Kuolachalie Seyie
The basic trouble with us today is that it is our human nature to want to do as little as possible and to get as much as possible to achieve our personal goals leading to all kinds of corruption and lies. However in the Kingdom of Christ, the standard is that of service to others around us. The greatness consists not in reducing others into one’s service, but in reducing oneself to their service. The test of greatness before Christ is not what service we can extract from others, but what service we can give them out of love and affection.
Christ said “Whosoever wishes to be first will be slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve” (Mar. 10:44, 45). In extreme contrast, in the nature of today’s world, the standard of greatness is power. The test of greatness is, how many does a man control? On how many people can he impose his will? As a result the persons in the realm of power dictate to others around them according to their whims, giving rise to a culture of percentage money deduction called commission in various stages against any project for execution in most public offices and is accepted openly by the society as if it is ethical and legal.
This commission culture is deeply rooted in the Government dominating the present world, resulting in mutual distrust and a life that is too far from truth, integrity and honor, causing imbalances of too much money chasing too few people, through corrupt means, at the expense of development activities in gross violation of basic democratic principles of equal treatment and equal distribution of resources. There must be another way to have a better and secure future for our upcoming generations, if peace is to be restored in our land. Jesus said “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Lk. 12:15). Let’s look to Christ Jesus for solving our ethical problems. It is only when we are filled with the desire to fulfill the Divine intention behind the creation, to be both loving and dynamic and put into life more than what we take out of it, then life for ourselves and for others will be happy and prosperous. By going the extra mile to serve our neighbor without bothering to find out what our wages would be or boasting about what our labor is worth, we can be part of the change that we want to see in the world. Remaking the world is what we need, where forgiveness and generosity are the order of the day and no one starves because of another’s greed or suffers because of another’s lust or is rejected because of another’s fear or superiority.
This means that in all aspects of our life, either big or small, we must live like the other person really matters. That is the change Christ wants to see in the world. In God’s economy, there is no such thing as a most- favored- nation or person clause. Christianity knows no concept of superiority. In Matt. 20:1-16, we have seen that some workers worked for the whole day and received one denarius each and the last men who worked only for one hour were also paid one denarius each in God’s economy. Why? The last men who stood in the market place were patiently waiting for work, so as to feed their hungry children at home and the fact that they stood there until 5 pm, is the proof of how desperately they wanted to work and earn. So the wise landlord went beyond our shallow human justice and gave them more than what was their due. The message is clear, we cannot earn what God gives us. He gives and heals according to our needs, in the same manner of God’s justice we too must begin to give to the unprivileged what is due to them and refrain from exploitation and corruption known by whatever name.
Every single positive encounter made by every one of us with people holds the potential for mutual transformation for a better and peaceful future. Be honest and true to our proclaimed slogan ‘Nagaland for Christ’, give our very best and not our worst to each other, society and Government. Even Tripura, a state ruled by communist parties is well known today for its high civic sense, honest and corruption free legislation, which enabled the people to take pride in its Government. If Tripura can then why not Nagaland. “Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Lk 4 : 19). Whether we like it or not, we have an impact on other people the entire time of our lives, for better or worse. Search ourselves where we stand. In engaging others to become part of remaking the world as per Christ’s Kingdom, beginning with ourselves, we are becoming more International about that impact for the Kingdom of God on Earth.
