We, humans, pride ourselves about our diverse nature. We believe that the complex number of variations in our skills, aptitudes and beliefs are the reason because of which humans—more than any other species, have dominated the planet. However, occasionally our variation in nature is something that we need to be cautious of.
For every exemplary person in this world who has contributed in colossal quantities to make the world a better place, unfortunately, exist people whose only goal at the end of the day is to evoke visceral reactions from others and to leave the world a little more disintegrated and chaotic than it was before.
Even as we have been brought down to our knees by an organism that would make a rice grain look like a skyscraper, we are yet to learn that one lesson that could not be more obvious and easy to achieve, but could not be harder to sustain.
Unity, love, equality. These worlds have been propagated for eras but continue to persist as the goals that have not been and, unfortunately, will not be achieved in the foreseeable future.
People have been amazingly generous empathetic and passionate in these trying times to fellow humans and on the flip side of the coin, these times have been used as a way to lash out in cruelty and hate against those who are unlike us.
Racism against people of Eastern Asian descent has become much more obvious and brutal. And it seems to be validated just because the virus had originated in Wuhan? It is heart wrenching to see how anything and everything can be used as a valid reason by malicious people to ratify their actions.
But the cruelty isn’t simply Covid-19 related.
From all around stories of discrimination against people of colour, animal cruelty, continue spread and shock us to our core.
George Floyd—a man who was robbed of his life only because of the shade of his skin. A person whose death was a sickening execution by a “white man who was paid by public taxes to prevent the very events that he HIMSELF perpetrated” has now become the cause for the world erupting into uproar.
Even as people have taken to the streets to fight for what’s right, the opposite choses apathy. Tales of increasing cruelty against Afro Americans and those who support them continue to emerge. Though America seemingly supports all people it was a country built on racism and oppression, which is now simply hidden, but still present.
And this is a country that is considered to be one of the most developed countries on the planet.
Who gives us the right to think of ourselves as superior to someone on the basis of colour? Who gives us the right to think of ourselves as superior to ANY HUMAN for ANY REASON?
The answer: NO ONE
It is appalling to see how divided we are and its worse that our divisions are skin deep, literally. Humans have achieved so much and yet the only time when we unite is when it’s against other HUMANS!
But unfortunately the malice doesn’t limit itself to being inflicted only on humans. We have foolishly damaged our planet, we foolishly continue to hunt and torture beautiful creations of nature only to amuse ourselves. The recent story of the wild elephant in Kerala is not even the worst done to animals right now. It simply happened to be one of millions of disgusting events of animal torture that managed to reach the limelight. We have colonised this planet and we will possibly do the same to other planets in the future. Are these the kinds of actions that we want to be defined by?
No
But these WILL be the actions we are defined by unless we understand our duties towards other creatures and the planet that watched as we evolved from apes and provided us all we’ve ever needed.
From “intellectually and physically strong humans whose goal was to develop quicker than before” we have devolved into a superficial and frivolous version of our previous self.
We MUST learn to be empathetic, to love everyone regardless of the parts of identities that they inherited without a choice. We must acknowledge the privileges we have and utilise them to help those born without the same. We must work towards a society where differences are seen as more tools in cabinet rather than hindrances, because at the end of the day that’s what makes us human, that’s the reason we are where we are now. If the world was just filled with scientists and bankers exclusively then we would not have developed because there would be no one to do the manual labour.
Hatred and cruelty is now like dust in the air, something we cannot see even as we continue to choke on it. Something that will only be visible until we let the light in.
And we must hasten to let the light in, quickly, before the darkness becomes eternal.
Virenn Jay, XII D
Virenn Jay has already received one of our notable “Introductions.” To go for another is simply not doable in our time constraints and hence we’re going to compartmentalise and write “This division is Work in Progress. Kindly check in later!”
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Picture Credits: @Olive_Green_Duo
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