With this issue, WAVE enters its 13th year, and it's a time for new beginnings all around. This is the first festive season in ages we've got something more to look forward to than just a Dasain-Tihar ceasefire. As we celebrate family and community spirit, perhaps we should also think about what we want from our lives and our world.
Nepal is changing, and everywhere you go, there is speculation and uncertainty. Many are cynical, and talk of conspiracies or leaving the country. Others feel powerless, and react by burning tyres, stopping traffic, and polluting the already filthy air. Still others ignore the stench of burning rubber and go about their work. That's 'people power', we're told. Or it's individual choice. It's loktantra.
Those are excuses, as are these: 'the leaders' must find a solution, 'professionals' should suggest ways forward, it's best to quietly mind your own business.
Such justifications are wrong. After all, it's our life and country too. To leave everything to others now means you can never ask for anything later. It's like telling building contractors 'you're the pro, do your thing'. Later, you can't blame them if you get 10 useless, poky rooms, not the three airy ones you wanted.
We can't make choices without observation or knowledge. It could be any choice—what to study, how to best spend your Dasain dakshina, what dreams to pursue, or what to demand in our constitution. Many of us simply follow the herd, or sit back and dip into a sack of virtual lottery tickets. We'd rather leave the heavy lifting—and thinking—to others.
We need to think about what our options mean. Then, we need to figure out what to change and how. Only then will we be ready to be heard, because we'll be saying what we think. Not repeating a party line, or parroting someone's quotable quotes. Just saying what we think, explaining it, and defending it.
No one is suggesting we should be excessively introspective, but we should take a break from eating, laughing, shopping and gambling and get to know ourselves better. Fresh starts come with fresh perspectives. And what time better than the calm, clear, breezy month of September.
