To change or not to change
Dr. Simmi Gurwara
Change is the most sought after phenomenon these days, particularly. Everybody aspires to see change, but at other's expense. This is most paradoxical a thing. Our generic bucket list includes -the political class should be more accountable, the governance should be more transparent and the bureaucracy should get rid of red tape. All these to-be-changes are long overdue as much as the changes at the personal level for each individual as a responsible citizenry. But certain things plainly refuse to change like our stubbornness to resist change.
Whether we like it or not; whether we invite it or not - things change. And that is the beauty of it. At times when we are least expecting, it occurs and catches us unawares. What we are left with in such scenario is wonderment. Steady dose of disappointments and disillusionments with the systems work as wake-up call ringing constantly and compelling us to take a sneak peek into the possibilities. This change ought to be more by design than default. If smugness engenders status quo, compulsion triggers change. Like we change our ruling class every electoral term (exceptions are bound to be). Growing desperation propels our democratic senses to seek change. The end result may not be encouraging but our propensity to look for change sure is. And this edginess is the fountain source of our change seeking behavior which should never die down irrespective of all resistance and indifference which we encounter. Interestingly the change subject is not exclusive to our political satraps. Being immune to the principle of selectivity, it takes everything into its fold.
Readiness for change is a must though cavalier attitude has its own advantages which we more readily reap. Temporariness of our zeal to bring about change dies a natural death. What remains is our slack sense to drag along- forever complaining, forever demanding. Gandhiji said be the change that you want to see in others. To see the change we have got to be the change and here lies the difficulty that supersedes our bloated enthusiasm.
We know what to change and why to change but the question of how to change boggles us perennially. It becomes the moot question that forever stares us in the face and we prefer to turn our backs on it in the most conspicuous absence of an actionable plan. Even if we dare to draw the silhouettes, we are unsure of the detailing. Consequently it results in a situation which finds us oscillating between the two ends unable to take the stance to which we might stick.
The curiosity that tags along with the change phenomenon is worth harboring. Will the change be good enough to sustain us or will it make things even worse. Will it live up to our expectations or will it exceed our expectations and leave us flummoxed unable to gauge what to do next are the questions which keep dangling from the porticos which we aspire to win over. Fear of uncertainty bogs down the swirling desire to change. We changed from a colony to a sovereign state but alongside came the bloodbath that devoured countless lives and rendered as many homeless. The scars still remind us of our gory past. But wasn't that change, which saw us transforming into the world's largest democracy, worth its while. The answer has to be in the affirmative, beyond all doubts even if our hard won democracy at times smothers us and threatens to snatch away our freedom of expression. The only consolation is that the sad state of affairs will change. Because they have to. Because there is no alternative- but to change.
