One People

This is a work of fiction)

Once a very long time ago beyond the hazy mists of time as we understand now, there existed a mighty Land, a prosperous land beyond compare.

It’s inhabitants were a race of powerful and peaceful people. They were well versed in the ways of Mother Nature. They had an astute understanding on how to give back to the land that what they had taken and in turn they were rewarded manifold with new bounty springing up from the Earth. Each season brought with it the delight and expectation of something new, which was always an opportunity to rejoice.

Ahh the opportunity to rejoice, dear reader. The manner in which these people used to celebrate, that is something legends are made of; the folktales of today barely scratch the surface of what true celebration is all about. The Gods up yonder in their heavens could hear the music it is said, to awaken from their heavenly slumber and gaze down below, past the realms of Angels into the realm of Man..and Woman. There were millions and millions of these gifted folk and not a mouth went hungry, ever. In fact hunger was unknown as was want of any kind. The Earth was immensely pleased with Her children, it is said she sprang rivers of nectar, a mere touch of which would erase any ills or need..streams of heavenly ambrosia from her own mysterious depths.

This beautiful place, which stretched thousands of miles in all directions had no rulers. If there existed one difference, it was that one half of the population worshipped the Sun as the source of all sustenance, purity and warmth while the other half worshipped the Moon as the symbol of sustenance, purity and all that was pleasantly cool. Regardless which direction they bowed to, they agreed and celebrated that both were sources of light, equally important in what would be a void of perpetual darkness.

The people devised a system of governance, which ensured unbridled equality among all. There walked among the common folk, beings of extraordinary intelligence and spiritual awareness who would oversee the flow of peace and prosperity and an increasing awareness among all. They spoke not as Gods or rulers but as common folk and in their innate wisdom they guided the masses in all affairs of state and life. Their wisdom was open to question and open forums were always something to look forward to by the local community as an opportunity to learn and develop the mind and the spirit. People revelled in the soundness of their vision and the principles of Honour, Valour, Duty, Compassion and Love, which were the guiding lights of life in all circles. Man and woman were considered as precious as one another, their intrinsic worth considered immeasurable in the eyes of the other. The people were as varied in their skin colours and appearance as they were gifted. Disease was practically unheard of as they lived in harmony with the world in which they were placed. They well understood the fact that there was a reason and a season for everything, which occurred in this plane of existence. Life was celebrated and death was welcomed as the doorway to another challenge, another choice to be met with pride and a shimmering level of consciousness.

Great stories were shared and passed on from one generation to another, each with pride in its roots, the ancestors of yore who performed many great feats and accomplishments.
In time however as usually happens with any civilization, that very pride, which nurtured life and its progression onto higher things, began to take its toll. The people began to get a little lost in that pride and began to superimpose it onto their own personal accomplishments as higher and better than that of their fellow men and women. They began comparing one another and in so doing began separating themselves from each other. Instead of being a part of the collective effort of elevating themselves in consciousness and understanding in the ways of this world, this universe, the notion of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ developed. Now of course, these people were not blind or deaf to one another, they all had a clear understanding that life was a personal journey in as much as it was a collective harmony with one another. However it became harder to sustain the notion of collective good with individual growth. In time the people began trying to outdo each other in all the areas of their lives. For a time the competition was healthy and it spurred them on to achieve many, many great things to surpass the accomplishments of their forefathers.

Perhaps it is how the Gods intended seated up in their heavens, perhaps it was the way destiny pens all his works, the good people began to fall from their collective, communal grace. The competition to be better than one another began to generate animosity. Jealousy reared its head, perhaps for the first time ever in this land, along with jealousy came his brother hatred who also began germinating slowly but surely. Where doors used to remain open to one another, they began to shut. Lines of separation sprang up, boundaries; exclusivity became the rage all across the land, spreading like a wildfire.

Don’t get me wrong, these people did not all become different, it is just that notions of ill-will which never existed before, began to do so now and considering the heights the land was familiar with, this was a sad fall. In an effort to become better in their little factions, many travelled beyond the kingdom where they heard tales of strange new technologies and gifts, which would assist them in outdoing their rivals at home. This of course brought strangers from far off lands who were astonished to see streets paved in what the locals considered useless metal – Gold, or shiny stones to adorn their shoes and hats –precious stones.

