Some of those who voted YES had this to say:
• Yes, young nagas are definitely sure of who they are, their responsibilities, what they can do and are taking positively, purposeful steps in the direction of a better future.
• Yes, our land is controlled by retired bureaucrats turned politicians. Time is ripe for them to gracefully make way for the youth who are spiritually and educationally more enlightened.
• Two decades ago, the youth say a hopeless future, many wasted and lost their lives to drugs/alcohol. Now there’s a clear positive change in attitude towards life and society.
• Yes, tact and diplomacy is useful only if it brings positive results which is not happening here. The youths are ready to take the future into their own hands and show glowing results.
• Young Nagas are bright, energetic, straight forward and possess a unique sense of humour. It is the political indecision that is making the vision murky. India is to be blamed.
• Yes, most youth of today are well informed and better equipped to deal with anything in the global arena. There may be some youth leaders who are selfish and corrupt but decay can be weeded out.
• Yes, very few young Nagas do have a clear sense of direction and purpose for the future. BUT many young Nagas do not have that and to some they never think of plan for their future. I should say majority of the young Nagas do not have vision and dedication. If they are dedicated and committed to what they aim they are capable. God bless young Nagas to have a clear vision, goal and achieve it for a better tomorrow.
Some of those who voted NO had this to say:
• Young Nagas are must more educated, well aware, intelligent and in tune with the world. But they seem out of touch with their reality. They don’t seem to take pride in being Nagas. So what if at this present situation what we have is all negative energy among the Nagas? Does it mean that this will continue for the rest of our lives. Whose responsibility is it to work to make our world a better place. The main responsibility lies with the younger generation. But alas, our young Nagas seem confused and lost and even to the point of hating themselves. They, I am sorry to say have no clear sense of direction and purpose for the future. We are doomed if this trend continues.
• I don't think so. Everyone is so engrossed in our own world.
• To say yes will be cheating myself so, NO.
• No. we are confused. i am confused!
• We do not have collective "value system" which is a prerequisite for a clear sense of direction for the future. Our socialization process has gone wrong! Family teaches us "tribe-centric" values, School education derailed us further from "naga history and value system". We need to revisit "naga homes and our education system". Then only our young nagas will have a clear sense of direction for future.
• Parents are failing in the home front.
• Until this "WAR for Nation"(sic)come to a Halt. Never Ever.
• No, not at all…young nagas are more confused than the older ones. Without any sense of direction, young nagas are flying all around. Adding to their misery, there is no proper landing place for them in their own home (Nagaland). Most of them are crush landing away from their homeland…pity.. our future is really dark. Like God’s most beloved Israelites, the naga brothers will be scattered all over and be lost in another coming few generations. Those left in Nagaland would be forced to flee from their own homes. Ages and ages after, nagas will also start searching for their own brothers and will take even longer than the Israelites to find themselves. Surely like the Israelites, we are disobedient and very arrogant and stubborn people and this is what I see about our future. Unless we erase the world ‘HOI LE BE’ from our attitude we are surely perished. Sorry, Harsh but true.
• Absolutely not! They are a confused lot. It’s a pity.
• Just reading and browsing the various naga blogging on facebook and other sites on the internet, I feel discouraged and sad. Most of those participating are well read and are decent naga men and women just wanting a better life for themselves. In spite of them wanting to do good, they however lack the depth required to really work with vision and purpose.
• They think they know their purpose and the direction they wish to follow, but it is hard to believe them because they are questioning even their own history and do not know where they have come from. They need to know that the naga history is not learned through the books they have read in school, but they need to go out and meet the people. It’s a great disappointment.
Some of those who voted OTHERS had this to say:
• The world is now quite different. One's survival is hard to be predicted whether one is poor rich. We talk of resources, climate etc. But things are not going to be changed. Vision and commitment are lost in the life of young Nagas. With no vision we try to standardize and live but how long. Life is a cycle. The world will turn worse and. May be after that there may come a change, a change only many have been gone.
• Some, very few have it of course.
• A clear sense of direction and purpose seems like an impossible feat in a culture deeply saturated in chaos and confusion. However, chaos and confusion and often the conditions from which true sense of purpose and direction arise. There is coming a time when we Nagas will see true, God-fearing, purpose driven leaders who will bring spiritual, physical and social changes.
• I am not sure, but lets give them a chance. As 90% of Nagaland constitutes the budding youths, I think I begin to understand a bit of the European world implanted in them which is familiar in custom and culture. Left to themselves I hope that our young and smart untapped visionary minds build, cultivate, bridge, dam, canalise, invent, teach, manufacture, think, write, lock themselves in struggle with the eternal challenges that man has chosen to confront, and with an intensity not know elsewhere on the glove. If the young united states were able and proficient at work from scratch, there is no reason why we cant be proficient.
• Today’s present set of naga men and women are must more articulate, intelligent and have a broader grasp of the world. But they have however not inherited the good values of the Nagas of our grandfather’s generation where they were honest, sincere, hardworking and most importantly they were men of vision. So what good is all the education and knowledge without values… it sums up to nothing. All the knowledge, education and high-fi will not get the nagas anywhere if we lack direction and purpose with our lives. Book knowledge and speaking good English is not enough. We must know where we have come from and where we want to go.
• The upcoming generation of Nagas can do much more and have the capacity to do it. They just need to be humble and should learn from the mistakes of older Naga generations. They should not get into the trap of tribalism. Since the beginning Nagas have been a coalition of tribes. Without the tribes, the meaning of Naga is nothing. So instead of sowing hate and distrust, they should help in restoring confidence among the Naga tribes.
