Changing Names or Lives!?

December 4, 2020

Change is the law of growth but change for the change sake is a foolish dictum. John F Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” But change for change's sake can be more damaging to your efforts towards creating an engaged and inspired workforce than no change at all”. Change is a granite, grandeur, goalpost, and oasis or in other words it is prosperity, fertility, fraternity and punctuality. The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future, destiny, world, by merely changing his attitude, though it is very tedious, herculean, cumbersome, bulky and ponderous but it is not impossible.

People use the short cuts and cut shorts as a result change is seen in only colours, skin, dress, promises, payments, parties, programmes, the list is growing and never ending. Mahatma Gandhi said “In a gentle way you can shake the world” a drop in the ocean, soothing word, comforting deed, gentle touch, and silent presence or in a biblical word “small mustard seed” all bring/ make change. The Secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new says Socrates.

Today the world is setting another kind of pre-eminence thus entering the era of subtle restlessness in the life of people and society by taking pleasure in changing the boards, roads name plates so on and so forth thus boasting as if a big thing has done or achieved. This kind of trend is most dangerous and degrading the smooth flow of life in a society. What we need at the hour is change of lives: people are struggling or hustling and hassling for a decent loaf of bread, a place to lay the head, quiet surrounding, uncontaminated water to drink, peaceful co-existence, hurdle free roads, hygienic markets, medical facilities, desirable education, smooth footpath and clean air to breathe.

Road boards to road maps: Amidst the pandemic our netas are busy in baptising and re-baptising the roads. The condition of the roads be it in the city or High ways or by ways in the villages so pathetic, difficult to travel leave it alone struggling to walk. There are toll gates who collect the toll day in and day out but the condition of the approaching road to pay the toll is horrible, it’s a nightmare, no value for the money that is paid. People who sit in the toll booth behave as if they are without conscience. Highways are built in unscientific way, accidents after accidents people lose life and families, the engineers who designed the roads are cool as cucumber. Do we need new road boards or Road maps?

Ambition to agriculture: The worst affected people in the society are the famers. They grow or cultivate crops but they do not have a steady, systematic, functioning body to sell, buy, to preserve and to distribute the food crops to the people. The crops which cultivated are thrown to the roads, food for the animals, ultimately farmers commit suicide. The advantage is for the middle man or the agents who makes money. Instead of calling for dharnas, strikes, bandh in name of the airport join with the poor people, give a voice to the voiceless, support them, fight for justice to get fair price. This is the enlightened way of doing the things.

Statues to stability: The netas are frightened to sit in the parliament and Vidhana Saudha to deliberate, discuss, ponder over the issues that affect the society particularly the student but our education ministers are bent upon fixing the dates to re-open the colleges, is there any good sense prevail? The pandemic situation is grim and morose. Students and the parents are worried, certainly frightened. Furthermore, some of the leaders are planning to re name the universities and erect the statues. Does this have any positive impact on the students and their future? There are graduates and post graduates who come out from the universities are in waiting list to build their future, fulfil their dream project. It is a great challenge before the student who are fresh out from the universities to get a job basing on their ability. The present education system does not create jobs but jobless/unemployment. We need well educated law making persons at the highest level and not the emotional ones who go after the cheap publicity.

Popularity to Productivity: The daily, migrant labourers, are struggling to feed their children at least one decent meal a day. These people are used, misused many times over used as vote banks. Simple people trust these netas sooner or later they fall into their trap and remain forever migrants. Their future is battered and broken, lives are busted and cracked, what they need is not the change of boards, renaming of the airports, erecting the statues but they need sustained income to support daily needs, better source of creativity, conducive atmosphere to live with every citizen of India. People are looking for the spirit of brother- sisterhood and not hate culture.

Fanciful promises to faithful programmes: Promises after promises are delivered, bombarded during the elections but in reality hardly any promise is materialised, people are bluffed, many times cheated. One nation, one rule, one law, oneness, all these rhetoric, remains in the manifesto, the ground reality is quite different and contrasting. The constitution is rich enough to protect every citizen but the system protects the selected ones. There are people who getting rotten in the prison cells because they do not have any advocates to fight for them due to their poverty neither have any godfathers to represent them, at the same times there are influential people in the society who run the show, they have dozens of lawyers to represent them due to their richness. People are found years together in the prison cell but others within no times are out of the cells, where is justice? Are all equal before the law? What are the priorities before us?

Draconian laws to human Love: At the end of the day what citizens expect is nothing but human heart and humanness. Freedom of religion in India is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 25-28 of the Constitution of India. Every citizen of India has a right to profess, practice and propagate religion. It is my fundamental duty to respect every citizen of India to make their life happy, respectable and honourable. As a matured and major citizens have every constitutional right to profess, practice and propagate their own religion and marry whom they wish. If the state brings hindrance by enacting any laws in exercising one’s constitutional rights freely, then the state goes against the constitution of India and the conscience of the individual. It’s very bad to dictate the citizens, what to wear, what to eat, whom to marry, whom to love what to celebrate and how many children to have in the family? It is left to the individual for their discretion. Life is to be cherished and respected without counting the caste, creed and culture. The main duty of the legislators is to unite the people rather than divide on the issues of marriage, religion, party, payment, power and culture.

