by Brahmachari Shubamrita Chaitanya

Aum Amriteswaryai Namah

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We are living in a time when there are glaring problems in the present which can assume gigantic proportions as time passes. The lists of challenges in front of us are many; Global warming; Food crisis; Water crisis; Unemployment; Poverty and Starvation; Rise in Terrorism and violence; Erosion of values in society but to name a few contained in the big list. We can hear many people showing concern and initiating discussion about these challenges. The discussions that get translated into action are few and far between. Why? Because other thoughts often find their way into our minds to try and dissuade us. For example:
“What can ‘I’ – a mere individual – do to bring about a change in the situation? My efforts are so limited. It has to be taken up by society or the Government”. Yes this is true in a way, but both society and the Government cannot be described as a person, but an entity that comprises of us individuals. We are not separate from these entities and thus have a responsibility towards them. Many have a narrow vision towards life and think:
“Let me make my own life secure and stable. Why should I be concerned about the world?” Amma gives a beautiful example of such people; it is like a person staying in the 10th floor of a building looking at the fire in the ground floor and saying:
“Why should I be worried about it? I am in the 10th floor. Let them handle it”. We are all interdependent beings and if we do not address the situation, it will soon affect us as well. The Youth have to be Problem Solvers and not Problems to be solved.

Let us look into some of the aspects of how we can shape our Future for the Good. I will call it the ABCDE of this process.

a. Act in the Present: Having dreams about the Future alone is not enough, if it is not accompanied with the actions in the past. There is a beautiful definition of dreams by the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam:
“Dreams are not things that we see in sleep. Dreams are things that do not allow us to remain sleeping”.
Amma always says:
“What we call as fate is based on the past actions, therefore actions in the present can change quite a lot of the future”. Our past experiences should never hinder action in the present; the wisdom of the past experiences should help us to put the right kind of effort into the future and not stop us from acting altogether.

b. Believe in Yourself: We need to have the belief or the confidence that we can in fact make a change if we sincerely try. Amma says:
“If the power of intention behind an action is good and selfless, it surely makes an impact on others and will spread as a ripple effect”.
I will give you one example:
In 1998, when he was 6 years old, Ryan Hrejelc learned from his teacher that children in Africa often must walk miles each day to find water. Some even die from drinking bad water, his teacher said. So Ryan decided to act. He did chores for his parents, Susan and Mark, and for neighbors. He spoke to schools, churches, and clubs about his goal. The word spread, and donations began coming in. After several months of hard work, Ryan had raised $2,000 – enough to dig one well.
An organization, called Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR), chose a location for the well in the village of Agweo in Uganda (in central eastern Africa). Ryan began writing to a pen pal there, Jimmy – who was 9 and whose parents had disappeared in a civil war.
In 2000, CPAR arranged for Ryan to visit Uganda for the opening ceremony of the well. Ryan and Jimmy met then and formed a close friendship that took a dramatic turn in 2003. Jimmy’s life was in danger from the war, so Ryan’s parents obtained permission for him to come to Canada and join their family. That has been his home ever since.
After the first well, “the ripple effect took over”, Ryan says, “and one goal led to another”.
With adult help, he founded Ryan’s Well Foundation, four years ago, to educate people about the vital importance of water. Now the foundation has raised more than $1.5 million and built 255 wells that serve more than 427,000 people in 12 countries. Look how much a child could achieve! We need to believe in ourelves.

c. Change yourselves before you expect others to change:
Trying to change the world is like trying to make the twisted tail of a dog straight; the moment you leave the tail, it is twisted again. We need to be the change that we want to see in the world; this will inspire others to also follow. Otherwise, nobody is going to listen to us, our words will just be empty bullets. They will make a lot of sound, but will have no effect. When our words come from our own experience, it can immediately create a change in others.

d. Do not give up:
We need to keep our effort steady to reach the goal that we have set for ourselves; perseverance is very important. Take the example of a postage stamp; It sticks on to one thing until it reaches it’s goal. We have all entered the race, we need to complete it; may be that is why we call it the human race. I remember a beautiful incident:
In the 1968 Olympics, John Stephen Akhwari was taking part in the Marathon race. During the running, Akhwari had a fall and injured his leg. Out of the cold darkness he came. John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania entered at the far end of the stadium, pain hobbling his every step, his leg bloody and bandaged. The winner of the marathon had been declared over an hour earlier, only a few spectators remained, but the lone runner pressed on. As he crossed the finish line, the small crowd roared out its appreciation. Afterwards, a reporter asked the runner why he had not retired from the race, since he had ‘no chance of winning’. He seemed confused by the question. Finally, he answered: “My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish.”

e. Embrace Forgiveness
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
Fighting evil with evil will not help anyone; forgiving and letting go of the past will do you and the people in the world a great service. Spending your time in negative memory will not help you, after you have learned the lessons you can learn from that experience. You will probably just cause yourself more suffering and paralyze yourself from taking action in this present moment.
If you don’t forgive then you let the past and another person to control how you feel. By forgiving, you release yourself from those bonds.

So don’t forget the ABCDE….
Let me end with a beautiful quote:
“Don’t spend your precious time asking ‘Why isn’t the world a better place?’
It will only be time wasted.
The question to ask is ‘How can I make it better?’
To that there is an answer.”