It fails me to understand why we compete in an unwinnable race? I would rather run in a race which has a history of producing winners.
We all want to improve our standard of living- that’s normal. But the world where we live has implemented its own ideas about how to accomplish the good life, ideas which are far different from Gods order.
If we take the normal Life scenario of our land, the desire for instant gratification has taken the place of deferring to a time when we can pay cash for our wants. Today Nagas are mad in the rat race that we are consumed by desires to buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like. Yes some of us are prosperous, but at what price? We have a winning score, but most of us are tired. As Individual members of the team are injured, the team as a whole begins to lose its rhythm, courage and will. At a time when we are proudly inviting tourists from far and near to celebrate our rich heritage and our diverse culture, why has the moral fabric of our land gone threadbare? Nagaland was founded by men who sought spiritual freedom to worship God and walk in His word. Where are the descendants of these men? Was their courage not hereditary? Why are we trading our courage and honesty for corruption and dishonest means in accumulating wealth?
The dominant economic theory in Nagaland has been consumerism. Webster’s Dictionary defines consumerism as 'the economic theory that a progressively greater consumption of good is beneficial. Is this true? Is a progressively greater consumption of goods beneficial? Have you ever wondered why, after only 2 or 3 years you begin to itch for a shiny new car? We are programmed to consume, because the dominant economic theory employed in Nagaland is Consumerism. Today, a lack of contentment pervades the life of the Naga consumer. Thats because years of consumerism and media influence have caused a basic shift in values. The desire for things appears to have become more important than having a meaningful life philosophy. The lifestyle and image we strive for is a media- generated, artificial standard of living. We live yes-- we eat and drink and bribe and are corrupted and still we live-- and we contribute nothing to the welfare of others.
While our material standard of living may have soared for some over the last ten years our moral, spiritual and relational standard of living has plummeted. They have more or less, traded places. Watch TV commercials one evening and ask yourself, 'If these commercials are true, then who am I, and what am I? The life portrayed on the tube loves pleasure, sensuality, doesn’t deny itself anything , and has a right to whatever goal it sets.
The way in which we measure our standard of living indicates the race we have decided to run. As Nagas we face a true dilemma. We can choose the rat race, or we can choose to not love and crave for the things of this world. Value systems are primarily influenced by parents, teachers, professors, pastors, movies and television. Sadly most of these system builders have become corrupted and exploited. Parade all our leaders and this is what we get-- unfaithful, greedy, dancers, womanizers, drunkards, visionless, uncommitted ones. Corruption and stealing is their daily work and ending the year with dancing and drinking to wash away all their sins is their yearly affair.
The common people live with fear each day- of tax, extortion, kidnapping, rape, abuse and above all of death. We need to ensure those system-builders stand for the values and beliefs we want. The fragile minds of young people can’t distinguish the merit of the values and beliefs presented to them and they will tend to adopt whatever they are exposed to in the madness as they choose the rat race (the pursuit of this beautiful and wrinkle free life). As a result, fracture lines soon appear in our relationships and crumbling is not far behind. All too often in pursuit of the good life, most men leave a trail of broken relationships.
The result of trying to achieve the beautiful wrinkle free life and failing, produces an excruciating anxiety level. Its a lack of contentment that intensifies the more we are exposed to the things we see around in Nagaland. as a result we see more suicides unheard of just 10- 20 years back, more of divorces for want of a fairy dream or the Madison avenue lifestyle, more unwanted pregnancies and child abortions 556 abortions conducted in just 6 nursing homes in Dimapur in a month, according to Moamenla, Founder Director of Mothers Hope 2001 which may have increased no doubt by now , theft that happens regularly from banks to homes of widows and single parents and a generation of lost communication where love is traded for chocolates and flowers and cars and money replaced by genuine parental care and a rising number of cultural Christians that requires God to grant us personal peace and affluence(Read Material goods) to prove He loves us. Our society is lost in the rat race to achieve anything at the cost of anyone.
Here is the question: If religion is such a big part of our lives, why hasn’t it made more of an impact on our Naga society? The sad reality is that claims of religious commitment run high, but impact is at an all-time low. It is Christianity with little or no impact on the values and beliefs of our society. If that’s the case, then why do we compete in an unwinnable race? Frankly, I would rather win, so I would rather run in a race which has a history of producing winners. Tragically, most men don’t know what race that is.
(written by Rev Robert Kikon, Minister, Faith Christian Fellowship)
