As any other year, 2007 saw its share of problems; the Iraq war, the instability in Pakistan, the global warming debate and the local violence in different parts of the world, to name a few. It was filled with some great moments but also some seeds sown for problems in 2008.
So what's the root cause of all of them? Well it so happens that humans like most other species have an inherent tendency to ally with others of their kind. Ever see an alliance between cats and dogs? Let me know when that happens. People have always been coming together as a group due to some commonality. This is the reason; you have pockets of similar people living in a particular area. This is China town or this is a Desi hub or this is predominantly a Jewish establishment or this is the Bible belt. That's the reason, Indians generally marry in their own caste or Catholics prefer someone who goes to the same church or Sunnis marry Sunnis. Well that's the norm usually. This has created a world, which is somewhat divided by our differences.
A striking resemblance in human beings from all over the world is quirky. A common love is not as effective as a common hatred, to unify a group. For Indians, it was the fight against the British that brought us together against language and regional barriers. The US has had causes like anti-communism, the fight against outsourcing and now the fight against terrorism to bring people together. While this is not always a bad thing, a few individuals often drive the implications of this fight against something. History is fraught with instances when leaders have misused the sentiment of the masses to carry out pogroms. Be it the Nazis or the Islamic fundamentalists, we have seen enough acts of pusillanimous nature. Are we going to blame the leaders who bring out the worst in us as human beings or are we going to look beneath our own skins and fight away our own demons? Well the question answers itself.
The change that would ultimately propagate us to a better tomorrow is no miracle pill. It boils down to each and every one of us treating everyone else the way we want us to be treated. No matter what the race, religion, language or country, every person has a perspective, which may be at loggerheads with your beliefs. If we make an effort to understand theirs and give them an insight into our own, there is hardly any reason for conflict. We may not agree on every aspect of life but we need to respect the other persons view and reach some kind of a 'agree to disagree' plateau of understanding.
So what does the above jargon imply for you? Well a good start to 2008, would be to try and get to know people from other camps. Open your mind and be friends with someone from a group, which you detest or maybe just disagree with. Pro-lifers break bread with a pro choicer. Christians get a Muslim friend. Desi's should make a Pakistani friend or pen friend. On a bigger scale, I would say every country should have a joint effort to send school children to other regions as a cultural exchange. Let them get a feel of knowing the people they would have under normal circumstances hated in the near future. It is difficult to hate someone you know.
Lets all hope 2008 is a lot more peaceful and skirmish-free than earlier years. May common sense prevail on us all and Wish everyone a happy new year.
