Attaining critical public solidarity is the need of the hour in order for Nagas to emerge intact as a people and transcend the present conditions of injustice, distrust, suspicion, anger and disunity. All Nagas - young and old, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, Naga civil society, Naga public and Naga political groups - need to recognize that their survival is dependent on the survival of the Naga people as a whole. In order for the deepening state of Naga affairs to be arrested, it is essential that every Naga rises above their own individual self-interest and work towards the collective wellbeing of Nagahood. It is only when the collective is secure that the individuals feel secure and in their rightful place. Critical solidarity is the power that comes through recognizing and mutually respecting everyone’s dignity and understanding that they are united in opposition to the injustices they face by embracing the richness of humanity. It involves creating a common vision, particularly in situations where consent is withdrawn to existing established institutions, and people’s participation is restricted from all power structures of domination. Such critical solidarity can lead to empowering peoples and providing a guiding vision that actively involves humans and structures.
Critical solidarity requires dynamic leaders that constructively and respectfully engage with people, while instilling the desire to liberate human reason from the dominant status quo. Through the interactive nature of building critical solidarity a consensus on a shared future evolves. This evolution simultaneously begins to rewrite history in which the people are defined as makers of history and not as objects. The interplay between leaders and the people is often complicated and complex as many factors, internal and external, affect their interaction. Currently, it seems that consumerism fed by materialism has created societies in which truth, integrity and respect no longer matter as the desire and greed, for having more has displaced life-giving values.
In the present Naga conditions emotional reactivity based on people’s feelings of fear, distrust and doubt is creating a climate that is unstable, volatile and could easily escalate into violent conflict. At times people respond by willingly sacrificing truth, integrity and respect thereby fueling the cycle of reactivity. There are also many examples of how a leader responds in the Naga context; some leaders’ responses to these negative emotions have only resulted in stagnation. Another example is of a leader that moves too quickly may seem dismissive of people’s feelings and runs the risk of being misunderstood. The complexity is compounded when, in times of crisis and upheavals, a leader who focuses on the peoples’ feelings may attain temporary popularity, while a leader who gets too far ahead of the people may become irrelevant.
All leaders need to have a sensitivity and intuitiveness, in addition to effectively building bridges between the emotional reactivity, doubts and distrust to a shared vision in which genuine relationships form, common understandings are reached and truth is apparent.
Leaders are responsible to stimulate and catalyze people’s critical consciousness. This creates an energy and dynamism that will build momentum so that people at the grassroots, and all levels can locate themselves within movements to reclaim their humanity. History, to these leaders is of the essence and their distinct singularity stems from their ability to discern challenges that are not yet apparent to their contemporaries. Are Naga leaders willing to assume the roles and responsibilities of our time and our history that they are being called to fulfill?
