Morung Express News
February 14
Dimapur: A delegation of Action for Life, an International network of people with the objective to mobilize a generation of people starting from the individual, to be the conduits of change to bring about a transformation and healing in themselves as well as the world, today held an informal interaction at Duncan Bosti today.
The team of eight visiting Nagaland humbly enacted a skit and songs. The message they put across was to bring about change by being bold and daring enough to take the first leaps, no matter how small. Apart from the songs, members shared on their life and experiences of change they had seen over the years as conduits of change. According to Alex, a member, the global network opens to all. Mahatma Gandhi’s saying, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” is the apt theme for the network. Initiatives of Change endeavors to inspire each person across the globe to take the first step towards fetching positive change. Alex narrated a noble gesture of a brother and sister in ‘Bodoland’ which greatly moved him. The siblings, though with only the bare necessities, are imparting literacy to their village folk free of cost, he related. The Australian was also touched to see people without the AIDS virus working for those infected with the global menace in Nagaland.
The group of 50 visiting India was split into groups of four. Members of Initiatives of Change come from 27 different countries. The organization is multi-faith, multi-generation and multi-everything, “We have members from 27 countries from around the world. We hope to be change-makers and encourage others to be a change in themselves and thus to change others too” according to Yeon-Yuk Jeong team leader of the Action for Life delegation of 8 members, in an informal interaction with The Morung Express.
Sharing on what it hopes to achieve through the network he said that the vision comprises of two approaches namely the outer approach and secondly the inner approach. “The outer approach is the external initiatives that are undertaken like journeying and meeting people and networking. We have met with lots of people and we see them as candles of change – to change in them and to change others too” Yeon-Yuk Jeong explained while narrating several instances of real-life change that individuals had brought to their families as well as to the society.
“The second objective is inner journey. Instead of blaming others we should be able to meet ourselves and examine ourselves only then we would be able to know what is right, because the inner voice is the conscience, the voice of God” he said. He reminded that it was because one fails to listen to his inner voice that there are problems but internally and otherwise. “It is listening to the inner voice, the voice of purity, unselfishness and love” Jeong asserted.
Sharing on his impression of Nagaland and the Nagas, Jeong said that he had several Naga friends and was familiar to the people. “You have a unique culture which is quiet obvious from others – the way you dress, manners and culture is very different. I came to know later, sadly that about the killing among the Nag family themselves. In the 1950s we had the great Korean War. Killing is the same everywhere. It is because we refuse to listen to the inner voice. It’s the conscience” he reminded. He said that the Nagas too must look beyond the boundaries of tribes or clans but at Nagaland as a whole.” Then there will be healing” he asserted.
On the make up of the Action for Life he informed that the network was made up of people from different faiths and denominations, including Hindus and Muslims who work for change in all spheres from education to family. He asked the people to listen to the voice of God. “We are all busy telling God but never listening to God” he said concluding the interaction with Mother Teresa’s quote , “The essential Thing is not what we say to God but what God says to us and through us”.
