K Haridas NairTALENT A GIFT - CHARACTER A CHOICE>> Character lapses have a way of revealing itself. A serious in congruency between rhetoric and walking the talk exposes us at the most embarrassing of moments. Besetting sins can only be addressed as we acknowledge our weaknesses. This is possible through developing the capacity to examine ourselves and our living.

K Haridas NairLove Starts from Home>> “Change starts with me” is not about blaming our parents and seeing how wrong they have been to me. They tried to do their best in spite of themselves. It is about understanding what has happened and by looking at ourselves and our families so that we find that needed understanding and healing which helps us from not repeating the same mistakes with our own families.

K Haridas NairTrust, Integrity & Positive Change>> I am not a saint with flapping wings to come and speak on Trust, Integrity and Positive Change. I can assure you that my feet are squarely on the ground… I am a very ordinary person & like many of you as I sit and watch news over TV, get disturbed and at times even agitated. Let us consider some recent events-the world as it is now reported...

K Haridas NairAn Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living!>> It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ This was a call for personal responsibility and action. The shortcomings in the world can perhaps best be tackled by dealing with the shortcomings in people. Similarly, it was Frank Buchman, the initiator of ‘Initiatives of Change’ (IofC) who emphasized the obvious, ‘Change must start with oneself '.

K Haridas NairDemonizing the ‘Other’>> The agenda ultimately sets the tone for action. It provides the context within which decisions are made. The underlying intentions and motives are often well disguised. But they drive the agenda and set in motion clear targets and goals. The whole process then gets a life of its own. Other interested parties join the bandwagon. It is usually cast as an ‘us versus them’ agenda that is presented on a moral high ground to maximize support.

K Haridas NairLevels of Faith>> Reading Brigid Marlin’s book, From East to West I came across Cerno Bokar, the West African Sufi mystic, who, when asked about the different kinds of faith, did not enumerate the different world religions or traditions. Instead, he stressed that faith was what was inside individuals. The depth of faith depended on the spiritual level reached, whatever be the name of the religion or tradition that he or she subscribed to.

K Haridas Nair 'Humanity', our Shared Conscience>>A few months ago I attended a conference on the theme 'Humanity in War' with the subtitle 'Even wars have limits'. Organized by the Asia Europe Institute and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) the conference advocated 'International Humanitarian Laws' which are critical in times of war and violence. One immediately sensed the paradox of associating humanity with war.

K Haridas NairThe Malaysian Challenge>> Malaysia provides an example of power balance within a multi-ethnic society. A large immigrant population of ethnic Indian and Chinese origins were brought in during the colonial period. Since achieving independence fifty years ago, the country has tried to balance political and economic interests amongst the various ethnic communities.

Nigel HeywoodBreaking the Legacy of Hatred>> ‘My family is extreme and they find it hard to accept things from other people and places,’ says an Indonesian student. ‘But step by step my heart is opening and I can accept people from different religions and countries.’