The London riots alongwith US' downgrading by Moody's casts a pall of gloom over the bourses all over with many seeing their portfolios in the red. The oil leak on Mumbai's coasts is a thing of worry for Mumbai citizens. Anna Hazare is getting ready to take on the Government on 15th August 2011. The frustrating anger stock is rising. Alongwith the anger, Everyone is asking this question .. What can we the "man on the street" level do to stop this kind of wanton destruction to Life and property ??? The common Man is tired of waiting for the Government to take proactive steps ... which it is failing(?? Really??) to do after every tragedy ... But what does happen after every such incident is that it gives the Government an excuse/reason to pass some more laws restricting our freedoms while it does precious little to fight terroris. (4000 more cctv cameras in Mumbai after the blasts  )This leads to anger in the common Man and only raises his stress level ... and in certain sections of the population, it makes them vulnerable to getting influenced by destructive forces ... Exactly what we see happening in India and all over the world The way I see it, we need to get more involved in the decision making process We need to use RTI and form citizen groups to ensure that in the name of freedom and security, we are not signing away our personal liberties and birthrights which will leave us even more vulnerable to such attacks in the future .. Fight Corruption every which way .. Use your influence/contacts to ensure that you are not harassed unnecessarily by government officials. There's nothing shamefuil in it. After all, you ar e not abusing it. But merely using it to avoid getting abused. ... Help your friends and relatives when they get hassled .. Reduce the amount of stress that we live with everyday ... But by dealing with it .. and not like some ostrich attitude of hoping for the best When your political representatives come to you asking for your vote ask for a printed bonafide copy of their election manifesto .. You can use this as evidence against thier non performance should you want to confront them alongwith proof from RTI ... Ask them pointed questions about their views on what you think are controversial topics and How they intend to handle it ... Get as much as you can in writing ... When you see an anomaly in the affairs of your housing society, ask for copies of decisons taken and permissions sought .. So many buliding crashes in Mumbai and other cities have occurred due to illegal structural changes ... facilitated by corrupt officials ... If response is not forthcoming, approach the Co-operative housing society Board This is where I say .. If you have contacts, use them not just for yourself but also for your friends ... Every friend and associate thus helped becomes an ally .. Educate yourself - The more qualifications you acquire the more you put yourself in position to be considered for posts with power .... Maintain healthy habits ..When the shit will hit the fan, the healthy amongst you will make out of it faster and with more of him intact than the unhealthy person ... Every little bit counts - even though it may not seem so at the moment .. Every moment, every day, learn something new and spread it around ... The more the awareness around us, the greater our control over the situation and therefore the greater the pressure on the authorities to do something about it because an ignorant population can be controlled ... But not one that can think for itself .... Indeed, Hope for the best but prepare expecting the worst .. I will be coming out with more as and when I can .. Active citizenry is the need of the hour ... We cannot wait for the Government to do everything ... They have just got too cozy in their power setup .. and gotten lazy .. From public servants who we elect to supposedly guard our Life and property, they have increasingly begun to behave as landlords who own us ... If you have any ideas, please feel free to share ... If you want to live in peace, prepare for War |
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