Where do we go?

Where will we go? Or where are we going? These questions keep burdening the Naga heart that yearns to see Nagas live together in peaceful coexistence with dignity and respecting others. This yearning wants an end to the vicious cycle that is tearing down the society and its values apart. The negative forces apparent in everyday happenings include the usual suspects of suspicion, distrust, hate, jealousy, disrespect . . .  This cycle continues to perpetuate itself in a situation where most people are just trying to survive. It is time to seriously ponder where Nagas are going as a people.

Naga history does provide a rich legacy of interdependence, a shared political identity, common human values of respect and dignity. This helps to lay the foundation that will build an understanding in which a path to the future is guided by a shared value-based vision. The histories of the different peoples that constitute the Naga political nation are filled with stories of many ordinary men and women who strived for the well-being and common good of the people in extra-ordinary ways. Where are they? And where are we going?

What is needed is a sincere commitment of straight talk through dialogue. This process would revolve around the greater public good and common interest, which means ending the influence of narrow and personal interest representing the powers that be. An open process of dialogue can lead to articulating Naga values with an emphasis on ethics and based on critical thinking. It implies transcending parochial institutions and civil religion without distorting the issues that affect the daily lives of the people. This self-realization requires a conscious move away from the adversarial politics, and to replace it with a commitment to statesmanship which responds to the people’s aspirations.     

If present Nagas are to have a future and believe that it will be one of hope, the responsibility lies in today’s generation not to just live quietly, but to actively pursue the values that will make them live!