The Konyak Nagas

PROGRESS AND PERSEVERANCE

If not the stepping stone, perseverance is precisely the ladder to progress.  In the journey of life filled with both success and failures, perseverance is the only tool that can sustain mankind, especially in the context of the Konyak Nagas where progress is a matter of desperate urgency.  Perseverance is not about never failing in life but getting up every time we fall and continuing our journey. True failure is when we stop trying and quit. Perseverance is to follow and live the statement “Little drops of water make a mighty ocean”.

The Konyaks were known for their bravery and intellectual prowess and we did have a glorious past, but to take glory in the past without preparing for the future is sheer foolishness, and sadly this is exactly what we are doing today. Humility towards our work and fellow beings is absent. To be humble enough to work in small trade and persevere is a legitimate definition of “strong”. I think we are a big-hearted people with narrow mentality. This contrasting personality is posing a great threat to progress in our area. Big-heartedness should not and cannot be portrayed in terms of domination over the weak, which is what we do, we become parasitic. Rather we should capitalise on it by taking the driver’s seat in areas of socio-economic and infrastructural development. Mountain top will remain an unattainable destination if we refuse to start at the valley.

It is both surprising and intimidating to know that, post-graduation today is considered mediocre! Sadly, MBBS, MA or Msc still remain the pinnacle for many of our fellow Konyaks. Sometimes I wonder whether our backwardness is the reason for our limited vision or is it our lackadaisical approach to life’s challenges that make us backward. Today we live in a world where there is no room for mediocrity. Everybody everywhere is looking for specialists, and it is this group of people that will usher in progress and prosperity. A MBBS student should go on to become a super-specialist and the same with other fields. I think it’s time we realise we are in the 21st century where specialisation is the currency that rules.