B Kuplung Buchem
Nograi, Tripura
Merriam- Webster Dictionary defined the word ‘sincere’ as “Having or showing true feelings that are expressed in an honest way. Genuine or real: not false, fake or pretended.”
However, do we live a sincere life? Are we honest, genuine or real? These are the questions that we ought to ask ourselves as a good citizen of the nation, if we want our land to be better than others because when one does with sincere heart, the outcome is always good and sincere work pleases God. The word ‘sincere ‘ is often used by us in our daily lives. We say it to give encouragement and advice to the people. For example: If you study sincerely, you will surely pass the exam. Yet oftentimes we take this word for granted and live a procrastinate and deceptive life.
Sincerity is required in Christian life too. The Bible emphasizes sincerity as a vital aspect of Christian faith and life, urging believers to be genuine, honest and free from deceit in their relationship with God and others. Sincerity is presented as a reflection of a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. However, if we live an insincere life being a Christian then we are living a life of hypocrites and the Bible strongly condemns hypocrisy (matt 6: 1- 8) which is insincerity in actions and in words. Sincerity requires honesty and integrity, avoiding deception and pretense.
In general, sincerity is required in every profession and in every aspect of life because it helps us achieve our goal, brings prosperity, honor and respect to the individuals. Our God is a sincere God and He does love sincere man.
Sincerity plays a crucial role in all professions but I would like to mention only a few professions as writing on all the professions would consume a whole page.
1. Teachers: Teachers are considered to be the backbone of society. They deal with the students in the classroom everyday who would become the leader of tomorrow. Teachers are responsible for shaping the future of our society and nation and so sincerity becomes the core trait for the teachers because an insincere teacher is just like a virus. Virus in the body kills our immune system and weakens our body, virus in the device causes operational issues, so does an insincere teacher give negative influence on the students and also make the teaching environment toxic. Teachers are role models; their sincere actions like honesty, empathy, respect, punctuality etc teach students how to live with integrity more effectively than words. Teachers should realize that their sincerity in work creates a trusting, safe and motivating environment essential for effective learning, character development and student success. Sincerity transforms teaching from just a job into a “factory of a nation” that develops character and fosters a positive future for students.
2. Politicians: Politicians are considered as public servants or representatives because they are chosen by the public to act on their behalf, make decisions for the common good and manage public resources. But in the real scenario it is the public who look up to them as gods and kings. Especially in our state we see many politicians after winning the election they are driven by corruption and start living a luxurious life, they forget all their promises, they disregard the feelings of the public but they value money more. All these are happening because there's no sincerity in their heart but all these would also end if they start serving with sincere hearts. It is very important for politicians to be sincere because it is fundamental to building trust, accountability and effective governance in a democratic society. Sincerity and integrity in political leaders foster a positive environment where citizens feel confident about decisions, leading to better social harmony and progress. When political leaders operate with integrity, it signals to the bureaucracy to act with honesty, reducing corruption that often travels from top to bottom. A sincere politician is not just a moral ideal but a practical necessity for a functioning, stable and prosperous nation.
3. Bureaucrats: According to Sardar Patel bureaucrats are “The steel Frame of the nation.” This term signifies their role in providing stability and continuity in governance, regardless of changes in political leadership. In order to have an effective public administration and governance, our society needs a sincere and honest bureaucrat. There are thousands of bureaucrats in our state but it is disheartening to see that many are filled with pride and attitude and are driven away by corruption. Unlike politicians, bureaucrats enter into profession through individual hardwork. They spend money, time and energy to get their desired post. However after achieving their dream job, they forget all the good wishes that they had they would do for the society and nation rather they fall into corruption. They start practicing nepotism, they start accepting bribe and all kinds of illegal activities which are against God. Recently an incident took place in Odisha where a man who was once a celebrated civil services topper was arrested by Odisha Vigilance after allegedly being caught red- handed accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe at his official residence. Folks this is just one unlucky man being caught by the law officers, imagine thousands of bureaucrats practicing such illegal activities but lucky enough not to be caught or arrested.
Every bureaucrats should realize that they have the power to combat corruption rather than falling for it. They should adhere to rules, providing accountability and ensuring that public interest should prevails over personal gain, they should be ‘doers’ who focus on delivering results rather than just acting as whistle-blowers.
