I wish to share the story of one Cherokee elder who was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me...It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride and superiority. The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
This same fight is going on inside of you and every other person too.” They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied...”The one I feed.”
This striking metaphor has been imbedded on my mind and I keep asking myself, which wolf are we feeding? Which wolf are the Nagas feeding? Are we feeding and nurturing the forces that will create a shared humanity of respect, dignity, justice and hope. Or are we only fueling the forces of prejudice, hatred, oppression and the ‘isms’ that destroys human dreams and hopes? When will we ever realize that we cannot begin building a future that is founded on ‘fear’ ‘hate’ and ‘exclusivity?’
The pursuit of power and the struggle for rights make humanization and dehumanization as inevitable destinations in the course of human history. These conditions make the question of a shared humanity crucial to the issue of just peace, and at the heart of this question is whether a people can freely exercise its rights to determine the course of its own future. Human history is about human struggle and it is for people to determine the course towards either one of these paradoxical destinations.
The idea that eventually defines the path towards either of these destinations is the crucial question of, to what extent does a people deliberately and consciously exercises its self-determining capacities? Tragically the manner in which human affairs have been conducted thus far indicates that we have fallen terribly short and are incapable of realizing the potentialities of a shared humanity. The structures that govern human affairs today have become so unauthentic and hence unresponsive, that only a few believe in them today.
It is time for alternatives that enable the realization of a dignified shared humanity. Therefore, is it possible then for us to engage in a collective process to define a future inspired by our shared humanity and with the ability to equally meet the fundamental human needs of all? Today, we are challenged by the forces of history to adequately demonstrate the basic idea that just and honorable solutions are possible through meaningful dialogue, and without having to resort to the use of force.
In a world where diplomacy has become a world of conformism, representing a virtual reality of the powers that be which resolves nothing, it must be affirmed that the dignity and voice of the voiceless cannot be negotiated, silenced, or beaten. In this light is it possible to cultivate enough trust to speak the truth, which primarily revolves around one fundamental concern: can our people co-exist with mutual respect, dignity and have a shared humanity? The question of co-existence is essential because herein lies the future of our dignified collective survival!
