Iqbal, the greatest of philosophers, worshipped and admired by the East and the West alike, once said, “Change is the impeccable law of nature and the only constant thing in Nature. The nation which quits pursuing change is wiped from the memories; a bleak landscape everyone looks at and no one admires.” Today our moral, social and overall ambiguous situation has forced us to reconsider his words and to ponder, to gaze at the depth of feelings they portray. The message is candid and clear: We want change. But can we bring change simply by chanting slogans and raising banners? No. The answer is immanent. What is change actually? Can you define change? Can the revolutionary leaders, the rebellious word-twisters define change? Let us dive in the sea of endless explanations to seek our bounty: the explicatory sentence that must be our prerogative and shibboleth.
Shakespeare, in his famous play Julius Caesar writes:
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
A drop alone has no identity. It seeps in the ground, trickles down a face, pours along with fellows on the face of earth. It has no identity of its own. Yet this drop is the most essential particle. Without this drop, there would be no tears, no rain, and no oceans. In fact, the existence of water is due to this drop. If this drop changes itself, fog, mist and hail-drops are formed. This drop may be compared to the individual. If the individual changes himself, he will make the society as a whole a better place to live. In other words, the role played by the individual is transcendental.
So the point is obvious; change can be brought about only by ourselves. As a poet once said:
“When will the clouds of torment fade?
Changing ourselves will change our fate”
How do we bring this change? How do we motivate the stagnant water polluting our inner selves to change into a torrent that flows within the essence of our being, washing the dirt and grime that pollutes us? How can we break the fetters that bind us? Will we be thwarted by fate who jeers at us mockingly? Is our destiny to bear, not to rule? No! And if anyone thinks that this is the decree of fate, then they are wrong. We can change ourselves. And once we change ourselves, we will change the outlook of the society. Sir Syed in an essay writes: “The person whose behavior, morals and acumen are inspirational can change the way a society thinks, as the others will be drawn by him and will follow in his stead.” Will power is the most important factor as a person who possesses will power can cross the highest mountains, can wade through the deepest waters to reach his destination. Will power. The words hum with the excitement of determination; they radiate with the sparkling glow of courage and pugnacity.
Let’s say it again: we want change. But now we know what sort of change we want. We need a behavioral change. A change wherein every ruffian seeks atonement through self-catharsis. A change which throws us in the chasm of optimism, from where we return as pure as new-born babes. And I have a dream that this change will come. Let our society be revolutionized. Yes I’m a rebel. A rebel against the quaint customs that have chagrined our will power. A rebel fighting against the rule of pessimism. I am a rebel. Who will follow me?