Dr Asangba Tzüdir
The mind, in consideration of the intellect, allows humans beings to observe the world and the things happening around us. Besides creating awareness it enables a deeper reflection in cognizing a better understanding of the underlying meaning of life. It is capacitated to store, process, release, discover, envisage possibilities etc. Yet, within this mind’s endowment, when confronted by the need to think, we rather resign to the difficulty of thinking leaving it out as a difficult activity. This can happen because the mind finds itself comfortably nestled in one’s own comfort zone and with it loses our sense of identity and thereby our sense of belongingness.
Consider the current Naga political issue and issues related to representation; the present opposition-less government marred by ‘democratic tragedy’; then, the present level of corruption of all forms has seen the heights. The tragedy is that all these issues have curtailed free thinking which is integral to voicing out the truth about the many issues and concerns confronting Naga Society today. In a situation where there is lack of democratic space, the mind finds itself reduced to mere ‘anthropological machines.’ It has made a direct intrusion into progressive thinking thereby limiting the mind’s potential. Nagas in the 1950’s dreamt of a free land and the masses with a ‘patriotic’ fervour responded to the cause. Today, far from realising, we have not been able to understand or envisage clearly our dreams and aspirations. We now have an opposition-less government, and the way it controls the people is indeed a dangerous precedent which is going to have serious implications on the democratic fabric and well-being of our society.
The ongoing ‘Naga crisis’ is because free thinking and free expression in thought and in action has been curtailed and thereby often we find ourselves as helpless witness to our existential realities. This calls for invoking our minds towards an urgent resurgence of our consciousness towards the process of creating a just society. Time is ripe not just to have a free mind but also to act on the pressing issues intelligently and wisely. If not, Nagas will only regret having so many ‘missed opportunities.’
How long can we stay neutrally silent to issues that lie at the core of our everyday life and living? Like Descartes asserted thinking as the essence of one’s existence, we too need a Cartesian rediscovery of our rational and moral selves and awaken our consciousness in creating a process of change, a change towards a just society. Nagas today seem to be traversing an illusory trajectory of life wherein we seem to simply ignore our duties, rights and responsibilities. The urgency is felt to sincerely address the predicament that makes each one of us a rationally thinking human. Towards the end of collective good, the ‘Naga mind’ trapped in one’s own comfort zone needs to be set free.
(Dr. Asangba Tzüdir is Editor of Heritage Publishing House. He contributes a weekly guest editorial to the Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
