Since every nation has hopes and dreams, this makes the task of contemplating and reasoning together essential for building and realizing a future that epitomizes the people’s collective aspirations. A nation that fails to dialogue with itself risks the danger of moving further away from its anticipated dream. The Naga people today find themselves in such a quandary.
The absence of genuine democratic space to critically engage in dialogue processes in solidarity and without being usurped by the “isms” has reduced the Naga people’s capacity to think together and address the many challenges confronting the modern Naga. Subsequently, the status quo is strengthened and presented as a pacifier in times of uncertainty.
Faced with this overwhelmingly predicament, every Naga needs to search deep within themselves to recover their inner strength and restore self-confidence as makers of culture. By doing so it suggests a shift from the present position and implies a deliberate movement towards a common purpose and vision. This is critical for our understanding, because it radiates the spirit of dynamism. It requires self-criticism and openness in building a consensus through dialogue and understanding. Eventually it can lead to a paradigm shift in one’s thinking, attitude, behavior and way of life. They are all interconnected, part of a praxis of reflection and action, one informing and being a catalyst for the other. These steps are central in order for personal and collective transformation to take place.
The process of soul searching is important to a meaningful dialogue process, both within the society, as well as with other societies. Facing history constructively is an important part of how the Naga future unfolds. Indeed, the future depends on how one approaches history. It is very difficult to build a future on a divided and contentious past, where there are polarized and multiple narratives and interpretations of the same event. The challenge for Nagas is to disengage from the traditional concept of time (past-present-future) and reframe time in a relevant and contextual manner. The alternative (future-past-present) is to first build understanding and a consensus over a shared future in which everyone acknowledges that every Naga is needed to build a shared future. Eventually addressing the painful past through forgiveness can take place so that practical and concrete steps for reconstruction can take place in the present.
For too long, Nagas have been in a vicious cycle of self-blame and blaming others. Rather than blaming each other, let us shoulder the responsibility to overcome the deepening crisis. From this moment forth let’s work on fixing the problem and not fixing the blame.
