The Time Has Come.. By Veronica Paul (Edit2 July Aug 2007)

The time has come for each one of us, Christians in India, to take stock of where we stand today vis-a-vis the rest of the nation. India is on the threshold of a great future and yet as a community, we exist on the fringes of mainstream society especially in business and public service. To add to our woes, we are also looked upon as a minority with a soft underbelly, our votes don't count, our voices are not heard and we are discriminated against. We need to understand that while this impacts the whole community, it also affects each one of us individually. It is not about someone in a faroff distant corner of India who is being victimized. It is about you and me. Here and now. When one of our community members is discriminated against, our individual strength is eroded. How can we change this? Through Power: 1. Economic Power, 2. Intellectual Power, and the 3. Power of Conviction. Firstly and fundamentally, we need to raise the bar in terms of prosperity and education. Next, we need to make a paradigm shift in our own way of thinking. Finally, we need to influence how others perceive us. In other words, we need to become an economic, intellectual and dynamic powerhouse. In this section of a 3-part analysis, I would like to focus on: Economic Power. Economic strength is power, whichever way you look at it. Money oils the wheels of society and affects every social relationship. It is not an end by itself but is certainly a means to almost everything. I do believe that we Christians have been living in denial regarding its importance and relevance to our wellbeing. We treat it as a necessary evil. It is high time we gave it the respect that it deserves. But to do this, we must first accept the fact that economic prosperity and the creation of wealth do not run counter to Christian teachings. We are in fact exhorted by God to earn our bread and to use our money judiciously. In the parable of the ten talents, the servant who multiplied his wealth was rewarded, the one who did not was penalised. God endowed Solomon with singular wisdom and vast riches in order to empower him to further God's plan on earth. Money should not be our master, but rather, a useful servant. I do believe, therefore, that that we owe to ourselves to be financially sound and prudent. Economic strength constitutes inherited wealth, property and the ability to create wealth. Previous generations by virtue of hard work, prudent spending and holding good positions in industry accumulated enough wealth to invest in equities, buy property and build a comfortable nest egg. Unfortunately, instead of multiplying these assets, many of us frittered them away through lavish lifestyles & short-term planning. As a result, the Christian community is, by and large, an impoverished lot. However, it is still not too late to stem this trend. We could start this process at our familial grassroots. Too many families today are splintered over property and inherited assets. As a result, a third party usually ends up taking advantage of the situation to the detriment of all involved. It is tragic to see that even properties that come under Catholic societies are being sold to the highest bidder in violation of society rules. Scores of families are being driven out of developed suburbs, out of the environment they grew up in, into the far flung suburbs where life is much tougher, especially for the younger generation. Let our property that has been bequeathed to us by our forefathers remain within the family or at least within the community. Today, with the rising economy, our youth does not have to migrate to foreign lands to carve a destiny for themselves. The opportunities are right here in our own backyards. In fact, a number of young people who have settled abroad are longing to return to a glorious India. Let's help them by preserving and expanding what our forefathers in their wisdom bequeathed us. We need to give our children a better future. Christians are known to be a “service community”, meaning that a large percentage work in organizations in various rungs of the hierarchy. Mostly, at the lower rungs. Why should it be that way? We have skills that are as good as anyone else, maybe better. So what holds us back. Education? Definitely, one of the reasons, but also our apathy and lack of ambition. We, our menfolk especially, are too laid back and “susegad”. Traditionally, it was the man's job to earn and support the family so that the wife could look after the children. Today, the women often end up doing “double duty” while the menfolk take it easy. I hasten to say that this is not the case in every home but increasingly, women work harder today, away from home, than in days gone by. The fallout is that our children do not get the direction, supervision and support that is so critical to their growth. We need to look at this seriously. While we have the skills to participate in the service sector, we need to also explore and challenge our capabilities in the areas of business and enterprise. Those of us who are already entrepreneurs or own small businesses need to develop critical skills to keep abreast of the latest developments in our respective fields. While business ethics come easily to us, and this is a great asset, we also need to improve on other market-driven skills and to constantly innovate. We need to stay competitive. The support of the family, especially the youth, in expanding the scope of business is invaluable. The creation of wealth also necessitates a hard look at our savings, investment and spending patterns. Many of us are risk averse, in which case, our preference should be towards prudent spending and wise investments rather than conspicuous and needless consumption. Retirement and early retirement do not necessarily mean the end of our capacity to generate income, if we so desire. Many of us have probably found that our sizeable retirement funds and early retirement packages get depleted all too rapidly given the eroding value of the rupee, high inflation and dipping interest rates. Today, there are plenty of opportunities for those who look for them. For example, there is an ongoing demand in BPO's and call centers for people with good language skills. What if some of us, who are willing and able, were to give these jobs a shot, at least on a parttime or contractual basis. This would have a 3-fold benefit, the retirees could generate extra income, the BPO's would get their manpower and most importantly, our youth could continue with their education. Sounds preposterous? Look at it this way. At this stage in life, retired folks don't have to worry about career progression, or saving up for a house, marriage, etc, and besides, they can “call it a day” at anytime without much angst. Think about it. We also need to change our attitude towards work. In western countries, there is dignity of labour, and people do not hesitate to take on any kind of honest work provided the payoff is good. When we work towards a goal, be it personal, further education, a promotion or career progression, work becomes a vehicle towards that end. Also, while working hard has its benefits, one should also aim to work smart. An idea that produces the same result with less effort is twice as valuable. That's where lateral thinking and innovation come in. To summarise, the enhancement of our economic power will definitely give us the necessary edge and confidence to make a difference to our country, to our community and, not the least, to the quality of our own lives as individuals.