In 1958, Elvis Presley was drafted into the US army and he served in that capacity for two years (1958-60). During his time in the army, he met a man named Joe Esposito and they became good friends. Elvis asked Joe to come work for him. So after they were discharged from the army, Joe came and lived at Elvis’ mansion and Elvis made Joe his road manager. Joe became a close confidant of the superstar and lived at Graceland (Elvis’ mansion) for 17 years (1960-77). In fact Joe was one of the first persons to see the lifeless body of Elvis on the afternoon of 16th August 1977 when the superstar was found dead in his bathroom.
In the 1970s Elvis was undoubtedly the biggest and most famous superstar in the world. There were no other celebrities who even came near him in terms of fame, wealth, status or popularity. One day, somewhere in the mid 1970s, Elvis was in a good mood and he had lots of ready money. So he decided to buy an airplane for himself. So he sent his road manager Esposito to another city to buy an airplane.
Upon reaching that city, Joe Esposito was taken to a huge airfield where many planes of different sizes, designs, shapes and prices were displayed. However, Joe could not choose which one would be the best for Elvis. So he telephoned Elvis from the airfield and said, “Elvis, I can’t choose, you’ve got to come here yourself and choose the plane yourself”. Elvis’ reply was, “Joe, don’t bother me with that, just buy the damned thing and come home”.
Yes, an airplane was a damned thing for Elvis. This reply of Elvis has now become a part of Elvis’ folklore. This reply of Elvis clearly showed how much money he had and how much of it he was spending on luxury items he did not need at all. Elvis is known to have a generous heart and he bought costly gifts for many of his close friends, relatives and acquaintances. Buying cars or even houses for his friends and people he liked was nothing new as he sometimes bought cars even for total strangers. On one occasion he saw a lady admiring a car in a showroom and he simply bought it and gave it to her though he did not know who the lady was. All these material things must have been just damned things for Elvis as money was just some pieces of paper for him.
Many times I also feel that many Nagas are buying all the damned things with the Indian currency that is in full circulation in our land. And here I don’t just mean material things but even ideas, trends, cultures, philosophies etc. Indeed Nagas are known to be great copycats. But in the process of buying all the damned things we seem to be losing our own identity. In the past Nagas were known for their honesty, integrity and hardworking nature. And they splendidly upheld the principle of “dignity of labor” which made them self-reliant and self-sufficient without the need to depend on outsiders. But all these virtues now seem to be fast fading away. But, rather than just copying others and buying all the damned things, our society will become a much better place if we can revive these desirable virtues of our forefathers.
There is also a saying, “many people buy the things they don’t need with the money they didn’t earn to impress the people they don’t like”. I think this is very much prevalent in our land. Many Nagas are definitely on a buying spree just to impress others or to maintain a certain perceived status. And this has literally turned our society into a bazaar where the ultimate profiteers are having a field day.
But rather than buying all the damned things, we need to focus more on the higher ideals of life that can restore our society and secure our future. We also need to remember how the Naga economy which was once self reliant and self sufficient is becoming so totally dependent on outside forces and how our people and society is fast becoming blind in our pursuit of this Indian currency that we longer see the gigantic forces that are already threatening to annihilate us.
When it comes to spending money, it is important to mark a clear distinction between our needs and wants. Our needs may need immediate address as we cannot survive without our needs. But wants can be delayed or set aside or even totally abrogated. Many Nagas are financially struggling because they put their wants above their needs. Instead of mindlessly spending money in buying all the damned things, a most rewarding way can be using our money not just for needs or wants but as seeds. When we learn to sow our money as seed, the rewards can be very fulfilling and lasting both for the reapers and the sowers.
It is also said that it’s okay to have money as long as money does not have us. But unfortunately the present Naga society seems to depict a scenario where many are owned by money rather than them owning money. These people do not use money but rather they are being used by money.
In Nagaland today, the craze for easy money is a trap into which many fall. And the driving force behind many of our activities is to make money whether by hook or crook. This is why today there are so many extortions, so many corruptions and so many groups both underground and overground. And our want for easy money is also the root cause behind our disdain for manual works which is encouraging many outsiders to come to our lands and have a heyday exploiting our lethargic nature and our resources and crippling our productivity and making us more and more dependent on others.
Nagaland has been receiving its good share of funds from Delhi since we were made a full-fledged state some 61 years ago. And to be in a position to get a good deal share of this money that comes down from Delhi seems to be the top most thing in the minds of almost all Nagas. Unfortunately, the primary motive of our so-called elected representatives also seems to be vying for the position to get the lion’s share out of this money that is allotted to us out of India’s generosity. But we need to remember that the state of Nagaland was purchased with the precious blood, tears and sweat of many innocent and unsung Naga patriots.
So the money which is circulating in our land and most of which ultimately goes out of our land because of our reluctance to take up menial works should not be utilized for buying all the damned things but rather should be used to better the lives of our people.
India seems to have a generous heart towards the Nagas as India has been unflinchingly allocating Nagaland’s fair share of funds for the last many years and will hopefully continue to do so for many more years to come. But Nagas need to be aware of the story behind the easy availability and flow of Indian currency in our land. We also need to be aware of how much of this money that flows into our land is as easily flowing out beyond our reach through the non-Naga workforce. If we want to ensure a better future for our children, efforts should be made to ensure that this money that flows into our land remains within our land. To ensure equitable distribution of resources amongst the Naga populace, efforts should also be made to minimize the Mathew Effect and ensure the resources are not just concentrated in the hands of the few rich and powerful.
There may be already laws which prohibit outsiders from buying our lands and immovable assets. Lands are permanent and they are our identity and our greatest assets. But if we continue with our habit of buying all the damned things we will continue moving towards a future where foreign elements and cultures will overwhelm us in such a way that we will become like refugees and minorities in our own land.
It is said that money makes the world go round and ever since Nagaland became a full-fledged state in the early 1960s, India has not disappointed the Nagas as far as pouring Indian currency into our land is concerned. But as we go about our lives under the Indian flag pursuing this Indian currency, it is pertinent for us to realize that there are already many forces at play in our land which are ultimately going to annihilate us unless we refrain from buying all the damned things whether these be material things, ideas, habits, cultures, lifestyles or attitudes.
