We live and have lived for centuries in a politically and economically divided world. Unable to accept these differences, there is always one group that takes the further step of dominating another. The most direct way is for a stronger group to take over a weaker group by sheer force. Where the two forces are equally matched, subterfuge, divide et imperia — divide and rule — is effective.

Sometimes all it takes is cultural seduction. Something as innocuous as blue jeans became an important symbol of the free West during the Cold War. Bruce Springsteen told the East Berlin youth in a July 1988 concert “I’m not here for any government. I’ve come to play rock ‘n’ roll for you in the hope that one day all the barriers will be torn down.”

History books are filled with the constant constructing and dismantling of alliances based on the perceived enemy of the moment. All the great wars in Europe, India and China were won or lost on the shifting sands of temporary alliances, as they are today when security and economic interests align or are threatened.

Throughout history, there have also been forces that try to unite the world. Today it’s to combat climate change, overcome a pandemic or create gender equality. In the past, religious missions attempted to unify people. Buddhism spread from Lumbini in Nepal to all of South Asia, China and most of the Far East. Christianity spread from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and Islam from the first sermon atop the Al Safa mount to across the world.

As the poet Manzar Bhopali says: “Muttahid honay ka jazba tha sabhi mein lekin/ Muttahid honay ka mauqa hi hava ne na diya” [Everyone passionately longed for unity but/ The wind did not provide an opportunity to be united]

The great global mission has defined unity as sameness rather than oneness and is not likely to rest until everyone establishes a specified form of democracy, with capitalism as the universal economic system.

In nature, animals group in herds where predators and prey coexist. Although the myth of ‘the truce of the watering hole’ has been debunked — at least for larger predators like lions, who happily attack the oblivious and unguarded — it is still a place for unity in diversity.

What remains a puzzle for ecologists is the question of what prevents the single best competitor from displacing all other species? Based on studies, ecologist Peter Chesson finds that, when dominant species create an exclusive niche for themselves, they actually limit their own species, allowing less powerful and less discriminating species to multiply. The battle remains limited between those who compete for the same resources.

Can humans coexist in all their diversity as nature shows us? There are many examples around us. The family is the most obvious, whose members are diverse individuals. Where a dominant family member tries to impose one system for all, the family either breaks up or is unhappy and unable to achieve their own potential.

Another common example is the camaraderie of fellow travelers — on buses, trains or planes, especially when there are delays. I remember a two-hour traffic wait in Karachi for some VIP. Before long, everyone was out of their cars, grumbling, chatting, sharing water and giving out business cards. Public art events, music concerts and cinema, the classroom, voting, protesting etc also bring people together. These are all, of course, temporary shows of unity.

We all aspire to King Arthur’s legendary round table with no head. But can the legend become a reality? Can the United Nations evolve to a true forum for all nations? Can the G8 become the G195, including all countries?

Probably not until the fear of loss is set aside, a fear also expressed by Manzar Bhopali: “Tum pe chhaa jaatay shajar bantay jo nanhay pauday/ Tum ne achha hi kiya paaon jamanay na diya” [They would have spread all over you had the tiny saplings grown into trees/ You did well not to allow them to grow]g

Durriya Kazi is a Karachi-based artist. She may be reached at durriyakazi1918@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 3rd, 2021