The Mission and the Path

The Mission and the Path........................Shrikant Soman

This is a personal diary. Here I am noting down my thought and experiences. It is a talk to myself. It is ‘thinking out aloud’. This is not a debate or discussion. It may help some to discover that they can ‘relate’ to this experience. I have myself immensely benefited by reading the autobiography of the great strugglers.

My objective in being in this field of Social Activism is not limited to ‘doing something’ to ‘improve our governing system’. This is only a ‘base level’ activity. My main objective to initiate a ‘root level’ changes in our society so that ideally every member of the society becomes

• Aware Citizen, ready to contribute his bit in the social change,
• is fearless,
• ready to get out of his ‘comfort zone’ for joining a social movement,
• takes a balanced and not biased approach towards resolving the issues of good governance

I personally feel that the issue is NOT so much as to which political system we should have but of ‘taking responsibility’ for the society in which we live in. The problem is not so much of our corrupt and inefficient politicians, bureaucrats and police but more of inactive citizens.

This task is a tall order. It is a Himalayan task. But I am not daunted. I do not look at the peak and get scared. I am just building ‘brick by brick’ taking me to whatever height it will take. I am succeeding in my endeavour – though in much a slower speed than I would like it to happen and with considerable bitter experiences.

If I limit myself to doing something just to change our governing system, it will be a ‘personal’ based effort. It will be wiped out after I have gone. I may become a ‘hero’ if I succeed with flying colours. However, my personal mission will remain unfulfilled. I feel that the tragedy of Mahatma Gandhi is that we are not able to carry on his work. We have not really UNDERSTOOD his mission at all. It is NOT just the ‘principle of Non Violence’ for which he is usually recognized. We are told that he drove out British without any weapon. I feel we miss the point here. I would like Mahatma to be known for his fearless and clever ‘taking on’ the British Empire showing the world that being a great warrior is not in the skill in handling the weapons but in being fearless adventurer daring to take the path less travelled, even single handedly, to start with.

I also feel that to wait for a divine incarnation to save the humanity from this present state is ‘selfish’ on our part – it is a subconscious shrugging off our responsibility on the shoulder of this divine incarnation to bring in the ‘golden age’ on Earth.

I also do not accept the argument put forward by most people that

• What a single person can do ?
• Nothing will change these corrupt politicians.
• I want to do something but do not know what and how
• I have a desire to do something but at present I am terribly tied down to my daily chorus and duties and obligations.
• I am too weak / poor / old / young to do anything
• I do not understand as to who is right and therefore can not decide what to do

I have entered into this field with some vision to get myself ‘engaged’ in some ‘real’ and ‘satisfying’ manner. It is a part of my yoga ‘Sri Anand Yoga’. More about it later.

I am having very much bitter experiences along the way. I have to get involved in a grass root level. There is lot of petty squabbles, politics, manipulations, falsehood, jealousy in this field. There is certainly a lot of good work also going on. I am getting ‘dirty’ in working in this mud. But I have no way to go. If I fight it out, I have scoop down to their level. I have to lower myself. This I will not do. If I flight .. just get out of this, then no substantial and structural work will be done. Either way, it is a ‘NO WIN’ situation.

But there is a way out. Keep the conscience clean. Do what I feel is right. Apply tact without getting into manipulative politics. Keep trying. Hunt for good people. Network with them. Get the BEST of me into the work I am doing…irrespective of the question of getting appreciated or recognized. Keep myself OPEN for DIVINE GUIDANCE. Pray. Have helpful attitude. Be straightforward. Do not bargain for the SURVIVAL by sacrificing the core values. Keep out of politics even at the cost of getting ‘out of the social circuit’. And the most precious of it all… HAVE PATIENCE. Things will happen as per the GRAND PLAN, and not as per my plan with limited vision.