Y. Merina Chishi
Nagaland has a comparatively high literacy rate than many other Indian states. But this has in no way broadened our minds. The young generation is so caught up in a web of comfort and material possession that they don’t feel the need to work hard, irrespective of the nature of the job. This in turn has created enormous problems for them. Everybody wants the cream without milking the cow. Little do they realize that they are sinking deeper into the bog of being without a job. There was a time when teaching was considered a respectable job; today it is merely a surrogate profession. Farming was also a dignified occupation; today it is too time consuming. It is disheartening to see that the present generation considers many doable jobs deplorable. We consider ourselves too qualified for that.
Why are we so facilitated about America? Did you know that in America, all policemen are addressed as ‘officers’, farmers are some of the richest people in that country, a janitor is greeted on the streets and that, you have to pay babysitters by the hour? Every profession is important and dignity of labor is of immense value to the society and that is why America is America. During my visit to Mizoram some years back, I was impressed to see the Mizos value for work. They drive their own vehicles, carry their own loads and build their own houses. A friend from school, who studied Mass Communication, is one of the best videographers in Aizwal. She has furnished a career in something we Nagas would generally think of as a useless and bizarre profession. Our youth cannot think beyond the white coloured jobs thus leading to further degradation of the economy of the state. Nagaland is facing rampant unemployment problem and being bias towards a certain profession will only aggravate the problem. This of course, does not mean that post graduates become barbers. But if we show some respect to that profession, second-rates may not be so apprehensive about being a barber. As long as you do what you do in a dignified manner, you will be rewarded.
The quality of education we have is also a very important determent in the kind of jobs we seek. Merely owning a degree does not give us the right to demand a job of that standing. We have to have passion for the kind of work we choose to do and if we cannot produce such commitment, opportunities will wither. No work is too little but our choices are, so we need to do our job well and respect others as well.
In a society where certain jobs are looked down upon can never progress. It is not proper to think that a barber, sweeper or a driver is less intellectual and as someone who cannot move beyond that. If it were the case, the world would have been a different place. But as we know, this is not the case. Each job is important in its own right and we ought to respect that. There is very little possibility that you and I could ever pull a rickshaw or sweep the streets, but it is possible to hold those who do, in appreciation. We all need a complete makeover of our mindsets and values about any kind of work. We will notice a better future after that.
