Never before in the history of the world has the human race been in such great need of freedom from conflict, ill-feelings, selfishness, deceit and strife. We are in dire need of peace not only in our homes, offices and in our personal lives, but also at a global level. It seems human beings have become the most violent beings in this world. Man may have gained control over the forces of nature (once in a while) but seemingly, he is not in control of his own nature.
With all the photographs and news footage of bombings and the return of the OCWs, we can’t but feel relieved that we’re on the correct side of the globe. We’re generally safe and anything bad that transpires in our country is more often man-made, such as impeachment proceedings, illegal logging catastrophes, improper disposal of garbage, or the weak mega-dike getting washed away, and less often the natural calamities that are seasonal.
I’ve been lucky in my globe-trotting, going on trips on the safe side of the world. With each trip I treasure new knowledge. Each country’s air is filled with adventure in spite of the fear of diverting from a budget. It’s just that the sights and sounds are different everywhere. Seeing how people live, being around them, tasting the food they eat, the delicacies, adapting to their ways and just being totally immersed in their environment are experiences that may bore them, but not me. Whether it’s the noise of shoes on cobblestone-covered streets in Liege, Belgium, the sound of the Duomo’s bells in Florence, Italy, or the soothing incoming waves in any of the water-surrounded rural
barangays in Sulu, the education I get has enriched my life.
People of diverse nationalities are so different. But then again, I don’t have to go far to see the variety of people in their attitudes, faces and way of living. In our country alone, there are stark differences from island to island or landlocked locations – their religious or animistic beliefs, incomparable dialects, exceptional cultures, and distinct temperaments. Yes, we are all unique, but there is no denying that one thing is simply universal: we are after all members of the human race in the global search for supremacy.
Yet, in the search for peace and harmony and a life of sincerity and justice, we are part of a single human race. We all need food to eat, water to drink and air to breathe. We look to the same sky, as we are lighted by the same full moon.
As human beings, people of all nationalities feel the same emotions. We all laugh, cry and experience fear. We actors on the stage of life, although unique, are practically similar in many communities – husband and wife working for a living to send their children to school, sickness, big business tycoons chasing rainbows, perennial fundraisers, and so on and on. That’s probably why watching TV or the movies is so popular. Aside from witnessing how others live, we may identify ourselves with the cinema stars. And since we all have the same problems, well, we hope that they will be able to identify some solutions for us!
The global and all-so-human language of love is also universal. This explains intermarriages – or does Cupid have a sense of humor? A black man marrying a white woman, a Filipina married to a Japanese, a Catholic to a Muslim – these are but a few examples of people attached by love, forgetting boundaries. Love knows no race, no color, no social class, no age and no religion. It hits couples, wherever and whenever. Heaven-sent? So is lightning! No expert can explain this phenomenon called love.
Individual happiness is conducive to the happiness of society, while the happiness of a society means happiness to the nation. It is on the happiness of nations that the happiness of the world is built.
Look at what is happening in Lebanon and Israel – bridges, roads, airports, train stations, power plants, fuel depots, towns, cities on both sides were ruined due to bombings. Thousands were injured, even civilians; hundreds died, even children. The United Nations Security Council estimates the conflict has displaced about 915,000 people of different races from Lebanon, including our countrymen earnestly earning a living for their families.
The culture of peace is gained only if we let go of our selfishness and help society with acts of kindness and by accepting different cultures and different people with respect, seeing God in every man. Now, that could bring peace in our hearts to conquer all opposing forces.
The battle is not fought with weapons, but with mutual awareness of all the negative and positive forces within our minds. The mind is the ultimate source of all happiness and misery. To be happy in the world, the mind of the individual must first be at peace with itself.
Our worries are similar, our troubles the same. There are enough similarities to convince me that to harmoniously coexist, we should try to understand the many people our lives may not ever even touch, and appreciate each other’s differences, as citizens of the world.
Well? Peace be upon you.