Neichü Mayer
Nagaland/Israel
A commitment to be different – what does that mean for me on a day-to-day basis?
I am a content, grateful mother and a wife committed to making our home a place for happy gatherings, a space for honest conversations and deep listening; and an opportunity to encounter with ‘the other’. My husband is Jewish and so we keep Jewish practices like Shabbat dinners on Friday nights and host Jewish high holidays such as Passover, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukah, Purim and Shavuot in our home. What an opportunity!
We have been living in Kathmandu for over two years. Kathmandu International Christian Congregation is our home church and we enjoy being part of the leadership team. Often, we organize events in our home with the Sunday school as well as the larger church family, which gives us great opportunity and pleasure to mingle with people from all parts of the world. Our 3 year old son is fortunate to be growing up in the midst of people of all colors and cultures. What a blessing!
We are here in Kathmandu on a diplomatic mission. Our primary focus is on building Israel – Nepal relations, and reaching out to Israelis traveling or working in Nepal. And there are always some exciting events or critical issues to be working on. What a privilege!
I have a part time career too. I work with the United Nations in Nepal in the field of HIV/AIDS. I am responsible for promoting civil society engagement and building partnership between Government and NGOs in HIV prevention and treatment. Nepal is landlocked with limited resources but gifted with a vibrant civil society. Constant migration of its population, unprecedented threats of natural disasters coupled with unstable government (they recently sworn-in the 25th Prime Minister in 26 years), makes this country extremely vulnerable. What a challenge!
I am committed to making a difference in the world. I want to have a part in solutions to problems, even if it’s a tiny little drop in a mighty ocean. I want to be part of the change the world needs. I strive to be the change I want to see around me and in the world. What does that mean on a day-to-day basis? As a housewife, simple choices such as shop-local, ensure minimal waste, make re-use and recycle a way of life, grow what you can and share with those who have less than you, are small but important steps to begin with.
Just today a friend said to me, ‘if we want to make a difference in Nepal, we should be working on building an army of strong women leaders who will stand up and speak out about violence against women in communities’. Other times I hear people say, ‘if we want to make a difference, we should invest our energy and resources on education’, while some others say, ‘we should be fighting against corruption and greed - roots of all evil’. True. I agree. However, if I am not engaged in the war against gender violence, or towards free and accessible education for all children, or building good governance, can I still be making a difference? I firmly believe I can.
So how do I go about my daily life and still make a difference in the world? Making a difference is not about making choices of the causes you want to lead. It is not even about all the wonderful works you do, or the numbers of organizations you founded and the committees you served in.
A commitment to be different and to make a difference with your life stems from the realization that life is indeed too short, time is ticking away, and opportunities in life do not wait forever. A commitment to making a difference begins with the recognition that you can be different, that your life is unique and your calling is personal. That life is a journey and each day is a gift. That people and opportunities God brings into your life is for a purpose, a greater purpose, not just an encounter by chance.
I try to live out my commitment to make a difference by valuing life, promoting health, protecting the weak, and most importantly living out my faith. I don’t do anything in perfection. I stumble, I fear, I doubt, I fall, I regret, I repent – all these I go through on a daily basis. The causes I believe in are many. The issues I am involved in are quite a few. The events I am invited to are endless. My needs and wants are limitless. My lists of things-to-do are numerous. I can easily get drowned in my busy-ness, attending to all these necessities of life andfind many good reasons to think life is too full at the moment.
The wise will say, ‘it’s not what you do, it’s how you do, and who you touched that matters’. True. I agree. The moral imagination here in this dilemma is striking the chord between what matters to me, and what matters to those I touch or influence with my choices and actions. I am painfully learning that I cannot give what I do not have.
Far too often I am impatient, I am demanding, I get irritable, I get angry, I feel lonely, I feel sad, I act selfish, I feel useless, I feel disheartened and I lack enthusiasm. Under these circumstances there are so little moments where I can make a difference.
Thankfully, I have come to realize that I can only emulate God’s love when I embrace His unconditional love and forgiveness in my own life. ‘I am because He is’. And that takes us towards the collective ‘I am because we are’. The difference we make is not the unique, or the amazing, or the outrageous activities we lead, it is not even about our talents or our abilities. It is about our way of life. Our attitudes. Our belief. Our faith. Our hope. It is all about our commitment and the courage we take to make the difference, one day at a time.
