I Am the Change I Seek: A Primer in Self Realization

By Kathleen Suneja

Connecting to the inner self is the best means to overcome
adversity. The book is a guide to self-realization so as to
make optimal decisions to prevent being overwhelmed by an
oppressive situation. Freedom is a state of mind. One must begin by
making changes within the self to realize the depth of ones freedom.
Self-realized thoughts overcome trials and tribulations. These transform
actions based in reasoned solutions. Active learning, self correction in
self-love helps achieve optimal thoughts. Inner consciousness improves
actions that withstand adversity. This enduring philosophy is a fail- safe,
tried and true method to uphold autonomy of the self. Oppression is best
overcome with self-assured wisdom that exposes ignorance. To overcome
limited consciousness, ones identity is also open to reconsideration. The
notion of One World lies in consciously connecting to the collective as a
whole while securing ones unique individuality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465347800

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Kathleen Suneja.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011913881

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-4779-4

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-4778-7

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-4780-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

TAKING STOCK

CHAPTER TWO

ACTIVE LEARNING

CHAPTER THREE

SELF-LOVE

CHAPTER FOUR

ANGER LEADS TO RENEWAL

CHAPTER FIVE

IDENTITY

CHAPTER SIX

FUTURE THOUGHTS THAT CONTROL

CHAPTER SEVEN

THOUGHTS IN ACTION

CHAPTER EIGHT

I AM IN ALL BEINGS

To my mother

INTRODUCTION

THIS IS AN insider’s view on how to effect real change in one’s life. My journey to self-realization began during the dark days of the Cold War. As did many others, I lived in the shadow of an oppressive regime. Then I made a conscious choice to take a stand against this dictatorship and assert the rights to be free from the dictates of the regime. I made the choice and was prepared for the consequences. As I joined my voice with other like-minded persons and embarked upon this fateful journey, I was aware of the consequences of my actions. We had to overcome grave insults and death threats with uncommon courage. To the free world that watched, it was difficult to comprehend how a disorganized, unarmed mass of people could rise to peacefully change the course of their collective lives. We made a deliberate and purposeful choice to win back the freedom we had lost to dictatorship. The uncommon courage witnessed came from within each person and was guided by their inner sense of purpose at regaining freedom.

Our commitment to secure and enhance freedom for ourselves opened doors to life-changing conditions. A dictatorship is punishing and unforgiving, yet its weakness is that it cannot sustain the support of its people. The totalitarian dictatorships in the former Soviet Union spawned similarly oppressive dictators in their satellite states in Eastern Europe, Asia that stifled freedom for their citizens. The Russian people and the peoples of the former soviet bloc saw an end to repression because we stood up and joined our voices for freedom. Freedom was at risk around the world unless we did not raise our collective voices in its defense. The defense of liberty is a profound idea because it is a defense of numerous other very valued notions that ensure that people can realize their true potential. In this search for liberty, we crossed barriers of fear, hate, and anger to display uncommon courage.

At first, I was fearful of using my full name and used my initials, KK to identify myself. This was an attempt to mask my identity from the dictator’s close surveillance of me. It proved to be quite successful for a while, but not for long. I was soon discovered by the authorities such as the dreaded secret police that tracked me by informants by closely monitoring my network of friends. Although we worked in hiding and under cover of darkness, as we launched our protest, the authorities were quick to trace our whereabouts.

I was fortunate to have been a part of that generation of unarmed freedom lovers that fought against this oppression. It was a spiritual renewal that uplifted me and built faith in my own capacity to control my life. Many among us that felt this urge to act did lose their lives in the repressive state prisons or fell to bullets, but we were relentless in our pursuit as unarmed warriors of our individual consciences. What made us rise to change our circumstances was that living under oppression was far worse than the enduring hardship of the protest movement to retain our freedom. Every household, school yard, and coffee shop was filled with people with similar aspirations for freedom. A stand for freedom is difficult to smother and snuff out by a dictator because it is a notion most fundamental to our lives.

Success to end oppression has been recorded in the past. The 1940s French resistance against Nazi occupation during the Second World War was an inspiration to me. I read about the courageous acts to resist German invaders by ordinary European citizens during the Second World War. I determined that if brave unarmed civilians could succeed, I would certainly not give up without opposing Soviet dictates and control over India. My attempts caused the ruling authoritarian regime to clamp down. My friends and I were jailed for freely expressing ourselves, but our desire for freedom could not be quashed. We relentlessly pursued change in an oppressive social environment. We reasserted our spirit to redeem our faith in ourselves against notions of docility, passivity, and complicity to authoritarian decrees. As we made common cause with each other, each of us had to wake up every morning to make choices as to how our actions would change the course of our lives. I recall the ridicule and taunting words of naysayers who believed that I would be unsuccessful and was chasing a pipe dream. Dream on, they would say. The change you speak of will never happen. Indeed, they were proved wrong when the course of events revealed the latent strength of the human desire to reassert freedom.

Pursuit of this path of nonviolent resistance against an oppressive state is a challenge to one’s courage and tenacity. Resolute determination to protect freedom comes from within. To channel the energies with fortitude is to survive any insult and to take risks with life. We persevered with around–the–clock peaceful resistance for the cause of freedom. This was a necessary and important step to achieve the goal we had set for ourselves. As believers in freedom, some undertook fasting while others held protest rallies, marches and sit-ins as a display of solidarity for freedom. Enduring pain as a form of penance for freedom drew upon the best within us. The defense of freedom became our sacred duty which none could oppose in good conscience. The path was long and arduous. Relentless pursuit of our hard won victories demonstrated the strength of each person’s endurance. Each day was filled with uncertainty; uncertain as to what the next day would be like or where the events would lead. But we knew we did not have a choice but to go on speaking up for freedom. Naysayers warned that our effort would end in chaos and anarchy. The government called the protests unlawful and illegal. A dictatorship attempts to control virtually all aspects of daily life; this control meant punishment for non-compliance. Being persecuted as political prisoners we were detained without the writ of habeas corpus and denied our right to a fair trial. The Courts showed no fairness in the decisions they handed down; many were sentenced to die or locked away for an uncertain period of time. Non-violent democratic civil disobedience or Satyagraha, was a political protest tradition ingrained into modern Indian culture by Mahatma Gandhi. To unmask the falsehood of the dictator in a country committed to democracy was imperative, as the future of freedom lay in the balance.

Today, communication technology had advanced to become a game changer in our efforts to secure the path to democratic freedom. Whenever civil society is in peril of losing its freedom our energy should be engaged in using all the tools available to restoring our right to free expression. Freedom is to the conscience as breath is to survival. To stifle freedom is to take away the very essence of humanity and creativity. Upon each individual lies the weight of the decision to summon this courage to take action. Individual autonomy is stifled by any form of coercion and repression. Over time, the courage shown by past generations becomes an example for generations yet to come to assert their need to protect their liberty. I reasoned that to reach the highest level of individual consciousness, we must be assured a life without fear of repression. The act of confronting repression by a government, a person or a group requires extraordinary strength in order to overcome their iron grip over society. Breaking out of the depths of fear to overcome self-doubt is essential on this journey.

The purpose of this book is to help each person build a path to self-renewal. Understanding freedom in its most elemental form is an essential first step. We experience freedom in its fullest sense when we renew the self. Growth of the self