Global peace: Life in the future

Manalika
Maharaja Man Singh Vidyalaya
India

In a country far, far away, lived a man. He lived in a village surrounded by the border on one side and the sea on the other. Everyday, early in the morning, he fetched water in an earthen pot from a slowly drying well nearby. The man had inherited the well from his father. It was his most sacred possession, and he was trying to conserve it for as long as possible. For, although water was abundant in the area, thanks to the rising sea level nearby, fresh water on the other hand, was becoming increasingly scarce. And so, everyday, the man would fetch home a pitcher full of water and make it last the whole day. On a particular day, he drew up some water and left it to one side with the intention of coming back after shopping for some groceries from the nearby market. Coming back with the groceries, he noticed a man drinking from the pitcher. He was a foreigner, but that did not entitle him to drink someone else's water. He went and charged at the foreigner. A bitter fight ensued. Incomprehensible, but visibly aggressive, words in different languages were exchanged. Verbal combat led slowly to physical conflict. People gathered around. A feeling of brotherhood made them side with their fellow countryman, and this resulted in the whole throng assaulting the poor foreigner. The latter, therefore, began to run for his life, and the direction that he took led him straight to the border of the country. In the thick of things, no one realised this, and continued their course of action. The army on the other side, thinking they were illegal immigrants, began attacking them. The army of the first country, seeing that their people were being assailed, feared that their honour was at stake, and plunged into a war. This resulted in a very bloody and gruesome battle. Both countries incurred great losses and many lives were lost. All of this happened because of a pitcher of water.

Sitting in our chairs today in 2007, it is difficult to believe, and almost hilarious to think, that a fully-fledged war could possibly happen because of water. The truth is that we are not far from this becoming a reality. Deteriorating global resources, an increasing population and changes in climatic patterns around the world are progressively proving a threat to the noble cause of global peace. It seems to be merely a dream in the minds of the great leaders of our time, and the common people, who are the direct victims of these wars. Global peace would be a byproduct of attaining an adequate standard of living, but at the moment it is a victim of the global deterioration in the quality of life.

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