Jain Digest 2004 11 Vol 23 No 4

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 30

2. Induct the successful and emerging Second Generation by sharing Positions and Power.
3. Senior Leaders should voluntarily make room for responsible others and turn themselves into Honorable Advisors. 4. Our organizations should recast themselves into one overall organization in 435 U.S. Political Constituencies among 50 States and Protectorates doing various activities starting from PTAS, City Councils, Multi-Faith Community/Cultural Centers, etc. 100 elected representatives, 2 per state, will form the National Council and there will be only one elected Spokes-person for all Indians at City/Local, County, State, and National/Federal level.
5. This will conserve and efficiently use the Community Resources.
All these could be achieved by the brain storming sessions among the few thinking and visionary leaders at all the constituency levels. There will be no dearth of leadership positions and every one aspiring to lead will have ample opportunities to prove. We have to place Round Pegs In Round Holes. Our responsibility will be to fulfil our Sacred Duties for our Motherland India and the Adopted Fatherland of U.S.A., Canada, U.K., etc.
Let us be Humble, but Proud at the same time for our achievements so far. We have yet to achieve higher heights/Peaks, of which we are more than capable and resourceful. Partisan Politics should be played, not for personal selfish ego trips and ulterior motives. Well-formulated Uniform Demands for India to grow into the World Leadership and Indians/NRIs the Respected Community around the world. We, Indians and India, can and will learn and out bit the Jews and Israel. For this Lofty Goals, let us all Work Together with all our Might.
JAIN DIGEST LIFE MEMBERS:
712U
713U
714U
715U
716U
717U
26 F
Kirti & Barbara Shah Sharad & Bina Gandhi
Parash & Rina Shah
Gaurav Jain
Mahesh & Sudha Shah Dinbandhu & Kumudini Shah Daksha Sanghvi
North Manchester, IN Voorhees, NJ Great Falls, VA
Rye Brook, NY
Fort Collins, CO
Ardsley Quates (Geneva)Switzerland
28/ JAIN DIGEST-Fall 2003
NY
This is a list of new Jain Digest life members whose dues were received upto Nov 15,03. Please send your $151.00 Jain Digest life membership dues to Keerti Shah, 842 Lakeside Drive, Bartlett, IL 60103 Phone: 630-837-8716.
ROLE OF SENIOR CITIZENS Sunshine and Dimension of Seniors
-Gurudev Chitrabhanuji
The world still has to recognize the true meaning and worth of 'Senior Citizens.' They are generally thought to be a spent lifeforce, graying, ageing and tottering persons who are a burden to their families and society! What the society does not recognize is that Senior Citizens are a vibrant storehouse of knowledge, experience and wisdom. They can be the nation's richest resource. Professional expertise and acumen accumulated over decades can now be made available for the betterment of the needier sections of the society, and for guidance of the youngsters who are seeking direction in their lives.
Only after a tree has seen all the seasons, particularly the heat of summer, is it able to produce its most luscious and ripe fruits. So it is also with human beings. After years of a tumultuous and eventful life, man also matures into his ripeness, when he transits to being a Senior Citizen. His truly meaningful and selfless contribution to society can be made only at this stage, when he has no other bindings, except to share his 'worth' with the needy.
As Buddha sat in silence, a gardener brought him a basket of ripe mangoes, in tribute. Buddha picked a mango and offered it to the gardener, in total silence. The gardener said, "Thank you, but please show me how to live life.” Buddha again picked another mango and gave it to him, in total silence. The gardener was perplexed. He asked again, "Lord, show me how to live life." As Buddha continued his silence, his disciple said to the gardener, "Don't you understand what he is saying? He is saying that you must live life in such a way that one day you are as ripe and delicious to the world as your own mangoes!"
Similarly, I am sure that the members of the Powai Senior Citizens Association will, through their various activities and projects, bring succor to the needy and the dispossessed. Thereby, they will bring sunshine and a new dimension into the lives of others and in the process discover the richness of their own inner Self.