A man from INDIA and a girl from PAKISTAN receive the Nobel Peace Prize
Our lives become what we make of them. I draw inspiration from those that did not have the means to make their lives successful but found the courage to do so. Two such highly respected and inspirational individuals that I admire and look up to are Kailash Satyarthi from India and Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan; both recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, both known for their indomitable spirit towards their mission for children's rights, both Nobel laureates making their respective warring countries proud, sharing a dais with dignity and love.
The relationship between Satyarthi and Malala makes me wonder....
How is it that we believe that everyone from the other land has an ulterior motive?
How is it that the veil of war is so thick that we cannot even think of peace?
How is it that we are so coloured with what the media presents to us, that we cannot see it as a land with people just like us?
How is it that we are so influenced by politics, economy and terror that we cannot separate the 'dynamics of war' from the 'people of a neighbouring land'?
How is it that Satyarthi and Malala look beyond the cloud of animosity and open their hearts to each other?
Well, maybe that's why they are recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize!
It is only recently that I was at a dinner table where an argument fuelled on whether vegetarian food is better or is it better to eat meat. Over the course of the conversation, both sides were left uncomfortable given the lack of acceptance from the other. Everyone seemed right from their perspective but the need to get the other to accept and understand was so high, that it bordered around everyone being a bit of a fanatic. The funny thing is, each side thought they were right, but put out an act of being very accepting, so that they feel good about themselves. That is when it dawned upon me that in all probability, all of us have a bit of fanaticism ingrained within us, whether we show it on not. A passionate commitment to our belief system is healthy until it results in intolerance and unacceptance of the other. This stems across groups of people – from being vegetarian, meat eaters, vegans; to the academic institutes we represent among the educated (my alma mater is better than yours), to the caste we belong to (among the not-so-educated); to the religion we follow; to political philosophies and so on. There is some sort of comfort in being accepted by a group, and keep the rest of them out because they think differently. Is this comfort really? Or is it the illusion of comfort. Isn’t true comfort really about feeling one and comfortable with everyone, irrespective of their food choices, religion, academic background, career choice and so on.
This is probably the underlying reason – this illusion of comfort of keeping the different outside – that also divides nations. When an entire nation is brewing with borderline hatred for the other, my heart goes out to people like Satyarthi and Yusufzai… what makes them so accepting and tolerant?
I think this is possible because of the inherent spirit of Universal love within them. Universal love is when people can look beyond what separates them and give way to what brings them together. Universal love is when You and I can transcend our colour, religion, race, ethnicity, economic status, educational qualification and really look at each other as fellow human beings who have been placed on this planet to experience compassion. Universal love is when the country border between India and Pakistan failed to create a separation in the relationship between India's Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, displaying the true spirit of global unity. Universal love is when in spite of the millions spent on war in both these countries, there are folks like Sayarthi and Malala who rise to fearlessly fight for peace. Universal love is when the lack of diplomatic relationship between these countries does not dampen the spirit within these individuals to feel unconditional love for each other.
They say 'make peace, not war'. The true significance of this line is reflected in thought, word and action by these Nobel Laureates. Satyarthi rescues children from child labour and guides them towards a better future by empowering them with education. Malala rescues girls from the shackles of society and helps them march towards the possibility of having a dream. Both of them, work tirelessly towards rescuing the vulnerable so that they can live a life of dignity.
In my opinion, this is possible because they are committed to goals higher than their differences. The key is to find the ‘unifying factor’ rather than the ‘dividing factor’, thereby making the world a slightly better place.
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