Light in Darkness
 Amma
returns to India and is welcomed by devotees and the media alike.
November 26, 2002 - Amma returned from Her European and American
Tour today. Upon Her arrival in Kochi, She took part in a press
conference organized in the context of Her winning the Gandhi-King
Award for Non-violence. Amma answered questions for about half an
hour.
Amma told the assembled reporters that Martin Luther King, Jr.
and Mahatma Gandhi had dedicated their lives to humanity. Amma said
that we need more people like them and that She would be happy if
more people dedicated their lives to the service of humanity like
King and Gandhi.
In response to a question regarding violence in India, Amma said
that although we may be in the midst of darkness, we all have a
light within. We can use that light to see the path, to walk. Talk
alone is not enough. We must act. We are all links in a chain. We
are not isolated islands. Don't expect the other person to change
before you yourself change. You have to change first and then inevitably
the others will change too.
Another journalist asked about the differences Amma sees between
people of India and the Western countries. Amma said that in the
West people are self-reliant and can stand on their own feet. She
said that the Indians need to cultivate this quality, this self-sufficiency.
She said that on the other hand Indian society is rich in love and
that we shouldn't lose that. She also warned against blindly mimicking
aspects of Western culture that don't suit us.
Another question was about the decline in the quality of family
life and morality in India. Amma said, these days in a family of
three, the family members are like three islands. This trend is
increasing day by day. In the next 10 years, the situation could
worsen to such an extent that parents may have to book a place in
old age homes to secure their futures -- they won't be able to depend
on their children. Amma then said that the media should work for
the establishment of dharma. "Media also has an important role
in maintaining the culture, so you have to do your part."
In response to a question about what Indian parents can do to protect
their children from sexual exploitation, Amma said parents must
begin educating their children about these issues, as is done in
the West, otherwise the children will fall easy victim to sexual
deviants.
Amma also said that the gap between mothers and children is increasing
because of the mothers' need to work and contribute to the family
income. They are not able to spend much time with their children
and therefore the proper bonding between mother and child doesn't
take place. If motherly love and guidance are not given at the right
age, then the children become wayward. Amma went on to tell a story
illustrating the present condition of society: one mother was always
tense because her daughter wouldn't tell her anything about things
that she did; another mother was always tense because her daughter
told her everything about the things she did. Amma said that mothers
need to understand their children. It is due to this lack of understanding
that the gap between mother and children is increasing.
After the press conference, Amma continued on Her way to Amritapuri,
where Her ashram children were waiting to see Her after Her two-month
absence.
|
About
Amma
In
the Media