Question to Radhanath Swami: How could both the politicians and the common men cooperate to create a harmonious society?
Answer by Radhanath Swami: Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you want to see in this world.” To bring a change, whether we are a leader or a layman in society, we have to take responsibility to live by the ideals that we are meant to follow in our particular roles.
A political leader should be like a wick lamp which draws oil from beneath but gives light to everyone. Similarly an administrator or a political leader has the right to extract resources from the population, but he or she should give them light in the form of material well being at the first tier and
ultimately spiritual enlightenment as the final goal.
The common man on the other hand needs to internalize the four principles of civilized human society: compassion, truthfulness, internal cleanliness, and austerity. While personally cultivating these principles, we should cast our ballot in favour of those leaders who exemplify these qualities.
Whoever we are, we need to also seek a deep inner meaning to life, and we need to lead a life centred on selfless service.
