Who are you ?
I am a Nepali.
And why are you a Nepali?
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What is your answer? If you are like most of us, you would probably reply, “I am a Nepali because I was born here!”
So is that it? Do you believe that you deserve to be a Nepali because of your parents in which you had no hand in? I don’t think this is fair. I believe for each of us to be a Nepali, we all have to “prove” ourselves as a Nepali.
Today, I want to introduce a bold concept: To call yourself a Nepali, One has to ‘become’ a Nepali. So how does one ‘become’ a Nepali? Well for starters, it requires each Nepali to cultivate a certain world views of 21st century ‘bibeksheel’ ideals. Here are 20 of these ideals:
- ‘Nepal is our home; not some rented shack that we leave every time it crumbles’. Realize this.
- ‘We are all born to make a ‘dent’ in the universe.’ Promise yourself.
- ‘If not now, when? If not us, who?’ Chant this.
- ‘Hack at the roots of evil, not its branches.’ Focus on the right thing.
- ‘If they eat shit doesn’t mean we should.’ Hold yourself to a higher standard!
- ‘Either we clean our house, or others will come clean it (their way). Understand our geopolitics.
- ‘My nation, my responsibility’. Take ownership!
- ‘Thank lavishly, apologize readily’. Make this a habit.
- ‘Connect all positives together then, align them in the same direction.’ Best way to defeat negative forces!
- ‘Keep improving or die trying’. Strive to be a center of excellence!
- ‘Move your feet before your mouth!’ Lead by example.
- ‘When in doubt, listen within.’ Your soul is your moral compass.
- ‘Change is a marathon never a 100 meter sprint’. Be patient with yourself!
- ‘Criticize wrong actions not wrong people.’ Have empathy for others.
- ‘Make your dream come true or else you will be hired to make someone else’s dream come true.’ Be warned!
- ‘Share your time, resource and network widely.’ Sharing is caring!
- ‘Always go for win-win’. Make this your process and end-goal.
- ‘Never mind who takes credit for your work’. The secret of any success!
- “Take a small action, improve it repeatedly (for years)’ Don’t underestimate the power of persistence.
- ‘Nepal doesn’t need to change. I do.’ Realize this noble truth.
If you already live your life with these ideals, then bravo! you are a shining example of a Nepali for the rest of us. As for the rest of us it’s high-time we start ‘becoming’ a Nepali.
Nepal is molded from the dreams and aspirations of each of us. How wonderful would it be if we each strived to become the very ideals we dream for our nation !
So will you “become” a Nepali?