During our final lecture of the ethics class, Mr. John told us a short story about a guru who asked his disciples,” when would you know that the world has dawned?”. A few disciples gave answers that seem to make sense in a literal sense but failed because the question was a metaphorical one. After a while, one of the disciples gave the right answer saying “when people start treating their neighbors as their brothers and sisters then we can say that the world has dawned”.
This story is short but it is very powerful and touching and will it move anyone who truly cares about humanity. I reflected on this story. In the paragraphs below I will share my thoughts on this very important issue.
The main reason why achieving human brotherhood has ever remain elusive is because of the way we view our diversity. Our diversity is mainly due to our differences and the most important of which are racial and religious differences. We tend to use our diversity to create groups within ourselves, thereby engendering vices such as racism and religious intolerance. You can’t see your neighbor as a brother if you focus too much on your differences.
To achieve universal human brotherhood we must begin to focus on the things that inherently binds us together and focus less on our difference. We must realize that the things that bind us together are more powerful than the ones that separates us. We must get to know that the issues that divides us are superficial while those that binds us are deep.
I am quite optimistic that achieving universal human brotherhood is within our reach. Humanity has come a long way from the days when vices such as racism, slavery etc. were considered virtues to the present day when we reject these vices. Today we live in a world where our differences are becoming less important. Globalization has brought us closer to each other and has enabled inter-cultural marriages and contacts to take place thus helping to foster understanding between peoples of different cultures. This helps is helpful in expediting the dawning of the world.
Finally, I believe that focusing less on our differences and more on the things that we have in common will help us achieve our goal. I also believe that the world is about to dawn!
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