You have a whole life before you. You have bodies and minds which will grow and mature and serve you in the future. Exciting times lie ahead. In the society you live in, you have the freedom to express your own instincts and satisfy your desires and impulses without serious obstacles or retribution. This freedom is based on a new found legitimacy for individualistic behaviour in speech, dress manners and, even more importantly, the freedom to select your sexual partner and profession. But, being human, you will tend to make mistakes and cause pain and suffering to yourself and others. Try and reduce this to the minimum and always apologise sincerely for your errors.
The older generations have never been confronted with such a stark choice between modernity and tradition as yours is today. In a basic sense, our society is now dominated by unrestricted materialism and sexuality—materialism tends to drive us to compulsive acquisition and sexuality to random acts of impulsive pleasure. Our traditional society cannot cope with these phenomena and we see it collapsing under the strain.
At the same time, the modernity that we are experiencing is derived from largely American notions which are not rooted in the experience of our people. Straddling two cultures had never been easy for our generation but the elements of modernity, especially in social and cultural terms, are now more apparent, dynamic, attractive and compulsive.
For your generation the task is to try and balance modernity and tradition without suffering from individual psychological and social trauma and raising questions of personality of who you really are. This requires recognition of a set of values which allow you to prioritise alternatives before you. This is further complicated by competing sets of values of modernity and tradition. It is not an easy proposition but it needs to be done to avoid being caught up in the chaos that surrounds us.
We are seeing the abandonment of traditional cultural and religious requirements of, or restraints to, individual and collective behaviour. An entirely new world has been created with the powerful effect of technology on everyday life and the demands of a dynamic economy, society and polity. That is why it is difficult, if not impossible, for anyone twice your age to give you any advice which can help you navigate the world we live in.
Not only is the country more prosperous but as individuals entering government service you are among the top 1 per cent of the population in terms of income. You have status, power and influence combined with security. Your professional career and income will grow incrementally over your lifespan regardless of what you do or don’t do. You can choose to be an honest officer. Yours is a future very few people will experience.
The downside is the extraordinary limitations that government service imposes on you. You are expected to follow rules and regulations and uphold the law. The repetitive nature of the work allows for very little innovation, discretion and development of your personality and potentialities. It’s the price you pay on entering government service.
But you have to try your best to bring positive elements into your life—if possible into your workplace routine. Be generous and polite to your subordinates and citizens—that always helps to create a happy workplace and make you a better person. Nothing stops you from living an intense personal life which will offset the internal politics and banality of official life. This is the real work-life balance to aim for.
There will be plenty of victories and defeats in your life. Find and retain friends who will always be happy at your victories and ready to commiserate with you in your defeats. Sometimes you will find them among your own family members if you don’t take them for granted. It is vital for you to maintain your bodily and mental health. Proper nutrition and exercise is crucial—beauty is a reflection of your body. Limitation in consumption of alcohol is advisable especially if you are drinking in company of the other sex as then things tend to get out of hand.
Analyse the important components of your personality —and of your spouse—so that you both can take this into account in having a stable and productive relationship. Read and write as much and as frequently as possible —this is the only known way of thinking. Social media can be liberating but also dangerous. Write for yourself: a secret diary or notes you could share with close friends. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday—not who someone else is today. You should be the only one to measure yourself.
Life is full of suffering and tragedy—with some evil always lurking. Individual happiness is an accident—when it strikes, enjoy it fully for it won’t last. Confront suffering and tragedy head-on and don’t blame anyone or anything. Do your best to reduce the pain caused.
What you possess is the ability to take on responsibility and the willingness to pursue a life of meaning—meaning which you have to choose for yourself. This is really the key to making something of yourself, contributing to your family’s comfort and, maybe then, to help your community. If you do this much and no more you would have done enough. More than this is for heroes and heroines. The nation is too large and too complex for you to influence it. It will take care of itself if you take good care of yourself.
(This is an excerpt from a speech to trainee officers at HRD Institute of Telangana)