Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

We Need Love and Affection

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We Need Love and Affection

A man dragging himself with one arm; legs unable to walk; a fountain of blood at the point where there should be the other arm; face covered with the soot of the bomb blast; eyes red as if hell has been shrunk in them; shouting hopelessly in the city of earless people for help but no one to answer.

A woman, newly widowed; hair threads hanging disorderly around her pale and lightless face; lips dry as if they have never seen a single drop of water; eyes tearless as she has wept all the water out since the last night; quiet, like the ruined city near the sea where Tsunami has just devoured every living existence; eye balls motionless and focused on the young corpse of her son with the small balls of cotton in the nose, but who would listen to the cries of the silence in her heart?

A child dressed in rugs; water from the nose and eyes trying to enter the mouth as it has been open for the last one hour just to transfer the shrieks originating from his small, restlessly pumping heart to his mother, whose dead body is lost among the hundred others; feet, bear; legs, though injured but ready to take him to every corner of the world to find him his mother but no one is there to find him his mother.

These are the faces of antagonism in its worst manifestation. Humanity is breathing its last in the atmosphere of antagonism. If love is not provided immediately, no one can stop it from a certain death. Human beings have to love it if they want to see it alive.

The world we are living in can only be conquered through everlasting love. Love has the capacity to bind human beings together. As Mahatma Gandhi had said, “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” 

Though there are many in the world who are shouting in the favor of antagonism, but they are in fact the sadists who clap at the sight of human sufferings, appreciate cruelty and dance with the cries of human hopelessness and can think of no way to extract the humanity out of this dismal and horrible situation. So, they should know that they are also participants in the miserable holocaust of human beings with the atomic bomb of antagonism. As human beings, compassion and affection should be our distinguishing qualities that may categorize us as the best of the creatures among the existing species. Love should be the most essential part of our nature. It is love alone that can make us look above the pathetic division of human race. Love alone can make us look above the religion, nationalism, sectarianism and racism. History has the lesson that all the human beings have never been able to stand under a single flag. It is because all the ideologies of the world have divided the human beings into “we and “they”. None of them has ever been able to embrace all the human beings alike. That’s why followers of one religion and ideology have launched sanguinary wars against the others. Billions of people have been massacred in the pursuit of the same stupidity. It seems that the blood thirsty inclination of human beings have not been satiated yet. Mitch Albom had rightly observed, “Look, no matter where you live, the biggest defect we human beings have is our shortsightedness. We don’t see what we could be. We should be looking at our potential, stretching ourselves into everything we can become. But if you’re surrounded by people who say ‘I want mine now,’ you end up with a few people with everything and a military to keep the poor ones from rising up and stealing it.” 

Human beings definitely need to become one and make love their guide in the rocky way to a better destination. They must think larger and make humanity proud. They need to see beyond the vicious circles of their cunning egos and join hands together for a peaceful world. They have to throw down the weapons and have smiles on their faces to win the hearts. They are supposed to teach their children the essential lessons of love so that they may not be caught in the quagmire of hatred. They are to rise in the stature by bowing in front of sympathy and brotherhood. They should paint the world with the colors of bliss, contentment and pleasure, instead of the blood of the human beings. They require to keep in their books the immortal words of invincibility and prosperity, instead of destruction and disorder. It is important for them to be human in the real sense of the word and conquer the world through love, not antagonism.

Human beings need to realize, as Douglas Pagels said, “Love is a wonderful gift. It's a present so precious words can barely begin to describe it. Love is a feeling, the deepest and sweetest of all. It's incredibly strong and amazingly gentle at the very same time. It is a blessing that should be counted every day. It is nourishment for the soul. It is devotion, constantly letting each person know how supportive it's certainty can be. Love is a heart filled with affection for the most important person in your life. Love is looking at the special someone who makes your world go around and absolutely loving what you see. Love gives meaning to one's world and magic to a million hopes and dreams. It makes the morning shine more brightly and each season seem like it's the nicest one anyone ever had. Love is an invaluable bond that enriches every good thing in life. It gives each hug a tenderness, each heart a happiness, each spirit a steady lift. Love is an invisible connection that is exquisitely felt by those who know the joy, feel the warmth, share the sweetness, and celebrate the gift! ” 

Dilawar Sherzai is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at Outlookafghanistan@gmail.com 

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