Once Chanakya and chandra Gupta Mourya were taking a round around their kingdom. Chanakya stepped on a thorn.. He immediately removed it from his foot and threw it aside. Then, plucked the thorn plant out and threw it aside. They both continued their path...
The next day both of them were back on the same path. But this time Chanakya got a pot of milk with honey mixed in it. He reached the same spot where the thorn plant existed. He emptied his pot of milk in that exact spot. Chandra Gupta was very surprised. He asked "Chanakyaji, may I know the reason behind pouring that pot of milk in that place?"
Chanakya said -'Chandra Gupta, you remember yesterday there was a thorn plant over there and I had plucked it out. Thorn is a problem... When I removed the plant I had addressed the problem to some extent. But, there is more chance for the plant to grow back in that same place in a weeks time and again harm any other people who pass by this way. When I pour the milk mixed with honey, the root remains of the plant would observe the milk. And this would attract ants and insects and they would finish off the remaining root parts completely. A leader has to operate not just in the effect level but he has to also operate in the cause level. He has to go to analyze the root cause of any problem and try to eradicate the cause and not just the effect."
Most of the social problems ultimately drill down to education as the cause.. abandoned children, abandoned elders, female infanticides, etc. are basically because of lack of 'right' education. And by education I do not mean the education system that is prevalent widely right now in our country. By education I mean the right knowledge, skill and attitude imparted to an individual to help him lead a peaceful life. An education that not just raises the standard of living but also the standar of life of people.
By setting up orphonages, old age homes, etc we are majorly addressing the effect... And if we ignore to address the cause, i.e. 'right education' ... well... any logical mind can guess what would happen..
Please do not mistake me.. We definitely need people to operate in the effect level. I am not criticizing that.. but over here I would request people to also give more importance to address the issues in the cause level.. Put your efforts to clean up the mess in education.. Voice out your concerns.. participate in building better educational instituitions..
Even a child knows what has to be better in school or what has to be changed in education.. But unless parents wake up to the 'right' education required, the system will not change...
Anybody can pick a paper lying down and throw it in the dustbin.. But it needs a lot of effort to go and educate thousands to throw the waste in the dustbin...!
Educating takes time.. but it is long term..
Let's not just be missionaries.. But let's also be visionaries...
