Let us move from a

decade of decay
towards a direction
of development .
Let us move from
dependence on
entitlements to
empowerment.
I have been reading almost
for the past one decade a lot
of excellent expositions on
empowerment from men and
women of eminence,
expertise and experience.
Some of them have made
certain statements that can
easily be included into the
anthology of quotable
quotes.
Many of them have
emanated, especially from
people with a proven and
successful track record of
empowering a group of new
generation of educated
executives, entrepreneurs,
educators etc.
Though I read with interest all
these, I have this bad habit of not
letting anything unassimilated and
untransformed by my mind and
pen. So, I feel compelled to pen
down some of my observations.
While some of them
noted that empowerment
in the 21st century is
holistic: it is centered in
groups or organizations,
rather than individuals.
A collective vision or
goal must encourage
and engage the spirit of
the individuals
involved in the group.
Here empowerment
shifts from
individual-centered
to collective-
centered.
Empowerment is a process of including
everyone in a collective vision, helping
everyone to lead towards that vision,
planning, acting and learning together
to build an empowered society where
there is a feeling of collective
empowered identity.
While another group of essays
contended that the concept of
empowerment implicit in
empowerment projects of the
past is no longer adequate for
dealing with the complexities
of present day lifestyles.
So, empowerment in reality rests
on individuals who must be
capable of taking charge of almost
all aspects of their lives and also
inspiring and influencing others to
solve problems and achieve goals.
Thus, each individual
who is empowered
must have a vision
and ability to master
the forces of change.
Empowerment is a
process that will be a
bottom-up
transformation of fluid,
all-inclusive, action
oriented force that is
fueled by shared power.
Although various scholars and authors
differ in their scope and focus when
describing changes required to bring
about the empowerment most of them
in fact unwittingly have advocated
growth or its manifestation in terms a
competitive and self centered approach
than a community based commitment.
Empowerment is
rather a multi
layered and
complex structure.
Empowerment in general can be
said to be at the individual level,
regional level, national level and
ideologically identifying groups
with similar tastes, life styles,
aspirations and so on socially,
culturally, educationally and
intellectually
Identities, associations
and groups get more complicated
and multiplied in number all the
more now thanks to the internet and
enhanced more vigorously by social
networks.
The most positive aspect of this
vast opportunity for horizontal
interaction globally has reduced
to a very great extent the perils
of identity crisis which forced
youth to be isolated within their
locally or regionally accepted
modes of identity.
At the individual
level empowerment
is what each of us
summons from
within.
In this respect, certain qualities
that we set as benchmark for
empowerment will be found
distributed among many people
who in community are expected to
be accountable, responsible and
concerned about vital issues;
Therefore, in that sense,
empowerment is rather a fluid
concept focusing on those behaviors
which propel the development of
society as a whole.
In brief empowered society can
emerge only when there is
enough encouragement and
active promotion of
empowerment with adequate
propaganda and publicity about
all that lead to empowerment.
However, for this to happen, we must be clear
about the fact that empowerment is a process
starting from the personal empowerment which
must be a manifestation of a comprehensive
mixture of spiritual, humane, economic and
psychological blossoming of the individual
promoting important values of trust,
commitment, sharing, and collective ownership
leading to empowerment of the whole society. It
cannot be created by any single straight
jacketed formula or prescription.
We must realize
that empowerment
is a process and
not a product
Empowerment is
something that is
achieved over time,
not overnight.
It is a process
but with a
specific desired
outcome
It is a process that
starts from a mere
permission and goes
on to assume power.
It is a process that
progresses not by
conversion and subversion
but through
communication and
illumination.
It is a process that
we must ensure is as
equable and as
humane as
possible.
It is a process where the
grand motive force must
be to change for the
better and learn how to
multiply the positive
aspects of it with wisdom
and mercy.
It is a process in which all must realize the
sacred bond uniting or integrating each of us
to the rest of existence not necessarily through
any particular organized or institutionalized
set up. Because, even in matters of religion such
approaches lead inevitably to further
complications of identity and rivalry both healthy
and unhealthy among different institutions and
organizations.
It is a process of
collective endeavor
as many great events
in history have
proved
It is process where the driving
motto in modern times must be to
network and to organize people with
similar thinking and willingness to
support and to steer ahead without
upsetting long cherished traditional,
cultural, moral and regional value
systems.
It is a process which does not
make a group of privileged
patrons whom we may term
as tomorrow-makers, decide
for the rest and make all the
rest as mere spectators of
their own future.
It is a process
that does not
constrict
the possibilities
in lives.
It is a process that must create
situations conducive to facilitate the
evolutionary migration of vast
majority of human beings through
different life conditions and value
systems to lead a better life.
It is a process that is local
as well as global as its core
principle is migration from
humiliations, inferiority
complexes into the realm of
dignity;
