Dr. Asangba Tzüdir
A sense of belongingness is a human need that shapes lives towards a meaningful existence. It is in having such a sense of belongingness that makes one sees value in life. Seeing value in life forms the core framework in order to positively transform a society. More importantly, it creates a healthy relationship with the socio-political, culture, religion, ethics and moral contours and its associated underpinnings. This begins with individual transformation, a transformation directed towards growth and development of the individual and the society. The pressing concerns that are intricately related with our everyday lives calls for a shared responsibility generated through a sense of belongingness. Our society has reached a desperate point where we need to reclaim our humanity and thereby the need to put more value on the power of our moral selves which gives the desired impetus to be responsible and the ‘will to power’ to act. When there is a shared responsibility, then solution to the biggest impediment to growth and development will see light in the form of sustenance. Sustenance backed by perseverance is the keyword today.
Looking at the state of our society today, we have mastered the art of starting things but generally, we have miserably failed to sustain the things we start. Reflecting on the state of our economy… we are headed but into the pandemonium of economic dependency, though we have all the potentialities in the making of an industrialized state. For this to happen, humans need to develop first. We have failed as a state in every sense of the term because, we have lost the sense of sight and the purpose of our existence and thereby sense of ownership and belongingness. Thereby ‘others’ took it to their advantage in exploiting our land beginning with economy. Just a small instance, we litter our own place because we don’t have that sense of belongingness. There is need to inculcate a sense of belongingness and ownership which will then generate into a thread of shared responsibility towards a productive transformation and development of our society.
Workplace especially in the government sector is one neglected space where the people need to develop a sense of belongingness and ownership. It will result in positive attitude and the need to be responsible, which will get translated into praxis that sees progress, productivity and thereby development. An important aspect of having a sense of belongingness is also about asserting of our rights beginning with political rights. Currently we are governed by an ‘oppositionless’ government that has forgotten the very meaning of good governance and we simply remain as mute spectators. This has happened to our society because we do not have that sense of belongingness and a sense of shared responsibility.
The process of self-realization to this end of moral assertion must begin and only when responsibilities are shared, the concepts of love, truth, good, goodness, justice, fairness, peace, equality, liberty, freedom etc will turn into meaningful concepts. That will be the dawning of real and inclusive development beginning with human development. Only when we have a sense of belongingness that collectively aims at responsible change, then Nagas will truly see development and behold, meaningfulness of life.
(Dr. Asangba Tzüdir is an Editor with Heritage Publishing House. He contributes a weekly guest editorial to the Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