4. Doctors: Doctors are highly respected professionals, they are often regarded as ‘saviours ‘ or ‘second to God ‘ due to their vital role in saving lives, reducing suffering and providing hope. Doctors are the first ones to lend a helping hand when someone struggles with pain or disease. Doctors take responsibility for the most important aspect of society. They are the life savers therefore it is very important for doctors to be sincere and honest in their work because their sincerity impacts patient safety, treatment efficacy and the foundational trust necessary for healing. People have so much hope for the doctors even when the person is on the verge of death, they rush to hospital hoping the doctor would save them. This shows the great trust and hope for the doctors and the doctors need to realize their importance to the people and society and show them in return by performing their duty sincerely and honestly especially while treating the patients.
However there are many doctors who are very snobbish and are not free from corruption. These doctors practice unethical work such as billing fraud, unnecessary procedures, unnecessary testing, medical negligence and the list goes on. This unethical work practices by doctors exploit the patient financially and may even cost their life yet some doctors are driven by financial greed so they keep doing unethical work because they value money more than life.
In our state one common corruption practiced by every Naga and that is “favouritism”. Now even the medical professionals are also being influenced by “favouritism “. Doctors and nurses favour rich people and their family members and relatives more than other people. Rich patients and the patient from his near and dear ones are given more care and attention than the poor patient. Another malpractice that we see especially in government hospitals are doctors and nurses are impatient and not compassionate in dealing with patients. Many doctors in government hospitals do not care about their assigned work, rather they are more interested in personal gain. For example, instead of attending the patients in the hospital, he would spend time in his private clinic. Such action leaves the patient helpless because patients often place their life in the hands of their doctor. Doctors should realize that a core part of the profession is to comfort patients, which requires genuine, heartfelt and sincere care. In essence, a good doctor is not only knowledgeable and skillful but also sincere, fostering a safe and trusting environment for healing.
5. Church workers: In a Christian state like Nagaland, church plays a vital role in bringing social change, uplifting spiritual life and boosting moral values of the people. The Church also plays an important role in decision making such as implementing NLTP Act 1989 that totally prohibits the possession, sale, consumption and manufacture of liquor, including its import and export. In Nagaland the church is the pillar of hope and identity for its people, shaping generations with the message of Christ's love.
Church workers include everyone who works in the church starting from pastor to chowkidars. It is not only the work of pastors to keep the church spiritually strong but it is the coordination of every church worker to keep the church stand tall and strong. The saying “ Practice what you preach” should start with them because as a church worker one is ought to live an exemplary life otherwise they become a stumbling block for the people. They should have this concern in their heart “ Am I following the principle teachings of Jesus?” Well, unfortunately many churches do not really have workers who follow the teachings of Jesus. Maybe they joined to serve the church because they did not have any choice or maybe they joined to serve to earn money or maybe they joined to serve the church because of family pressure saying that his father or mother had served the church in the past therefore he has to continue the tradition. Because there are many churches in our state where workers have communication gaps, backbite, and gossip with each other these deeds detach them from living a spiritual life and lead to a fractured church. There are also many pastors who live a luxurious life and so they are filled with pride and attitude therefore they fall into temptation. Some become crazy for money and some end up committing immoral acts which are detestable before God. There are pastors and evangelists who do not want to visit poor people's houses. Even though they visit poor people's house their behavior remains indifferent but the same pastor becomes so polite when he visits a rich man's house.
In our society building new church has become like competition among the churches. Even with insufficient budget people start building new church and in the long run the church falls into debts especially in rural areas. Therefore the main objective of the church workers is to earn money and clear debts rather than serving the Lord wholeheartedly and sincerely.
Church workers should be sincere because their role is spiritual and that impacts the spiritual health of the congregation. Sincerity allows workers to reflect Christ’s love in a truthful, authentic way. Sincerity means serving with a ‘single mind’ or ‘ singleness of heart ‘(Col 3:22), focusing on God's approval rather than human applause.
In conclusion, I would like to encourage every individual to live a sincere life because it is the only thing that will lead us to success and a happy life. And as a Christian too it is the only quality that makes us genuine before the Lord. I have written about only a few professions yet everyone who is in the profession needs to be sincere in their own assigned works like police, soldiers, janitors, bankers to name a few because sincerity is key to success, key to happiness and a key to open blessings from God. Just imagine if all the individuals working in different professions are all sincere, how beautiful our world would be. But unfortunately we are taken over by laziness and since we are lazy, we live a hypocritical life trying to impress only others. Although we worked the whole day and our body is exhausted yet we don't see any change or we don't get blessings. Why? Because we did it without sincerity, we did it just for the sake of doing it. Henceforth, let us all as a good Christian and as a good citizen try to live a sincere life because God values sincerity over talent. Faithfulness in ‘small’, behind the scenes tasks is recognised and rewarded by God.
