By Mohammad Akram Gill, Detroit, Michigan
The tragedy of September 11, 2001, which led to the war in Afghanistan against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden had put the world in a dizzy spin. Many people emerging from the initial shock of the tragedy rushed to theorizing that the so-called jihad that Mullah Omar of Afghanistan and bin Laden had proclaimed, was in fact the precursor of the twenty-first century crusade. Others declared that it was a ‘clash of civilizations’ that had been postulated by Samuel Huntington (The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, 1996). According to this theory, “The clash of civilizations will be the battle lines of future”. Huntington also asserted, “A West at the peak of its power confronts non-Wests that increasingly have the desire, the will and the resources to shape the world in non-Western ways”.
The war in Afghanistan thankfully did not conflagrate into a crusade or a clash between civilizations but is restricted to only Afghanistan. With a streak of optimism, one could imagine that a kind of normalcy would soon be restored although the campaign against terrorism might still continue. Sadly, waging wars accompanied by bloodshed, is part of human nature and therefore part of history of mankind too.
However, history of mankind does not consist of only bloodshed but is indeed multifaceted. On one of its sides, is the story of warfare and bloodshed. Looking at it, one may tend to conclude that maybe the theory of ‘survival of the fittest’ does have substance, after all. The tyrants like Genghiz Khan, Timurlane, and many others of the same kind are sadistically glorified in the history books as great ‘warriors’ and ‘leaders’. They were the ruthless plunderers and relentless butchers.
Recent warriors such as Hitler and Mussolini are rightly tarred in the history books, for the crimes that they committed against humanity. The twentieth century had witnessed two world wars followed by the war in Korea, the Vietnam war, war of the Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviet Russia, and now the so-called first war of the twenty-first century against Afghanistan by the US and its Coalition. Warfare appears to be natural enough to the mankind, even if it is not exactly a “Law of Nature”. In spite of the atomic bomb explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, humanity did manage to survive from its self-inflicted havoc.
The picture of humanity on another face is not so bleak and is indeed intellectually pleasing. This is the story of mankind’s evolution from its initial barbaric and superstitious conditions, to the present day rationalism. Great minds like the Greek philosophers, religious reformers, and great scientists have left an indelible imprint on the history of mankind. Close observations of the regularity of the natural events and a rational synthesis of such observations by analytical minds led to the formulation of the fundamentals of the physical sciences. Evolution of what we call the ‘Arabic Numerals’ was a great achievement of the human mind. It paved the way for the development of mathematics, which became the most powerful tool in the hands of the logicians, mathematicians, and the theoretical physicists. In due time, there was a Copernicus who proposed a revolutionary theory of the planetary movements, a Galileo who would, at a great personal risk, assert that the Copernican theory was indeed the right way of describing the orbital movements of the planets, a Kepler and a Newton who would bind these ideas coherently into theory of gravitation that was destined to reign the world of physics for the next two centuries. Newton and Leibniz would create mathematical calculus, which would prove crucially important for developing mathematical sciences. Newton’s theory of gravitation would eventually be supplanted by Einstein’s theory of relativity and Max Planck would help open a new window into the sub-atomic world for exploring the true nature of ‘matter’. This would provide a great insight into the nature of matter although the dichotomy of ‘matter and mind’ still persists and will take some more time for satisfactory resolution.
Charles Darwin through his theory of human evolution would boldly suggest that the world is not recent as was commonly believed, but is truly ancient. The age of the earth is not in terms of thousands of years but more likely, it is billions of years. Later, the geological investigations and the ‘dating techniques’ would tend to lend credence to Darwin’s observation.
Another chapter in the history book of mankind is comprised of beauty, aesthetics, painting, architecture, poetry, etc. In due time, Shah Jehan would build Taj Mahal, a tomb for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, which would be cherished for centuries as a monument of love and beauty. John Keats would versify “A thing of beauty is joy for ever” and fill the hearts of the readers with indescribable emotions of pleasure and aesthetic appreciation. Hafiz of Shiraz would pine wistfully, “O people of the heart! For God’s sake, my hand is losing grip on my heart. The long hidden secret is about to manifest”. Rumi would sing, “… whence is this voice of friend coming?”, and win the hearts of millions of his mystic followers. Copies of ‘Mona Lisa’ would grace the walls of the countless drawing rooms and parlors all over the world. Musical songs of Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Nur Jahan, and others would provide cheerful moments during the course of daily drudgery and commiseration of the ordinary people in the East. Also, they would pleasingly touch the chords in the hearts of every one and give them a sense of perceptible delight. The West would have its own singers and musicians to provide a touch of magical merriment. Life would seem to have some meaning in spite of its inherent uncertainties.
There are many other chapters in the history of mankind, which include adventure and exploration (conquering Mount Everest, for example), among many other things.
While our present is filled with blood, bitterness, and hatred, I do hope that it would soon pass away. Tomorrow will usher a better and a safer world, for majority of the mankind. In spite of the frightful potential dangers with which the current situation seems to be filled, I am disposed to believe that there is hope for the humanity. Humanity would overcome and survive.