In times of conflict and political strife, Truth is conveniently stepped-over and becomes the first casualty, causing despair. It does not however mean that the Truth has just simply vanished into thin air. It merely implies that Truth is prevented from being the guiding principle in public discourse; and yet it remains to be present in society’s sub-conscious. Public discourse is distorted by disjointed narratives which are part-truth and part-lies and while it temporarily assumes the role of the perceived truth, it has its own realities which cause further havoc and despair. Subsequently, Truth is isolated to the margins and is prevented from being a decisive force for the restoration of dignity.
A society’s unwitting and ironic role as a co-conspirator to turn its back on the Truth weakens its foundations and over time loses its sense of direction and causes a diversion away from its natural course of history. The center of its existence is temporarily blinded by the glare of its contradiction and unleashes a vicious cycle of self-hate, guilt and violence, which takes an insular and inward direction of self-destruction. This cycle continues till the Truth is liberated from the bondage of deceit and marginalization.
Perhaps it is in the context of such realities that people of great faith have reasoned that in a time of deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. It is such people who have with utmost courage and faith, reasoned with the conditions of their being to stand in defiance against the status quo of untruth. Undeterred by threat they willfully embrace the inconvenient but liberating Truth. Such times in history have been the defining moments of a people’s existence to possibly live with dignity and compassion.
Nagas are at a time when the continuous whitewashing and denial of the Truth is inflicting self-destruction and it has come to pass a situation where any further whitewashing will lead to a path of no return. In spite of the appalling current affairs and conditions, perhaps Nagas have before them the finest hour to unlock the keys of self-destruction and to set free the Truth. Such an unfolding of the Truth and transformation from despair to hope demands each Naga to be decisive and resolute while engaging with the present conditions, in order to create a just future. This decisiveness needs to lead to an imagination which inspires one’s head and heart away from the sterile remembrance of the past and creating a future. In the final analysis Nagas have no choice but to embrace the difficult but liberating Truth, after all it is the Truth that will have the final word in reality!
