Be Open to Every Idea

My sincere congratulations to whoever has taken great pains to start this blog this will give rise to a constructive dialog and something wonderful may come out this whole process.

Every opinion +ve or -ve as far as it does not use abusive/trashy language should be posted - if not, the people controlling the blog are using their own judgment of what is right and what is wrong to be posted which is again contrary to the basic tenets of the FREE SPEECH and SELF-STUDY. Let people speak their minds but in a decent language (strong and forceful words should be ok) so that this whole effort does not get muddled...

I think it is too early to heal let the wound get cleaned first if we rush to heal it - it may not get healed completely- the most important thing is to let it unfold at its own pace but be proactive and be patient and keep your heads KOOL - it will work as CATHARSIS (cleansing, lots of misdeeds, done knowingly or unknowingly in the past by lots of people will be washed away) which is NEEDED for all the Swadhyayees to think clearly and act in the right direction- the questions that surfaced in the recent past and asked by many intellectuals were very relevant to the spirit of Swadhyay (Self-study and inquiry into the truth of the matter - which is at the foundation of our moral and ethical being and the very fabric of our spiritual being) the very fact of silencing the voice (whosoever may have done that will be punished, if not, by the human law by the universal law and there is no escape) is contrary to the very foundation of the system! Reminds me of "Man in the Arena" speech given by Teddy Roosevelt at Sorbonne, France, April 23, 1910 (remember here that this is not the glorification of any one person but the truth and everyone should stand up for it!)

At times it makes me think what happened to such a great philosophy? Where we went wrong or as time passed by it deteriorated or more so in the later years starting from early 1980s when big programs got organized and work starting to become more and more 'Popular' and less understood by the masses and what remained was the Eyes which only saw Big following, Great Organizing power, Lots of Wealth!? and the very tenets of Swadhyay as explained in our scriptures seems to be forgotten by those who claimed to know it all and got caught up in trivial matters... Let us not judge and hate anyone but one and all who is/are responsible must stand up take a stand and look deep within listening to their inner voice - time has come to ask ourselves as Martin Luther King, Jr. once quoted - "Cowardice asks the question, Is it safe? Expediency asks the question, Is it politic? Vanity asks the question, Is it popular? But conscience asks the question, Is it right? And there comes a time when o e must take a stand that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him that it is right."

If the present generation does not do anything NOW our future generations will ask very pointed questions and very few will be able to look them in the eye. So I think everyone who wants to contribute in a positive way should wake up to the call and rally around current leadership ask them to change or leave and refuse to follow blindly or get exploited in any way. This will give the whole process a new start and new vision. But this has to be done by common folks, by one and all, who are at the leaf level as well as the root level and get up and challenge with their head held high without being succumbed by anything whatsoever and there is no power on earth that can stop the transformation. If we do not wake up now this wonderful philosophy will continue to go wayward!

Here is what I think:
1. Every Swadhyayee should look deep within.
2. Question your area responsible person and ask for answers. I am sure some are, but that does not suffice every Swadhyayee must wake up to the call, keeping silence is not the option anymore.
3. If they fail to provide answers or ignore questions then discuss among yourselves with an open mind try to make sense out the whole thing. But get together and keep in mind that we are the ones who can bring about the change.
4. Start thinking about what can be done next, how to continue doing what you really wanted to do by coming to Swadhyay or what attracted you to swadhyay in the first place.

Until this is done and done by one and all involved things will not change!!

I will end my input here with inspiring words of Robert Kennedy spoken in Africa on the Day of Affirmation: "... Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. And I believe that in this generation those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the globe.

For the fortunate among us, there is the temptation to follow the easy and familiar paths of personal ambition and financial success so grandly spread before those who enjoy the privilege of education. But that is not the road history has marked out for us. Like it or not, we live in times of danger and uncertainty. But they are also more open to the creative energy of men than any other time in history. All of us will ultimately be judged and as the years pass we will surely judge ourselves, on the effort we have contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which our ideals and goals have shaped that effort.

The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of new ideas and bold projects. Rather it will belong to those who can blend vision, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the ideals and great enterprises of our Society. Our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control..."

So be it!

Never Doubt that a group of thoughtful, committed people can transform the world
- indeed it is the only thing that ever did! ~ Margaret Mead