News reports, scientific publications, articles, books, magazines, social media, films and documentaries; we live in an era that has innumerable platforms for information dissemination. We engage with this information through contemplation, conversations, debates, writing articles, or neatly packaging them into statistical data to project to an audience.
- What happens next?
- Is the problem resolved?
- Has it impacted the society at large?
- Are there initiatives being taken?
- Are policies and strategies framed?
These are some steps that take a longer time for its manifestation, and therefore either suffer from delayed action or is often ignored. Thus it is more feasible to start with a question which we have to ask ourselves:
‘Are we aware?'
‘Do I have the knowledge of the current situation and the society that I live in?’
‘Will the ideas that I propose be suitable to the current situation of the community, society, culture and country?'
Today, it is easier to raise our voices through digital platforms about relevant issues like climate change, poverty, education, sustainability, health and so on. But can these words be manifested into actions?
Let us asks ourselves a few questions:
- Am I aware about myself, my home, and my surroundings?
- Do I take a conscious effort to recycle?
- Do I know any recycling centres for electronic devices near me?
- Are there possibilities of saving water and electricity at my home?
- Why do I still see people throw waste on the streets?
- How much food and resources is wasted by me, my family, my friends, society?
- Why do I see children from low income homes not going to schools?
- How has the pandemic affected the people around me?
- Why are we heading to a society with an increased crime rate?
- Am I speaking out of knowledge or ignorance?
- How have I contributed to the society?
Irrespective of the differences in social and geographical demography, we all live in binaries. On one hand we have artificial intelligence, on the other, discrimination. On one hand we have a rover on Mars, on the other we have rampant poverty and unemployment. From armchair intellectuals to the in-field workers, from the learned to the ignorant, from the imagined to the real.
It is human nature to dream; often to dream big. As children we have all had fantastic representations of who we want to be and the world that we want to live in. So, it is but natural to aspire for higher aims as we grow up. It might be easier to be a superhero who wants to save the world but it takes conscious effort and practice to save ourselves. Being aware about ourselves and our own actions bring us no glory or appreciation on the public platform. But, it helps us bring in change in our own ideologies and actions. If each one of us becomes a source of motivation, it is enough in this world where although we hear words from activists and popular personalities, we see no actions manifested.
Let us then embrace hard work and action, let us read and acquire knowledge before we speak, let us understand before we resolve, let us change ourselves, before we change the world.
