An Open Letter to my kids and every other kid.
Dear kids,
Today you celebrate the birthday of a man who is perpetually on trial. You too may judge him, if you please.
The power to freely judge was placed in your hands by him as he dreamt of a vibrant democracy that will survive the test of time and that will survive trying times. So, go ahead and judge him.
He would feel proud that after close to 70 years, that ability to freely think, freely question, freely make up our minds and freely judge is still alive in the country he dreamt up.
To judge well you need to know well. To know well means to be learned. So learn. Today that is your primary responsibility. Tomorrow you will have other equally important responsibilities but they will all depend on how you dealt with this one.
Learn about him and countless others who gave up decades of their lives and sometimes their life itself so that you can have a life where you can freely think and openly question.
To judge well you need to think well. To think well means to eliminate cobwebs from your mind. That requires housekeeping because dirt flies freely and settles down thick. Instead, make thought fly freely in a clean mind and through a cleaner heart. Think up not just actions but consequences of your actions as well.
Above all love.
Happy Childrens Day.