It is a process
that is internal
and external
It is a process
that is bottom-
up and top-
down
It is a process that is
materialistic involving
improvement of physical
comforts, improved
economic conditions and
survival tools along with
unfettered growth and
opportunities ;
It is a process that
helps development of
intellectual activities
with enough room
for expressing
emotions;
It is a process that is
that gives scope
to exhibit a variety
of social and
cultural styles and
types;
It is a process that provides
both physical and
psychological space and
freedom to pursue in
unbiased manner different
paths to experience
and express all sorts of
aspirations.
It is a process that must be done
without any parochial or sectarian
'ism' be it political or religious with
a mutual respect for one another
and reciprocal encouragement from
one another leading to real
empowerment with peace
unhindered by any identity either of
the individual or group.
It is a process wherein we
must realize the
importance of
experimentation and
improvisation rather than
following an established
game plan.
It is a process that does not rely
on the hypotheses that current
trends will carry forward into the
future at roughly the same rate
and it must note that this is as
wrong as the clich that history
repeats itself because whenever or
wherever it has repeated the
manifestations and impacts,
contexts and situations were
totally different.
It is a process that
reminds us that fault lies
as Peter says, "The
difficulty in times of
turbulence is not the
turbulence, but to
respond with yesterday's
logic."
It is a process based on
multiple factors
technological and
economic trends; social,
spiritual and cultural
factors.
It is a process especially women
empowerment , as India does not have one,
thanks to internal regional and religious
taboos along with political indifference for
almost six decades, we have the opportunity
to study and learn from other societies
which are empowered in different aspects
and avoid the mistakes that they have
committed and take care to include the
things that they have omitted so that,
though our empowerment is delayed, it is
highly dazzling in its entire splendor.
It is a process that
must prompt pride
of ancestry to
promote hope for
the future.
It is a process that must
enhance life in its totality in
all major facets the physical,
mental, emotional, material
and socio-cultural-spiritual
etc.
It is a process that must take
note of constantly changing
and evolving global
influences, local
impediments and
interferences by the groups,
which feel that they may lose
their importance due to
empowerment.
It is a process that
must be followed up
with an appeal of a
visionary and zeal of a
missionary.
It is a process wherein we must
focus with intense totality and
total intensity for tangible
improvements, and ignore the
lotus-eaters, luddites and all
illogical and unloving
criticisms.
It is a process
that must have
clarity in terms
of priority
It is a process from a
national perspective
must chose the most
potential and vital
group of
demography
It is a process that has to
be developed almost as an
ideology to be followed
with a fanatical zeal
backed by massive
publicity.
 It is a process
effecting massive
changes and hence
is a complex
undertaking.
It is a process which must
ensure maximum synergy
in the relationships
between collaborative and
participatory groups.
It is a process
designed to help
people help
themselves and
improve their lives.
It is a process that
evolves through the
interplay of natural
talents, opportunities,
challenges and
motivations.
It is a process which even
if does not lead one to
the decision making
chair will at least lead
one to the window of the
decision making room to
know what types of
decisions are being taken
It is a process
that must target
all youth
especially girls.
It is a process that must project the
reality along with positive solutions as is
being done recently by the Government
of India and slowly veer away the gullible
masses from manipulative lobbies of
negative fixations of various hues who
make a business out of victimhood
peddling and problem projections.
It is a process that must effectively change the
perspectives, attitudes and thereby the trends away
from the radar of pathetic political parties which
along with their sponsored mass opinion prompting
media houses, aiding and abetting bureaucrats and
the sponsoring business communities, who all spend
in millions on projects to publicize linguistic
chauvinism, activities aimed promote capturing
votes of the illiterate masses and many such futile
activities while the majority of youth are mere
passive spectators of these puerile and putrefying
activities.
It is a process which must make the youth demand
more opportunities to learn; more institutes of very
high quality higher education which should become
brand names of higher education; more institutes for
Research and Development activities on many fields;
more attention to protect our nations environment
and preserve its natural resources; promote
agricultural growth; demand economic development
and availability of all facilities and infrastructure for
leading a decent life in all the rural areas as well.
It is processes that must ensure
as many aspects are taken care
of which would automatically
lead economic development and
social welfare. As Jane
Goodall says, The greatest
danger to our future is apathy."
Also see for good
articles on
Empowerment
http://www.selfgrowth.
com/empower_articles.
html
 Women Empowerment and Feminism

http://contentwriteups.blogspot.in/2014/07/womens-freedom-and-feminism.html

http://contentwriteups.blogspot.in/2013/10/women.html

http://contentwriteups.blogspot.in/2013/07/empowerment-review-and-reflection.html

http://contentwriteups.blogspot.in/2014/01/feminism-and-feminists.html

http://contentwriteups.blogspot.in/2009/04/androcentric.html

http://contentwriteups.blogspot.in/2009/04/women-of-india.html

http://contentwriteups.blogspot.in/2013/07/women-quotes-by-great-women.html