Man in the Mirrror…Take a look at yourself and then make a change

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change…
You got to..
Stand up, and lift yourself
Now!
The song was written by singer Ms Siedah Garrett and composer Glen Ballard, and recorded by Michael Jackson in May 1987.
The ‘official video’ contains video clips that show inspirational leaders like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Lech Walesa, John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, Santa Claus, and clearly reprehensible people like Ku Klux Klan members, Adolf Hitler, F W De Clerk. Although the song was originally aimed at creating awareness of homelessness in the US, the video became about racism, other evils, and as the video finally named it, an attempt to ‘Heal the World’.
Artists – poets and video creators – used language and stark images to bring an issue front and center for their audience.
Why is it relevant in Bharat today? What is the context here and now for us – in November 2022? Today, we have an opportunity to change our future as we have never had before. We may want to thank or blame Prime Minister Modi.
Only, change must begin with ourselves. We cannot think of shortcuts and ‘chalta hai’ for ourselves and expect that the nation will change for the better. Without changing inputs, we will not see a change in the outcomes.
If we would like to have clean roads, we have to start with cleaning our own minds first. If we want our footpaths to be free of encumbrances and uneven surfacing, we will need to go a little out of the way and ask our corporator to get things rectified. If we want to buy and use excellent products and services, we must learn to create excellence whenever and at whatever, we work. If we want government to function without corruption and demonstrate proper use of the taxes we pay, we have to start by honestly paying those taxes first.
Change must begin with the Man (and equally, the Woman) in the Mirror! And, now!!
When you go to bed today, or when you get out of bed tomorrow – think of at least one thing that you will do beyond taking care of your job or personal interest and make it happen in this month. We don’t need to think of a longer period. Let’s start with what we can do this month. And, we can do something else next month. Let’s get positively involved with things beyond our bodies and the walls we live in. You can even start with changing something you do yourself. Even some unthinking, negligent small thing. Start small. You’ll soon think of larger things to do, and even do them, involving others as well. The future will soon become present, better than the present is today.
Who am I addressing? Youth, corporate executives, promoters of businesses, anyone who can already spare time to see a movie or watch TV or read a book and more.. Who especially? Those who can vacation for even a week-end, buy some reasonably expensive stuff – from clothes to cars to cottages…
On my part, I promise I will write a weekly blog in this vein, narrating thoughts and actions of people who are doing this. Please share your thoughts and actions with me – so I can spread the good word. Maybe I’ll call it The Better Governance Blog (TBGB).
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