It Is Better To Light A Candle Than To Curse The Darkness

Man by nature is a positive being. Its the circumstance that makes him what he is today. Of the 6 billion humans living on earth today, 2/3 are living below poverty line. A vast human population lives below subsistence levels and hunger and disease are their biggest enemies. Are we, the privileged, supposed to shed a tear on the plight of the majority, blame the system and sit quiet, or are we to look up, gather our act and make our contribution? This brings me to the short speech I am going to make on this topic which is so fundamental to give us a direction of life.
I would start with the example of Dr Muhammad Younis of Bangladesh, who has been awarded the Nobel prize for economics in year 2007. Dr Younis felt that the poor people of his country need small amounts of loan to pull themselves out of poverty, but no bank would give them any loan. He sensed this acute need of the poor people of Bangladesh and took an initiative. He started ‘Grameen Bank’, a bank which would give poor people loans without any guarantee. His theory was simple: the poor people always give their loans back!! He started small in 1976 without any government support. But by 2006, the entire world had recognized as to how effective Dr Younis has been in pulling millions of people out of poverty! Major financial donors started supporting the initiative, and Dr Younis was awarded the prestigious Nobel prize in recognition of his efforts.
What I have just related is a fine example of creating a small island of change in the vast darkness that always surrounds every one of us. It is always easier to blame someone else or the system and continue being part of the problem, and its very difficult to tread the path of change, to stop being part of the problem and be part of a solution, to create your own small island of improvement in the sea of status quo, to be the harbinger of success for the entire mass of population you are related to.
This path of lighting a candle in the darkness is difficult, and thats why I am standing here before you trying to induce what it takes to make this difference. The candles in the darkness are susceptible to the strong blows of wind, to the utter darkness of the atmosphere and to the length of the night. But there is always a morning to every night. Candles are just a way to encourage us and change the darkness to light.
The US poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950) translates this view into a beautiful verse when he said:-
My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light!
Yes, for those who light a candle in the darkness do not live to see the light of the day. But their efforts go a long way in bringing the light closer to all their fellowmen. Yasir Arafat has died fighting for his cause, but his efforts have made their mark, and millions of Palestinians are now mobilized for their freedom. Che Guevara gave his life for the cause of his people, and made a change which would last forever. Our own leader Quaid-e-Azam did not live long enough to see Pakistan prosper, but he became the ultimate liberator for this nation of millions. Others agents of change include kamal Ataturk, Nelson Mandela and many other leaders, but the list of these leaders should not discourage the common man as if he cant be an agent for change. The entire philosophy of lighting a candle in the darkness is aimed at the ordinary people like you and me. It doesn’t take a national leader to make an island of change. You and me can do it, and initiate what others hesitate to do. It only takes an idea, and a small amount of inspiration.
There are numerous examples of people who lighted their small candles, and flooded the darkness with the combined strength of their individual efforts. An example in point is Abdul Sattar Edhi. His ambulance service started small, but when people started to see how honestly this man is working, they contributed whole heartedly and today ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ states Edhi as the largest ambulance service of the world.
What keeps the man from these noble actions is himself. Our own pride, our societal barriers, our class image and our false aims prevent us from doing what we know is right. We are the biggest impediment to ourselves! I would call upon all of you to look into yourselves, and find out what is it, that is keeping you from fulfilling your dreams. Is it your self-imposed limitations or your own perception? Is it the society or the atmosphere? Yes, you can do it, man is the most enigmatic machine on earth, capable of achieving what he himself cannot fathom, but easily withered away by the set of ideas and thoughts imposed upon him by society. Please tell me, are you afraid to put the garbage bag outside your home because someone would see you carrying it? Are you afraid of polishing your shoes because it is supposedly done by a servant? Are you afraid to study because you are too old for that? Are you afraid to learn from your son? Are you afraid to point out a smoker in a public area? Are you afraid to water your plants yourself? Yes, we are afraid, and that is exactly why we have not changed.
The change must come into yourself before you go on to apply change elsewhere. By changing yourself, you are creating that island which others can see, admire, appreciate and follow. By changing yourself, you are going to lead the change in the entire society. This lighting of the candle is yourself. You are the candle, you have to light yourself, and see how other follow you and the light spreads all over.
I end my speech on this note. I am sure that I have brought home my point. Together with our candles lit, we can become such a formidable force which simply would change the entire nation waiting for our initiatives. I would quote the American President Ronald Reagan here:-
“We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world.”