PEACE: AN ETERNAL QUEST

             It was half past nine in the morning and the second period has just started. Miss Latifah, donning a black robe with a blend of gold and silver embroideries, covering her head with a headscarf which looks just ideal with her robe walked into her classroom. Miss Latifah , who graduated with a degree in Finance and Economics from University of Al-Ahzar teaches Mathematics and has begun writing some basic algebraic equations on the board. Malik, clad in a dark blue shirt and long black pants diligently copy the equations from the cracked, deplorable blackboard. The classroom which could accommodate about 20 pupils is yet to be painted with some unfixed broken window panes and cracked bricks. Malik and his friends could only depend on a single fan to keep the class ventilated from the scorching heat of summer with occasional, unexplainable power cuts. The quiet, tranquil morning was interrupted with a loud, deafening explosion. The frequency of the sound wave was sky high that it could shatter the delicate eardrums of the pupils. Malik and his friends quickly hid under their desks for protection. Miss Latifah did the same. Nobody screamed. Nobody panicked. It seems like a planned fire-drill, a perfect, noiseless one. Nobody uttered a single word. Nobody ran out of the classroom. Silence enveloped the air for a couple of minutes. Then, Miss Latifah ordered the students to re-sit and continue their work. Nobody spoke about the event as if it was a cursed one. Nobody cared or should I say everyone has acquired a certain extent of immunity towards the incident. Then, I realized. It was part of their lives. Bombs. Grenades. TNTs. You name it.

The event above is a typical occurrence in war-stricken countries; Iraq, Iran etc. Other than this, endless misery plagued Syria. North Korea is now conducting nuclear practice, creating a tension in the air as they are hinting possibilities to launch nuclear war against US-backed South Korea. It makes me wonder, when would peace finally dwell in the world? When would the earthlings attain harmony in lives? When can I hope for the day where the only explosions we hear would be fireworks? When will the children in Palestine be able to roam freely in the field playing football without a constant reminder of their friends who died being shot? We often hear this cliché phrase ‘light will always triumph over the darkness’. I feel that the phrase is being over-rated. I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. To people in war-stricken nations, it’s darkness all over them. The light is yet to shine the darkness away. The only things that keep them going are faith and hope. But then again, people of different faiths have never stopped fighting. To claim their faith as superior to others. Just recently, there had been a dispute between the Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar that resulted in nothing but damage, loss and hatred. This is just the tip of the iceberg as there are many more incidents which are not highlighted by the media. Never put the blame on religions but its adherents. Religion only promotes peace and harmony and never hatred. Nowadays people are keen in propagating hatred than love. And yes, people are being egoistic. The positive traits being taught in their faiths are being suppressed by ego in them.

So who should we point fingers to? One of our most desired traits isn’t it; to blame others, mock others, find fault in others, pinpoint others’ weaknesses. We are diamonds, aren’t we? Looking down upon the black coals around us. Politicians; the god in power, the king who thinks they are one class above the rest, the mastermind who make decisions. They seem to be flawless, but mostly rotten inside. They declare wars, instruct their army to invade other countries. And their hidden agenda? To take over the world? To be the mighty God? Whatever it may be, they cause sufferings to the people involved. So tell me, who can put end to these sufferings? God? The chosen messenger? Perhaps Lord Vishnu to take another avatar to save His earthlings? Buddha?  I’m waiting!

Be Inspired

Some of us conquer the tallest peaks in the world, some of us reach the deepest point of Earth, some of us pledge to donate all of our wealth to the less-privileged, some of us dedicate our lives to social services or charity work, some of us spend years inside a lab to prove a theory and some work all day long as the sole breadwinner of the family. Behind all these achievements and endeavors, there’s a common point or should I say, the turning point. It might have been like a spark of a million lights, or a rush of adrenaline or even a tetanus of goosebumps. Perhaps all those feelings combined; feelings that you can’t exactly put in words. I had mine several times, on different occasions, and I always hope I’ll be having these feelings now and then to boost me. Inspiration. It not the act of inhaling, but a special influence of a divinity on the minds of human beings.

               Let me tell a description of an event that inspired me.

 The dawn was breaking as faint rays of sun shines through the horizon, adding bright colours to a blend of blue-purplish sky. It was my fifth day in a foreign land as I was travelling to Jaipur, the pink city of Rajasthan in India. Along the roads, there were labyrinths of lanes and alleys and slumps, haunted with filth, plagued with disease and filled with stench. Millions call this their home, a place to take shelter, to live and to play for the rest of their life. This is indeed the dark side of India, with almost 100 million living under extreme poverty with an average earning of less than two rupee per day. The other facade of the town is the rich part of India; a town buzzing with fashion, gold and IT. Amid the slums, a dark-toned, skinny, maybe due to malnutrition, young lad wearing a pair of torn shorts caught my attention.

 He was carrying a load of red-bricks, balancing some on his head and some in his hands, making his way to a mini construction site after walking miles away from the place where the bricks are made. I was stunned and amazed by his act. The need to work at such tender age when all I did was playing happily at his age, caring less about the world. The need to earn money and to feed himself made him do things that no other kids in other parts of world would do. For starters, I never did that except playfully balancing books or pots over my head imitating an acrobat. Then it hit me hard, so hard that I cried in my heart, realizing how great my life has been. Is it my karma that I’m who I am today? I prayed and thanked God for giving me the life the boy would yearn for; which I’ve been complaining and never had satisfaction which signifies me being a weak human after all. I never had to worry about money, food, or anything except my exams. The little boy inspired me to work hard and never take the things I’ve been bestowed with for granted. For a minute, I look up the sky and contemplate how amazing my life is. Sometimes in life, all you need is a tiny catalyst at some moment, which enables you to reflect about yourself and drives you sky high; giving you the energy that you need to generate the momentum that accelerates towards attaining goals and dreams. Anyone can inspire you. Even the sky, which teaches you that there’s much more in life than what you can see, even beyond imaginations.

 All I can say is, be inspired :D