The foreign guests took with them supplies of these and many more gifts of the Earth to their own lands. They told tales of this land of bounty and the ignorance of the people about the value of such things. Slowly more and more people from afar began coming into this once mysterious place to take more of these things and soon it’s inhabitants began to scour the Earth forcefully to appease the appetites of their guests. This began to hurt the Earth, she felt violated and neglected. This had never happened to her before and she stopped giving for the first time ever. She went into hiding, scared, seemingly lost and alone; why were her children hurting her so? Had she not always given of herself to them before? Could they not feel her pain as their ancestors could? She tried to warn them in the way a mother would a wayward child, a tremor here, a minor flood there but in their quest for superiority amongst one another, the people lost their understanding of the ways of nature and began to forget what these signs meant. Like an abandoned child Mother Nature ran away, but where could she turn to, and she had to give in to the continuous violation of her laws.

She asked the Gods, how could she continue to give of her bounty if she was not given time to grow, to nourish, to nurture..the Gods were silent this day for the answers to her questions they knew not, they were occupied in their own games of spiritual chess.

One day the Queen of a mighty nation past the ocean to the West offered a treaty of friendship with the worshippers of the Sun. She did not extend her friendship to the followers of the Moon for she grew terrified of the night and was ignorant of the treasures of the nightingale or the regenerative gifts the night brings. She did not appreciate the purpose of the Moon in the scheme of things.

The followers of the Sun rejoiced and prospered in material means beyond their brethren and rebuked them for their chosen deity.

The Followers of the Moon travelled East and established treaties with smaller kingdoms who were sympathetic to their plight and in time joined them to swell their numbers to equal those of the followers of the Sun. The Followers of the Sun were incensed that they were not above their countrymen anymore and both sides began working toward the detriment of the other even more than before. It was a sad day when the spirits of their forefathers ceased from visiting the land, imparting their wisdom, trying to generate the wise ways of yore, even the Gods became invisible to the ignorant eyes of men who trained only to see what their allies from other lands could see.

Mother Nature was heartbroken, but this was her destiny, where could she go? Who could she turn to? Her pain could be felt in the springing up of deserts, and volcanoes, floods and earthquakes, the result of her wounds inflicted by a blindness spreading across her once fertile land.

One day, perhaps the saddest of all the followers of the Sun and the followers of the Moon began fighting with one another, causing pain and delighting in the suffering of the other. War began, flags arose the Saffron, the Green, Images of the Moon and of the Sun sprang up everywhere and in time could be seen drooping over flags in battlefields strewn over the dead bodies of millions. The sun shone his Divine light onto them at daybreak and the Moon shone her millions of silver beams onto the same dead at dusk. But alas neither could give life to anyone anymore..there was no life left to celebrate their light. The people destroyed one another with the aid of their friends from other lands. The allies upon seeing the once good people of this land all destroyed made their journeys back home, stripping the remaining bounty,spiritual and material, the final vestiges of glory which signified a once exceptional land and a once gifted people. In taking with them what was left, these people in turn became mighty in their own right and developed Empires enviable by their neighbours and glorious in their own right.

And yet, the very same Sun and the very same Moon shone their endless light onto all of them, without holding anything back.

The length and breadth of this once powerful, magical land became completely barren and gave in to the rising oceans and in time, sank beneath the water. It is said today, if you walk by the seashore anywhere, that if you become very still and try to listen, you could almost hear the joyous calls of the spirits of those people from beneath the ocean still celebrate and sing and dance loud enough for the Gods in their Heavens to hear.

And such is the way of Life, change..constant change..wheels within wheels..era upon era..one cycle giving rise to another..on and on..forevermore..

Good luck to India and Pakistan playing the World Cup 20/20 Final Cricket Match tomorrow.

May each side win and lose
with Dignity, Honour, Courage and Compassion.
May the people of India and Pakistan
welcome one another with open arms,
and love one another with open hearts.
May the One Land and the One People, which we are,
celebrate each other, our unique places in the world
with much pomp and great splendour
for all the Gods to hear forevermore!