2004 — International Winner:
Hamid
Raza , Pakistan
WAR OR PEACE? IS WORLD PEACE POSSIBLE OR HAS
HUMAN NATURE MADE WAR INEVITABLE?
Human beings have always shown an intrinsic inclination for
power, greed and aggression. Often to achieve these selfish desires
and to be accepted by others, one ignores the cumbersome but
enlightened path leading to piety, tolerance and benevolence,
and gets indulged in the cosmos of antagonism, violence and hegemony.
Yet, he is only a human and also possesses a human heart - a
heart that is filled with hidden sentiments, with unexplored
territories of love and affection - a heart that longs for peace.
I
am a pacifist and I believe in peace but for me peace does not
only symbolize a sense of serenity and calmness, of tranquility
and sedateness, but a lot more. I believe that peace is not to
relish the splendor of an uninhabited island, but rather it is
to live in harmony with people of all creeds, colours and religions,
to share their sorrows and joys and to create with them a perpetual
bond of brotherhood and friendship. For me, peace is not an elusion
from the harsh realities of life like death and disease, but
rather from those traumatic news of terrorism, violence and prejudices
that we hear round the clock. It is an elusion not only from
the ghostly calamities of war but from war itself.
Growing
up near the war-torn country of Afghanistan has not been a pleasant
experience for me. I have seen little Afghan boys begging for
food, girls as young as seven working as maids in houses and
their parents too fatigued with constant endurance and endeavor
for survival. The constant civil war has taken their everything
- home, prestige and family. Yet they are hopeful, and are ready
to forgive and forget to return one day to their homeland - their
paradise. This is human nature!
Of
course, as humans we are all liable to make mistakes and have
certain shortcomings, but inside the oyster shell there is always
the sublime inner self present. We all possess the sense of differentiation
between good and bad, between noble and evil. We all have sentiments
and feelings and even the most atrocious of us would feel the
sensation of a finger being pricked, the sorrow of loosing a
loved one or the intensity of the cry of a soul in anguish. The
most integral yet subtle part of human nature is the feeling
of love and the desire of being loved - which can soften even
the core of diamonds.
In
short, I believe that human nature will pave the way for peace,
not for war, which will eventually prevail and like a ravishing
flower will enlighten our souls. I believe that one day serenity
will at last succeed. I believe in human renaissance and evolution
- I believe in peace.
