There are many ways to express one’s ideas, views and opinions on various issues and the most potent of them all is by writing them down. Of course, what is written must be disseminated to the target audience for wider reach but it all starts with writing in the first place. Unfortunately, very few people in Mokokchung have the desire to write. History of the world has been shaped by writers. That’s how important writing is. Public opinions are molded by writers. It is not for nothing that they say, “Pen is mightier than the sword.” Write we must.
Writing as a skill set can be honed. Apart from expressing one’s opinions and enjoying one’s freedom of expression, writing also equips us with communication and thinking skills. It also fosters our ability to explain and refine our ideas to others and ourselves. Writing skills are also an important part of communication. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so on, which are major parts of communication, can also be improved upon when we learn how to use writing as means of expressing our ideas and messages clearly and directly to our listeners or readers.
Apart from that, we can contribute a lot to society by sharing our ideas, suggestions and opinions for common good by writing and sharing them. Most of us have access to the internet and smartphones these days. Writing has never been easier than today in the history of humanity. Sharing our writings is just a click away. We share fragments of our thoughts and opinions on various issues by commenting on social media platforms. Most of us today have a WhatsApp number and are members of at least a few WhatsApp groups. We share our opinions there. Even if we don’t, we at least form an opinion in our mind on every given issue. Because we are conscious beings. Still, we tend to shelve it all when it comes to writing and publishing them with the wider audience in mind. We have so many intellectuals and academics among us latent with brilliant ideas which, if shared, could possibly impact the lives of many. If only they would write!
There are issues around every aspect of our lives, be it social, economic, health, spiritual, political, cultural or even philosophical. There are issues of corruption, exploitation and injustice. Issues like unemployment, alcoholism, substance abuse and hygiene abound. Entrepreneurship, education, agriculture; the list goes on. We have subject matter experts in almost all of these fields. Yet, nobody is writing! If Mokokchung, and Nagaland by extension, is to progress, we should start writing and publishing our minds. We must harness the power of writing for a better world. We must write to empower.