Do you sometimes think you’re too good for this world? Do you sometimes think the world’s too good for you? Do you sometimes think that you’re in a separate realm, stuck between actual reality and your version of reality? It’s quite common. It’s actually priceless, those moments of sticking your head into the refrigerator and wondering what’s going on with life, staring at a blank wall which actually in your mind is projecting the future or an eventful past, walking into a room and forgetting what you walked in for. All these little moments could well be defining moments of your life. Life is but a culmination of all these tiny moments of joy, sorrow, agony, vexation, irritation, sadness, love, excitement, thrills, disappointments, and peace put together in winding timelines. Think of the world; and life in its entirety as a network of neurons. Interconnected, entwined, entangled, so beautifully complicated. In this intentionally complicated world, we come across different people with their own definitions of reality. Given all this, do you sometimes wish things were simpler? Sure you do. But that’s where we all make the fatal error of anticipating an outcome to an event, in this divine complexity. Instead of wondering why things are twisted and bent, shouldn’t we be focussing on how we can cope with our realities, without collateral damage to those of others?
Nearly 4.5 billion years ago, an accretion from a solar nebula spelt the beginning of something that would change the universe forever. 4.5 billion years ago, the earth was born. Life developed. A complexity in the cosmos, leading to this beautiful planet that is earth. Not less than 2.5 million years ago, a creature began walking on two legs on this earth trying to discover and learn to adapt and to survive. A million years later, the same creature that languidly walked around aimlessly, began to grow in numbers, found other similar creatures with mutual interests and marched into battle against itself, only in different shapes, sizes, colours, and features. With knowledge comes power. With power comes greed. With greed comes disregard for another. We all know what followed. War. Gore. Destruction. Slavery. More destruction. Resistance. More bloodshed. Haunting serenity. Confusion. Stability. War again.
Was this what the glorious multicellular life form that is Man was created for? War and a game of survival of the fittest? At some point in time, somewhere long, long, long ago a seed of poison was planted in our core. Despite all the positive characteristics that define us, it is this greed for power and superiority that drives us.
We read a lot about the technological advancements that are currently taking the world by storm, a commodity that keeps changing in the blink of an eye. As you keep reading this article, I can assure you that somewhere in this world, there is a new technological milestone that has been achieved. Driven by curiosity, we innovate. We create. But then the poison begins to take effect and we begin to think “What if a person from another part of the world can make the same thing that I have, only better?” An immoral sense of competition, a race driven world is what we see today. A million complexities, driven by a single inexplicable complexity. From pelting rocks to throwing spears to wielding swords to holding guns to flipping a switch, all our technology has inevitably been called forth to serve the purpose of self-preservation at the cost of another. I get that it is basic human nature to want to survive against all odds, but should it be at the cost of another anatomically similar person’s life? Do you ever stop to think that everything you’re using, from a simple pen to a laptop, everything’s been part of some other operation that aims at extinguishing someone else?
If God exists, and that supreme entity is the reason for our existence, was it in his/her plans to create a being so sophisticated and intelligent only to watch it burn itself? We hear migraine-inducing speeches about humanity and humanitarian activities around the world every single day that passes, but do you have an idea of what the concept actually is?
If in an abstract way humanity means being humane and benevolent, doesn’t it also mean that human would’ve also meant something similar, given that humanity is indeed derived from the word human? If being humane and collectively strong is the purpose of a human’s existence, do you sometimes think that something’s not right? Where is humanity in this world of intense competition?
However, the cause isn’t entirely lost. There are people, jewels of the species that is homo sapiens who exist among us, doing what they do, how they do it. In a crowded train filled with passengers, you do get to occasionally notice a man with amputated legs standing up to let a soon to be mother take his seat. You do get to see a happy non-heterosexual couple walk together, hand in hand without the fear of being called freaks of nature. You do get to see a transvestite person not groping someone for money. There are people who stand. There are people who fight. There are people who condemn this utter disregard for one’s personal choices. There are people who fight alongside those in need. For example, the LGBTQ has been an active part of society since the early nineties (with the generic name) but it wasn’t until a few years ago that we began to accept these people. How did it happen? It happened because people with similar vested interests came together, made their presence felt, made a mark on society, explained and fought for their rights.
If a delicate issue such as this can be handled with effective diplomacy sans bloodshed, don’t you think a much more pressing issue like a war across borders could be solved with bureaucratic elegance? Do you think that the world has had enough bloodshed? Do you think the Palestinians and Israelites deserve peace? Do you think terrorism needs to stop? Do you think Africa deserves better? Do you think Syria needs serenity? Do you think brutal atrocities need to stop?
Then come together. Take a stand and fight for what is right. Remember, violence is never the solution to anything. It is a conclave of wise, well-informed men that will always overpower an army of well-equipped soldiers because while bloodshed is a meagre roadblock, peace is a solution. Embrace the human in you, convince the people around you to understand their true nature. Let us all make an effort to dig out the actual human, as God intended him to be.
