Manna Zhimo,
Asst. Professor, Dept. of Commerce & Management
To the hill people from time immemorial Manipur was known as “Meiteileipak” or “Kangleipak” - land of the Meiteis/Tammis/Manipuris. It may be noted that the Manipur valley which is one of the three valleys of the sensitive North-East India situated between the Naga Hills and the Chin Hills of Myanmar with an altitude of about 3000 feet accommodates about two-thirds of the state’s population according to 2011 decadal census.
The Manipur Hills, on the other hand, nestle numerous historical communities belonging to either Naga or Kuki groups who claim to have inherited their present land from their ancestors. The Meiteis called these hills as “Chinglam”or ‘tribal’ lands - land of the hill people and their inhabitants are known to them as “Chingmis” that is the people of the hills.
Endorsing the views of some colonial writers like W. McCulloch, T.C. Hodson and G.A. Grierson that the Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis are predominantly Mongoloid who speak Tibeto-Burman languages, noted indigenous/Manipuri historians advanced the theory that the people of valleys and hills of Manipur are one. “Ching-Tam Amatani” is their main slogan. It means that Manipur consists of valley and hills and these two parts of the State have never been separated. This is the claim of the Meiteis rejected by the Nagas and Kukis who put forward their respective claims over land and territory which contradict the Meitei claim. According to them, the Nagas, Meiteis and Kukis are ethnically and politically different and hence they have issues between them.
Everyday has enough problems of its own. There is no one in this world who can say that they haven’t gone through failure or disappointment. Life has so much to offer. Even though we face defeat, sorrows or hurdles, we cannot deny the fact that there are moments of joy, laughter, comfort and success. Life has never been partial or shown favouritism to anyone based on our status, caste, creed or gender. Each individual have their own share of load to carry each day.
However, we fail to acknowledge what we have in our hand and drain all our time worrying about how things will go tomorrow. No great things has ever been or can be accomplished if one keeps on stressing about tomorrow’s problem when we should actually be striving hard to solve today’s. One should be wise enough to know that he only has his present in control, for past is gone and tomorrow is yet to come.
When we do not know what tomorrow holds, why not spend our present wisely with ease, trying to seize the moment. There is no doubt that we need to think of our future and stay aware and prepared for it. But at the same time this should not lead us in draining our energy and thoughts. We all know the fact that nothing comes for free and therefore, in the fear of sustaining one’s life and also to achieve success, we tend to forget to be grateful for the day that we have and also for the people that we have around us. The concern is, in trying to gather too much for tomorrow, we might fail to live our today. As the saying goes, ‘worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy- Leo F. Buscaglia’.
Our tomorrow is how we shape our today. We should not limit our abilities of doing what we can now for we know a man is unstoppable once he makes up his mind to conquer or achieve something. As quoted by Saint John Paul II the great,’ the future starts today, not tomorrow’. Each day has a task of its own to be performed. And it must be successfully completed without worrying about the future outcome. Worry of unknown kills the spirit of passion, creativity and struggle and therefore when the fear of unknown tomorrow conquers our mind it throws it into dark abyss from the clutches of which is difficult to release.
Have you ever wondered how our ancestor lived their life? They were simple minded. All they thought about was how to gather food for a day, find safety and survive. They had enough time to focus at the moment. They gather around the fire as the sun set, spending quality time with their loved ones; singing, dancing and sharing folk tales. This made me question myself, ‘while worrying for tomorrow, have we been missing out on something important today?’ As Winston Churchill said, “when I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the wise old man who said this on his death bed that he had had a lot of troubles in his life, but most of which had never happened”. We are worried about something that hasn’t happen yet. The irony is we don’t even know if we will be alive to witness that. So why not live in the moment and make the best use of all the opportunities that’s at our disposal.
With everything been said, this doesn’t mean that we should be clueless about tomorrow because that would only be stupidity. But in everything, if we place God first in anything that we do, by trusting his ways and by being obedient, we can have a bright and promising tomorrow.
As in Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” we are in God’s good hand. Our future is uncertain. We don't know what is going to happen tomorrow; but leave it to God and let Him paint and lead your life as he pleases. God has promised to give us anything that we ask for, therefore we must have faith that it will be done. Therefore, do not be anxious for the future, how you shall live, or who will be with you. As we must not boast of tomorrow, so we must not care for tomorrow's problems as well. There is nothing that he cannot do for you and for me.
It does not mean that you do not need to set a goal, because everyone has one. But it states that we need to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all those things will be given to you. We just need to complete our daily task in fulfilling our life’s purposes. Too much worrying in a day will not help you in accomplishing your task or reduce your problems but that will only increase your struggle which will ultimately hinder today’s performance. So as the saying goes there is a time for everything, we should leave tomorrow’s problem for tomorrow for it will bring its own each day.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thoughtwill delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Tatongkala Pongen, Aniruddha, Meren and Kvulo Lorin. For feedback or comments please email: dot@tetsocollege.org.
