Monday 24 December 2012

Six Steps to Save India.

Six Steps to Save India. Join My Fight.

Now that people are waking up to the corruption and crimes of our country.

“We’ve got to stop this before they(Politicians) destroy the country.” Or “what can I do…just tell me what to do and I’ll do it…but I cannot stand by and watch the nation I love be wiped out.” What happened to the Constitution?

I share your frustration. I literally fear for my Country.  I’m afraid my children will be forced to raise their families in a very different India than the one you and I have enjoyed. I use to mock people who said that. I use to say, oh, come on, it’s not that bad, we’re still the greatest democratic nation on the planet…and we are…but not for long, not if we continue our current course.

Our nation is in crisis, but we’re so focused on the symptoms we are ignoring the root cause. This is not a crisis of economics; it is a crisis of leadership!  We are so lacking, yet so hungry for, principled, conviction-oriented, wise, servant leadership. For too long we have sat back and watched the leaders of both major political parties slowly move us away from the principles that made our nation great. And now in the last 12 months, the leaders of all parties have marched us towards absolute ruin of our nation so fast that our heads are spinning. We’re in a state of shock, literally set back on our heels as our government cannot protect the women and children in the Capital City of the Nation.
But our Law system has so utterly failed our nation.

But this is no time to grab your wallets and gadgets and go roam in Malls and restraunts. It is time for a clarion call to acknowledge what we face and what must be done if we are to save our country.  Make no mistake, it is you and I who must do the saving. No Prime Ministarial candidate, no political party will save the day. The responsibility does not lie with them, it lies with us, you and me, a.k.a. We The People. We are the ones endowed by our Creator. We are the ones to whom the rights are given and we are the ones that must exercise them, must stand and fight for them, must let our voices be heard and our values counted.

This is the time to shake each other out of our slumber, to awaken our sense of patriotism and duty. All is not lost…yet…but it will be unless you and I acknowledge the fragility of our freedom, accept the duty that comes with the freedom, and start exercising our rights as free citizens.

So how do we change course and save our nation? It’s actually not complicated, it’s quite simple…it’s not sexy, maybe not even exciting…but it works every time it is applied.

Just showing up to vote in the next elections is not enough (though most are not even doing that). We must raise our personal level of involvement so that we are influencing the process itself even before the choice is made in the next elections. It’s easy to just show up at a party and choose from the desserts on the table. It takes some effort to get in the kitchen and be a part of the preparation that will determine the results made available to the guests.

First, let me destroy two myths you may have been convinced of in your High School government class:

A.     Rid yourself of the fairy tale that representative government is just good people putting their name on the ballot and we all show up and pick the best one. The best candidate does NOT win…the winner will always be the one who BEST works/influences the process, or whose team/supporters best work the process.

B.     We do not get the leaders that a majority of Indians support, we only get the leaders supported by a majority of those who showed up to vote.

The system works, but we have to work the system. If you will join me in stepping up in the process, we can turn things around and preserve freedom for future generations. In the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging in more detail on each of the following Six Steps to Save India:

1. Get personally informed and equipped.

2. Spread the word.

3. Help identify other patriots who want to save India.

4. Help create a better pool of candidates

5. Vote in BOTH the primary and general election.

6. Hold elected officials accountable.

I am Frustated Mr Prime Minister.

I’m frustrated Mr Prime Minister.

I’m frustrated by a nation that persecutes you for expressing freedom of speech.

I’m frustrated by a nation where the cops want their presence to be felt so they arrest you for whatever flimsy reason they want and they get away with it.

I’m frustrated that women like Damini are being raped every day and killed ruthlessly as they come out of their schools and colleges in the evening.

I’m frustrated by cops that think it is ok to touch women and say inappropriate things because they know you have no one else to turn to.

I’m frustrated that it has become the norm to bribe traffic officials to get out of tickets.

I’m frustrated because people in the service industry get upset when you complain about bad service.

I’m frustrated by the corrupt leaders roaming free and deciding our fate sitting in the parliament.

I’m frustrated by a country that cannot feed its own people and is buying food grown by the same people they threw out.

I’m frustrated by the fall of the education system in a country that used to have the best education in Asia.

I’m frustrated by all the potholes on the road.

I’m frustrated by the corruption in all levels of government.

I’m frustrated by the amount of dirt on the ground.

I’m frustrated.

I’m frustrated by the millions of rupees that are apparently obtained from TAX every month. So why do my roads still have potholes? Why is the infrastructure in my country so worn out? Why is the health system so terrible? Why do we have power cuts? Why does law fail us every single day?

I’m frustrated. I’m looking for answers but have nowhere to find them. I’m frustrated by the state my country is in. we’ve taken 10 steps back. I’m frustrated because I see the progress other Asian countries are making and can’t help but wonder, why not us? Why not my country? But most of all I think I’m frustrated because I feel hopeless and helpless. I don’t know where to start finding solutions.