United and Undefeated
Written by: Shayanika Suresh, University of Toronto
Being part of a struggle is no new idea to manhood. Every account of human life on Earth illustrates a struggle, in one form or another. Since the first recorded episode of human life on this planet, man has been in struggle with nature, making tools and weapons of stone, hunting animals and gathering plants, and now since the evolution of modern technology, he has ventured on to causing damage to the environment.
Yet, his struggle does not end here. Instead, he has found a new opponent – man. Now, the struggle continues, not between nature and man, but rather between man and himself. Weapons of all sorts – guns, rifles, bombs, tanks – all products of the technology made by man, now used against him by his very own. Explosions everywhere, deaths in infinite numbers, and in the end, no place to hide. What bothers me is not the extent to which man-made technology has grown, but rather, the lack of unity that separates the one race called humanity. One mankind now stands separated in races defined by colours – white, black, red, yellow and so on. Yet, despite its different colours, the rainbow stays united, so why can’t man? Perhaps it is money, or the desire for power, or simply ego of man. Whatever it is, it has set us off on a journey to our own destruction. Anything can only remain undefeated, when it is together. A pack of wolves could attack and make off with their prey, but a lone wolf, even a strong one, is sure to become prey.
Even when humans lived in the forests or as nomads, surviving off the carcasses of animals and fruits from the trees, they were united – they lived together, worked together and ate together. Today, each one of us has created a mini world for ourselves, in which we live, separated from our own race – mankind. Yet, this detachment is such that in upholding it, we might be reason for our own destruction. Instead, greet the person who shares the bus with you each morning, smile at those who work with you, lend a helping hand to those who are in need, not just to those who speak your mother-tongue. Only then, will you pave the path to your own freedom, and therein lies true happiness.
