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How many times have we heard someone say, Man, the world is so messed up.

Terrorists here, corruption there, and poverty, illiteracy and famine everywhere? Or how about, Good God! What is the government doing? Cheating people, taking bribes, fake encounters by the police, harbouring terrorists, and turning a deaf ear towards our problems? Such phrases are especially common in the early mornings, when people generally read the newspapers. How many times have we said it ourselves? The world of today is faced with many problems. Like the generations before us, a majority of the population has preferred to sit back and complain about the aforementioned difficulties, instead of actually doing something about it. And why should we, when there are businesses to run, profits to rake in, and families to support? Isnt that what politicians are for? We do not try for improvement, preferring instead to criticize those who are. Although, more often than not, we tend to be justified in our opinions. We continue to find fault in the world, and dump the burden of solving these problems on our government. Both the people and the government are equally liable for the situation we currently find ourselves in. Terrorism threats, corruption, scams, riots; what are we getting ourselves into? We seem to be finding problems everywhere, but not solutions. But solutions do exist. Its just that man has been so caught up in his daily personal and corporate life that he has been oblivious to them. The solution lies with us. Change. Mahatma Gandhi once said, You must be the change you want to see in the world. What do we need to change? Nearly everything about us needs to be changed, our outlook on various subjects, our perception, our attitude, our nature, our circumstances, everything. We are always complaining about how the government is corrupt, does not give enough weightage to peoples demands. How our leaders are always looking for ways to rake in the money. Now imagine how much our government can change, if only we change ourselves. If we become more determined, maybe a little more confident of what one person can do, then perhaps we would become more susceptible to beneficial change. Imagine; if we change our attitude towards the government, then perhaps our politicians would also be a little more open towards us. There would be much greater co-operation between the administration and the people. If we appreciated the fragile position our government is in, knowing that it has to work for the general good and not only one particular locality, then the government would definitely be under a lot less pressure than before, and could definitely function better. Dont get me wrong; Im not defending only the government. The government is definitely responsible. Complaints pending for weeks on end, bribes being taken, lakhs of crores worth of black money being laundered, where does it all end? If we change our ideals and outlook on illegalities such as theft, cons, et.al. then eventually the legislature will change. Punishments will become harsher. Crimes will reduce. The world will become a better place. Not only us, but the government also has to change. That change, however, needs to come from us. India is a successful democracy. This means that our leaders are influenced and chosen by the people and their values. Thus, if we change, then the entire government can be reformed. Starting with one person, the whole world can change. It only takes a little effort on ones behalf. Societal transformation is not possible without individual transformation. If we change, then the future looks much brighter

Terrorism. One nine-letter word that can strike fear into even the bravest of hearts. It is one of the few issues that are actually affecting the whole world at the same time. What can we change about terrorism, you ask? Once again, the first step lies with us. We have to change our tolerance. Will we tolerate a handful of deluded extremists coming into our country and treating us in this way? Will we continue to pay heed to all of their demands, regardless of how warped or horrible they may be? I should think not. We must change our attitudes. We should put pressure on the government, put pressure on the countries that harbor and give shelter to terrorists, and let the government know our views. For this, we must change our attitudes. A zero-tolerance policy must be implemented. The initiative for implementing this lies with the people. With sufficient pressure put on the government, such stringent norms and laws can be implemented. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Said our respected former-president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Dont you think its about time that changed? Another extremely provident issue today is poverty. The number of people below the thin red line of poverty is greater now than ever. As a consequence, other problems such as illiteracy, ignorance, and vices. As of 2011, only 74.04% of India is literate. Although this is a tremendous improvement as compared to the situation in 1950, where only 18% of the population was educated, there is still a long way to go. We need to change our attitude towards the illiterate, and help them receive a proper education, rather than sitting back comfortably and inveighing against the current system. If each person educates one other, then Indias educative backward-ness could be solved forever! All the above examples boil down to one thing. Can we as Indians, as citizens of the world, make a change? Do we have it in us to make a difference? Anna Hazare does. And he is the type of man we should look to for inspiration. Not some permanently drunk, multimillionaire rapper on Hollywood Boulevard. For those of us who are slightly skeptic on the issue, here is a poem written by school teacher Julia Fletcher Carney in 1845: Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean, And the pleasant land. So the little moments, Humble though they be, Make the mighty ages, Of eternity. Everything starts small. Dreams, hopes, love, anguish, joy, whatever it may be, they all begin with one thought. In much the same way, large-scale societal changes also begin with one individual. They say that change is the need of the hour. Surely then, the most effective way to bring about beneficial differences in the world around us would be to start small. If we all try sufficiently hard enough, then perhaps there is a hope for making good in the world. This is an essay-writing competition. Doubtless you as an examiner would have seen many essays better than this one. But my aim here is not to win. It is to make the world a

better place for us and our future generations. If even one of us can go home and start just one small chain of change, then it will eventually snowball into something great. And then, when the world is a better place, will I feel that I have made a difference.

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