Book Preface : Redemption of Indian Dignity
“There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful mountains with a blue sky and fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought, it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare beneath an angry sky with dark clouds, from which rain fell and lightning played. At the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming and wild waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.
But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall, a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest, in perfect peace.
- Which picture do you think won the prize?
- The king chose the second picture.
- The king explained why: Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.”
- That is the true meaning of peace.
Events over the past one year have taught me the importance of peace and stability under all conditions.
Pointing fingers at circumstances and people will only lead to further confusion and dissatisfaction, closing all doors to alternative ideas. Rather, why don’t we focus on being realistic?
Blame mode keeps us from thinking rationally because our mind has already been made up. Our strong emotions very often push us for confirmation of being right as opposed to considering being wrong.
Pre and post 12th general election, a lot has been written, said and declared about the Indian community. Most of it may be true but some have been either exaggerated or blatant. The community was flooded with information via the whole array of cyber communication.
Opinions were formed and decisions were made based on what was shoved at us. But did we ever think for a second, the validity and credibility of that information?
My experience working with the grassroots has taught me a subtle truth that our people are gullible and very often their emotion allow them to be misled. We lose the power over ourselves.
My passion to weave the Indian community back to a perfect picture has driven me to embark on this book. An opportunity to share my views on what is happening to our community and to see if, together we can chart the path to redeem our dignity.
- SA Vigneswaran
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The Malaysian Indian Youth Development Foundation (MIYDF), is a non-governmental, non-political and a non-profit organisation headed by a group of professional Indians from different backgrounds and different parts of the country who got together to endorse the need for an NGO to a create a united and confident Malaysian Indian Society, infused by strong moral and ethical values.
