Can one man solely change the face of politics? “Change” is a profound word, having multi-faceted implications and interpretations of it. What we understand by “change” here may not necessarily refer to a quick transformation or a superficial “makeover” of politics. It could also be looked at from a slightly tilted angle where a “change” could signify a small step with great consequences, which in turn leads to a head to toe transformation. If we perceive “change” in this light instead of grasping it in the usual sense then yes, I agree that a single man may have adequate power and ability to evolve the politics of a nation.
If you were to go over my previous statement again, you would notice that I have used the word evolve. Evolution, a gradual step by step change is a sure possibility to bring about a difference. But a revolutionary change, a sudden drastic transformation of politics, is humanly impossible. God alone could do it. Nevertheless, the history of Hitler’s rise to power and his political ambitions doesn’t quite agree with my last statement. Hitler’s reign was an “era of revolution”. Undoubtedly, he did change the face of politics. But that change was only detrimental. It only smeared the face of politics in public eyes. He was the leader of the German Workers Party and made his political breakthrough by acquiring the chancellorship of Germany. In a sudden turn of events, he was granted the presidency. Soon, he demolished the democratic foundation of Germany and installed dictatorship. He is immortal in the political arena but only as a tyrant and not as a leader.
Politics, as we know is a function of society. Just as one man alone could not bring about a social change, politics is as complex a system as society or perhaps even more complex. It would take longer than a lifetime if only one man were to take up the entire job. But if one man could kick-start the mission, it wouldn’t take more than a few years to change the face of politics. The topic addressed here might be misinterpreted by readers. The face of politics demands not to be improved, but to be revealed. What lies before us today is politics in guise, shrouded in a curtain of personal gains. If only we could slowly and gradually unveil the real face of politics, things would change on their own. However, such prominent achievements commence with a single step. One person should take one step towards change and leave it to the rest to follow his trail. This is called the “leading by example” strategy. Let’s take a look at the bigger picture. One individual may not make a significant difference, but at least he could start making some difference, however small. If citizens are wise enough to look up to him, then each one would make a small difference. Each drop counts in an ocean. Quite so, if every individual would do the same, each one could contribute to a greater change. We could all change the face of politics under the direction of one person. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s a time taking but assured approach for change.
It’s not difficult to persuade the crowd. We are conscious of a great deal of discontentment and disappointment spread amongst the citizens against politics. People very easily take to violence, but none want to bear the responsibility of invigorating the nation for a change. Everybody wants a rebellion. However, history stands testimony that a rebellion may not yield the desired outcomes.
Politics has degraded to a mere gamble of dirty tricks and power play. It’s time someone redefines politics and clears the blotch from its name. So far, I’ve mentioned a Mr. “X” who’s going to carry the mission forward. Now the question is who is this man going to be? He must be virtuous, righteous, able, confident, honest and influential. We can come up with numerous traits that he/she must possess. Summing up the adjectives, he must be the ideal leader. But we don’t live in an ideal world so let’s get realistic here.
Practically speaking, this man in question may not exist precisely the way I described him, but he might come quite close to my imagination.
The world has witnessed innumerable great leaders in the past and present : Nelson Mandela, Abraham
Lincoln, Benito Mussolini, our current Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, to name a few. At the time of
Nelson Mandela, the practice of a black person venturing into politics was unheard of. But he took one step forward and thousands joined him along the way. He questioned the South African politics and made his way to the top with new hope for people and society. Not only did he shatter the social stigma against black people but he also brought about radical changes in the constitution. Lincoln too created history along similar lines.
We know for a fact that democracy is complicated. So many politicians, but all with only vested interests, want to secure vote banks and guarantee sure-shot victory. It is needless to say that politicians often clash against each other in attempting to prove themselves and impressing the public. In the process, they adopt unethical means to secure seats. Engaged in this rat race, they forget the true meaning of politics and what it constitutes. We need a new leader—one leader who could change the track of politics so that politics could also be perceived in a positive light. That leader is yet to come…
But, why wait for that liberator to arrive and redeem politics from its pitiable plight? What if that liberator is one amongst us? We mustn’t delay the occasion to reinvent politics.
Let’s not depend on others. Why not take the reins into our own hands? Without further ado, one individual in our generation needs to set the trend for political reformation. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Unfortunately, our society is least interested in investing its time and energy in some concrete work. We are very good at playing blame games and pointing out the flaws in the existing system.
No one wants to take on the job seriously. As long as it goes on like this, I can assure you that the desire to change the face of politics will only remain an unfinished dream.
We are millennials, the so called “future of India”. But we are not doing justice to this title.
If the book on politics has to be rewritten, we must take it upon ourselves to do it. As former US President Barack Obama rightly said and I quote, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for; we are the change that we seek.”