We should walk the talk in whatever we do
Mahatma Gandhi was an outstanding leader, who demonstrated to the world, the true value of wonderful leadership -- practice what you preach. He inspired others like Nehru, Sardar Patel, Kamaraj, Rajaji, and several others who were selfless, very honest and ensured that the country prospered through their well thought out and planned actions, that always had the country's interest as the central focus of such actions.
Cut to today's times. The crisis of leadership in India, is mainly because such leadership by example, is not only not available, but also because there has been a total decline in values.
Go for available choices but never compromise
What should we do, if our train tickets are not confirmed , say, when we travel between Chennai and Coimbatore? Chase the Travel Ticket Examiner(TTE), and offer him a bribe, so that he does an out-of-turn favor? This is exactly what most of us do, or are tempted to do.
Yet I know of several hundreds of fathers and mothers who would rather cancel their tickets, take the private or Government buses, and travel the distance of around five hundred kilometers. Their children would also know that there are choices, and we should opt for such alternatives, rather than compromise.
By following the latter option, we are also minimizing the chances of corruption, as the TTE would have fewer people chasing him -- I mean the corrupt people, who do not care about compromises.
Similarly, if our water supply pipes are not working, and we have irregular supply of drinking water, and if we complain to the municipality guy, he would come home, take a heavy bribe and even teach us a dirty trick or two, as to how to divert the supply of water to our house, though some "adjustments" he would do, in return for the bribe.
Instead, if the problem is common for at least ten other neighbors (this is very often the case), gather all the men and women, and others too, and sit on a road block. This will force the authorities that be, to come rushing, as there would be hundred cars and buses on either side, held up, by our social action.
Yet, thousands of people in Tamil Nadu are now realizing that this is the only alternative to corruption. Since a huge number of people are involved, and things get highlighted in the local press, it becomes a big social issue. The local MLA or MP can now longer escape the wrath of the local people. Things do get done, though the traffic jam, during office hours, is indeed a small problem.
Walking the talk has ripple effects
Consider the movement against corruption, started and still maintained by one small political party. Thousands of intellectuals have been attracted to it, as honesty of the leader is still there for all to use. The accountability of the leader is there for all to see. There is transparency as to where the funds come from, and how they get spent. Though this movement is still unfinished, and there is a long way to go, one can hope that the youth, who are behind this movement, will not give up.
Similarly, every small non governmental organization, or individuals like Meda Patkar, for example, who have lead movements against environmental degradation, have been able to get public support, only because of their dedication to their causes.
Even Corporate Business can teach us
Look at two outstanding leaders from business and the values they bring to the table -- Shri Narayana Murthy of Infosys and Shri Azim Premji of WIPRO. These two excellent leaders have highly commendable records of integrity and honesty, in whatever they do.
There are simple too. They travel economy class, when they travel by air, and have given away vast sums of their personal wealth for very good social causes. Every single employee of these two excellent organizations, is always value-driven, and have compassion that far exceeds the normal corporate tribes.
What makes the real difference is that the two leaders have been around for over two decades, and have been able to articulate their views on a number of social topics, only because they are terribly honest in their lives and are always value-driven.
Make our homes come Alive
We ought to realize that our homes are the temples where values are made. Or broken and taken to very undesirable levels. Children, who are less than five years old today, would face the toughest tests of their lives. They are so IT savvy, which is good.
However, the enormous amount of time they spend on computer games and feasting on junk food, diverts them from good values.
It is up to fathers and mothers to take on the challenge and teach the children good values from epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. The most important lessons can be told to them in a very simple language, as stories.
It is a proven fact that gets planted in the minds of children before the age of five, remains for ever. Good values are no exception. It is not merely important to teach them the lessons, but also demonstrate to them something through action.
For example, if the rich families take their children and visit the nearest old age homes, or the orphanages, or blind homes, they will learn compassion. They will learn caring for others. The link between such things and the lessons from the epics can be easily explained.
The children will also share their experiences with others, and this will indeed lead to better results. This will lead to situations where the lessons get discussed all over, and the end results will always be positive.
We, as parents should take the lead and consciously avoid seeing the most horrible television serials that show the worst of values, corruption, murder and what have you, in every single Indian language, Hindi included. If children see such serials, we can be sure that we are twenty years behind in teaching our children better values. If we ourselves do not watch such horrible serials on television, we can lay a good foundation for teaching something far better, by viewing channels like the National Geographic.
Behavior is another vital aspect. If we are cruel to those who are lower than us in the economic pecking order, we are sending the very wrong signals to children. If we need to make a positive impact, we should be compassionate, kind to them, and offer them all assistance.
It does not take more than elementary common sense to do what needs to be done, to set an example. Learning through positive examples, is the best way to teach values, for generations to come.
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