By Raghav Agarwal
Borders do not have the power to restrict Nature. Animals and birds - they know of no boundaries. They see no precincts. The world is but a limitless expanse. Only cages can confine them. If we look at it in human terms, the entire world is one big Zoo, and countries mere exhibits. Yet, no animal is really trapped, for cages can be broken- as they are but physical. On the other hand, Man is eternally confined. His boundaries are self-imposed and exist in his mind. Country, city, state, religion, caste are but fancy names given to cages man has trapped himself in. He has the key- the power to get out- but the restrictions, once psychological, have taken physical shape, and to escape has become next to impossible. One man, or a few, or many, may erase the notion from their minds but billions of others exist to hamper their every move. Yes, we have divided the world, and the divisions now run so deep, ever expanding, that the very core is crumbing from within.
I am an Indian. And, yes, I am excited that India’s 65th Republic Day is upon us. I look forward to it for the vibrant parade that will be held on Raj path that day, showcasing India’s colourful cultures in all their glory. I am respectful because it pays tribute to the great day when the struggle of our valiant freedom fighters was rewarded and India finally became a Republic. I am proud because it depicts a society that believes in equality and justice, and where strife is absent. I am not proud because I was born an Indian. I am sure I would have been just as proud had I been born any other place. I love India because it is the place where I've grown up, the place I call home, and the land that has nurtured me. But that does not give me the right to put down any other nation and its people. The main reason for the conflict prevalent today is that we've lost the ability to respect and tolerate. We say we respect Mother Earth and we pray to her. Yet we say that one land is better than another. What right to we have to discriminate against Mother Earth?
Boundaries have only divided us and made us less human. All disputes are territorial or religious or ethnic. All of us hate conflict, and the strife prevalent between our countries and religions fills our hearts with remorse. All of us, at some point of time, some more often than others, have found ourselves wishing for the brutality of this aggression and bloodshed to be over; but to no avail. Even as we wish and pray, a soldier dies somewhere in Afghanistan, a bomb explodes in Pakistan, an Indian Muslim is baselessly interrogated in America, and a whole family is shot to death in Jerusalem.
Why could the Earth not have been one land? I understand I can be given a thousand reasons why not, but the concept of it, this utopian Earth, is tempting. I wish we could strive for it. Peace will never come, not in a hundred years, not in a hundred millennia, if we keep the fire of prejudice and favouritism burning in our hearts. For every word uttered in scorn acts as fuel to the blazing fire of world dispute, while every statement uttered in Love acts as a gentle drop of rain.
Why could the Earth not have been one land? I understand I can be given a thousand reasons why not, but the concept of it, this utopian Earth, is tempting. I wish we could strive for it. Peace will never come, not in a hundred years, not in a hundred millennia, if we keep the fire of prejudice and favouritism burning in our hearts. For every word uttered in scorn acts as fuel to the blazing fire of world dispute, while every statement uttered in Love acts as a gentle drop of rain.