Today the news channels and newspapers barrage and blast with the news of Children and women rape. This news become ordinary for many and netas are on their own programmes. Humanity is losing its vibration; humanity is at the cross roads? Our netas should concentrate in establishing the law and order for the safety of women, children, and senior citizens. People are struggling, running from one government office to another to do the job done, to procure documents/certificates, to get the pensions/scholarship. We need road maps to cater the real needs of the people. Instead of tackling the horrible situation, going for unnecessary so called reform is a waste of time, energy, tax payers’ money. We do need Road Maps and not change of Road names!

 

 

 

By Fr Joachim D'Souza
Writer Joachim Dsouza is a Capuchin priest, advocate, appointed by the government of Karnataka as the registrar for Indian Christian marriages in Dakshina Kannada.
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Comment on this article

  • Arthur II, Mangalore

    Mon, Dec 07 2020

    Excellent article by Fr Joachim. But I feel some of the onus should be on citizens as well. Netas will do netagiri; that's their job. But people still are getting fooled and keep voting for netas who practice hate politics. They don't want road map but satisfied with road change. That is unfortunately the sad reality!

  • Vincent D'sa, Dubai/Shankerpura/Pangala parish

    Sun, Dec 06 2020

    Even after changing Bombay's name to Mumbai in 1995, Bombay high court is still a Bombay High Court, not a Mumbai high court. The nameplate on the court building near the Fountain area in Mumbai looks like a slap on the face of the people changing names conveniently for their own purpose.

  • Mohan Prabhu,, Mangalore (Kankanady)/Ottawa, Canada

    Sun, Dec 06 2020

    I was a bit unsure where the author was heading by this article which covers a lot of ground but seems rambling, going helter skelter. I thought Fr. would mention at least change of personal names which many have done, including reverend padres, signifying a new era in their lives. It is often so. Some name changes stir controversy and foment trouble, and are often caving in to the demands of the majority - like changing road names or traffic circles in Mangaluru.
    But Changing names is often like pouring old wine into new bottles without changing its quality, to make it glamorous so people rush in and get fooled.

  • Francis, Shirva/UK

    Sat, Dec 05 2020

    Good article, keep writing Fr Dsouza

  • Gilbert Menezes, Moodubelle / Melbourne

    Sat, Dec 05 2020

    Thank you, Fr. Joachim D'Souza for a passionate article!

    For India to develop like other developed nations, we require selfless and righteous political leaders ruling at the federal level and in every state with only one objective of equality, justice, and development in their hearts and minds! Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel, and many other leaders worked selflessly during the formation of our republic focusing on equality and justice and rejecting any greed for power! But in today’s India, we may not get anywhere near to naming any selfless leader in the entire nation!

    Until then we may not have Road Maps but many changes of Road names!

  • John, Mangalore

    Fri, Dec 04 2020

    Good article, covered a lot of social injustices, but the worst CHANGE in human history is forthcoming through these vaccines for corona? Which makes man a Transhuman, or man merging with technology?

    With AI, 5G, Luciferas, advance surveillance, Bio and Nano technology everything is possible in this age.

    Technology is good makes things faster and simpler but same can be misused for control, rule also decimate. That's what communist chinese and western elites plan seems to be. This has been prophesied in Book of Revelation Ch 13:16-18.

    Also,
    Jesus on the vaccines will be worse than the disease because the nano technology will change your DNA in a Message to John Leary dated Nov 25, 2020

    Jesus said: “My people, do not forget that you are living in the pre-tribulation with China’s evil corona virus that has been spread all over the world. This current virus will get worse with a more deadlier virus. These are the first plagues of the end times that are being used to control people. Soon you will also see mandatory chips in the body which you will not take. You will also see mandatory virus vaccines which you will not take either. The vaccines will be worse than the disease because the nano technology will change your DNA. The chips will be the new currency for buying and selling, but they will control your mind. When these mandatory chips and vaccines are forced on you, the authorities will kill those people who do not obey. This is when you will be called to My refuges for your protection with My inner locution. You will call on Me and your guardian angels to lead you to My refuges with your backpacks. You will leave your home for the refuge within twenty minutes. Only My believers will be allowed into My refuges. You will see some people persecuted and even martyred, if they refuse to leave their homes. Trust in My angel protection, because My refuges will be your only safe havens during the tribulation of the Antichrist.”

    Ref:
    https://maryrefugeofsouls.com

  • Valerian Baretto, Bantwal - Bangalore Rajajinagar

    Fri, Dec 04 2020

    Fr.Joachim, your article is very informative in all aspects to ordinary citizens like us. Congratulations Fr.Joachim.

  • Rohan, Mangalore

    Fri, Dec 04 2020

    Dear Fr.,
    Excellent article. Whatever you have written is very true. The world order has changed. It's a different world from those days and it will keep changing. The wise thing to do is accept the changed order and strive for survival. Thereafter its good to be wise and try and live a trouble free life which in itself is not possible. The other alternative is to minimise the problems without much damage and try and benefit in our goals whatsoever. All these can be achieved individually through cooperation from others or in a group. Whatever the strategy we have to live in the present and accept the changed world order.


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