Change begins with individuals

Letters

IT is fascinating and poignant to watch how our country, faced with frequent issues and problems, is trying to resolve them in this challenging times.
The blame is passed from citizens to leaders and opposition to government, pointing figures to identify who is the cause of all problems or evils and who is the answer to the problems.
Let me revive our doubtful minds with a few imminent social inspirations in which we can improve our spiritual, economic, social and political aspects of life for better living standard.
Change in a country begins with one person.
Each country reflects the inner peace or turmoil of its mass population and so as one person changes, they affect the rest of the population.
One person has the power to bring massive change to their country through immense love and peace within themselves.
But you cannot bring about peace and well-being in your country unless you have conquered them in your own life.
Do you see? You cannot give what you do not have.
Each person’s job is to bring utter harmony into their own life, and then they will become the greatest human gift for their country and the world.
The second noble truth is that the root of all suffering is attachment.
To avoid suffering, we need to understand what causes suffering and then weeding out these causes from our lives.
According to Buddha, the basic cause of suffering is “the attachment to the desire to have (craving) and the desire not to have (aversion).
All of us have desires and cravings. Since we cannot satisfy all our desires and cravings, we get disturbed and angry, which is but another manifestation of suffering.
The same holds good for people who are over ambitious and seek too much.
As they achieve what they desire, they get lustful and want more of it. And so the vicious circle continues.
The other problem, which is very pertinent, is that denying desire (or depriving oneself) is like denying life itself.
A person has to rise above attachments and for that, he need not deprive himself.
The problem arises when he does not know where to put an end to his desires.
And when he yields in to his desires, he becomes a slave to them.
If we really want our country to change, we as individuals have to change our mindset (attitude) first.
An individual makes a family unit, family makes a community and communities make a country.
So when an individual makes his/her business to change the mindset in their daily conduct, the country will eventually change.
You cannot go around the world unless you take a first step.
This young beautiful nation cannot change unless every individual citizen changes.
The root of all suffering is attachment. To avoid suffering, we need to understand what causes suffering and then weeding out these causes from our lives.
Change starts within us individual.

Eric Mumson Piuk,
Gerehu 24, Pom