Creating the future we want
By Sairah Akbar
FUTURE is a very significant word. Whenever we think about our future, a colorful picture is visualized which is full of hope, peace, respect and love. But do we know how to paint this picture and make it a reality?
Now a days, all we see is the death of mankind due to war and famine, as well as cheating and betrayal by people close to us. People have lost respect for humanity. They have grown cold hearted and are slaughtering each other to protect their egos, or financial and political interests.
Is this the kind of future we are looking forward to?
“People are created to be loved and things are created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.”
In my opinion, the only key to creating a desirable future we want is “us”. We, the new generation which is a thousand times more efficient, more intelligent and well equipped with knowledge, can create the difference that we want to see. As it is well said, “unique and different is the next generation of beauty”, we have to believe in ourselves and think that we have what it takes to bring revolution in this world. We should always take a stand against what we know is wrong.
“Courage is to stand when nobody else will stand with you.”
But if we want to bring change in this world for a better future, we should first change ourselves. As Gandhi has famously said, “be the change you want to see in this world.”
The best change often starts with a single simple thought. Think high and discover the ways to change your future. Are you honest with your “yourself”, with your parents, with your teachers? Do you never cheat anyone of these? Do you take care of your surroundings? Do you do little good things? Little things play a huge role in bringing great changes. If you are not honest, confident and a person who stands up for what his beliefs are, how can you expect to bring revolution to this world? First of all we should try to look inside ourselves, change ourselves and overcome our flaws. We should stop nurturing grudges against other people. The world would automatically become an Eden on the earth and we will surely build the kind of future we want.
“Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” –Aristotle
Today our life is surrounded by amazing high technology, all to make our lives easier. But in making our lives easier, we have made ourselves lazier and altogether dependent upon machines. We have lost the pleasure of doing our work ourselves. We just keep seeking comfort zones and letting other people do our work. We should use technology in a healthy way and should not get addicted of it.
To create a thriving future, we must enjoy the work we do. We should not consider work a burden but should accept it as responsibility and take it seriously. We should make good use of technology with the intention to turn this planet into a blissful place, not a replica of hell.
Today, we lack something very important and that is fraternity and unity. For without unity it is impossible to achieve the kind of future we want. We have to respect and value others. We should believe that the person sitting right next to us is no less capable in doing his work than we are. We should never bully, criticize or make fun of others. Making someone feel like a failure will never make you a successful person. As it is said, “bullying others makes you neither tough nor impressive.it makes you stupid and rude.” We need an attitudinal shift, for creating a more balanced society.
In every aspect of life our behavior towards other plays a significant role in our future. As it is said, “behavior is the mirror through which the internal beauty is reflected.”
All the things that we do every hour, minute and second of our life are the things is going to shape our future. Every day is a step towards our future and if we take the right steps, eventually we will have the kind of future we want. Thus, every day, we should take a moment to think, “Have I taken the right steps? Have I done something worthy enough to contribute to a better future?”
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning. But anyone can start today and make a whole new ending.”
I sum up my article with Julie A.Carney’s verses from, “Little Things”:
“Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love
Make our earth an Eden
Like the heaven above
The contributor is an undergraduate student at the International Islamic University, Islamabad.
