. To value whatever we speak and to be positive.
If from now itself we cannot think positive, and doubt ourselves when we are still young, we will never be able to change later. Similarly, the way we perceive others will not be positive either.
If from now itself we cannot think positive, and doubt ourselves when we are still young, we will never be able to change later. Similarly, the way we perceive others will not be positive either.
Therefore, although everyone is beginning this year with different experiences, whether bitter or sweet we all have the same desire – the desire to have a happy life; and that we can achieve it, but only with true unity, humbleness and hard work, and not forgetting honesty.
I know it sounds so easy to say but it is hard to do. But so are the bad things, yet we manage to do them. Maybe we just need to change our concept. Make the good things easy to say and easy to do by simply accepting changes and learning from it. By forgiving and loving one another.
Life is too short to do good things in life so why should we waste our time with the negative? My wish for 2016 is to develop positive change as the year begins.
Good one . Great lines