Spirit of Islam, Jul-Aug 2024

I N today’s world, people are so engrossed in their day-to-day lives that they are only concerned with fulfilling their responsibilities. They have no time to think of helping others, forming good relations, building a better society, and developing their nation. If we want to usher in real change in a nation, we must first change individual thinking and conduct so that citizens may develop patriotism and national character by thinking of India first. The national character of its citizens plays the most crucial role in building a nation. The national character of its citizens is essential in nation-building, just as the quality of bricks is vital in construction work. A house made of unfired bricks is unsafe because any calamity, even a minor one, can bring it down. On the other hand, a building made of kilnfired bricks can be trusted to withstand the onslaught of tempests and floods. Similarly, citizens with a character so tempered that they can be depended upon through thick and thin—like the kiln-fired bricks—build a nation in the long run. On the other hand, building a nation without laying a solid foundation in its individuals is like building sandcastles, which will soon crumble away. Trees show us how to develop character. A tree’s roots are deeply embedded in the soil, its trunk rises, and its branches spread out high above. Through this, the tree shows how to usher in real change in a nation’s citizens: first consolidation and then expansion, where consolidation means to establish one’s base in the ground firmly; expansion means to spread out everywhere. For example, if you want to successfully educate individuals for life, you must train young learners’ INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL SHIFT THE FOCUS TO DUTY-BASED APPROACH Indians should make ‘excellence’ their goal; they should not accept anything less. In doing so, not only will they reach great heights of success, but they will also be able to reform society along constructive lines and make India invincible.