What pulls us all as human beings? What arouses us to commit fatal errors and glorious achievements? What arouses our passions?
These questions have been aroused in my mind by a book I am reading currently, it is called "Redemption" and the author is Leon Uris. In this book he has explored the bond between an Irishman and his motherland, and has portrayed that a person is bound to his/her motherland by invisible chains and that even though a person may try to escape and break those bonds, he will stick to his roots until his last breath. The story includes a man called Connor, a man who has great strength of character,who knows the value of honor, whose every action glows with the aura of a talent that is exceptional but also radiant with his personal charisma. His persona is enough to inspire confidence,love and glory. What then does such a man have to grieve for?
One thing that was denied to Connor by his father was the freedom that he craved for, and so he broke away to follow his destiny. On the other hand, his younger brother who craved the attention of his father and ached to fill the void left behind by Connor was treated with disdain and he ran away too. The old man was left with a broken heart because he failed to understand his sons and his sons were left with a legacy that compelled them to despise all that their father stood for and yet love him with an intensity that confused them. Its a saga that will leave you contemplating and cursing men whose erroneous decisions lead to unhappiness that extends to further generations.
The other element in the story that provoked my thoughts was the passions of these men, passions towards their motherland, passions towards their women. Connor, for eg. was a man who loved his motherland, but tragedies compelled him to leave Ireland to escape the ghosts of his past. He ran, but couldn't stay away for long and returned home. But this is Connor before he fell madly in love. For when he fell in love, he gave everything. Yes, the love of Connor and his sweetheart was enough to inspire all those around them and to personify the purity, depth, and understanding that love stood for. It was a love worthy of the likes of Connor and Shelley, who both were like warriors, brave and tender, strong and noble, glorious and humble. They deserved to live in joy, but the rebellion in Ireland drove them apart. So ultimately, they both became martyrs and were immortalized but the future of Connor and Shelley remained a dream
What binds us this way to a piece of land? Why should anyone be expected to give up their lives and happiness in the name of a country or religion? Is there truly any need for sacrifice among men? What do these borders between countries stand for? If the men brave enough to die on those very borders were allowed to live and work for mankind, imagine the accomplishments they could achieve; if only they were allowed to hope instead of facing the despair of death. Because these are the men who dislike sitting around and waiting for others to take lead, they are ready to face the consequences of their actions. When men like Connor enter the battlefield, its because they have a conscience that compels them to take action rather than wait backstage for the drama to play out.
The borders between countries were erected because of the differences among the people, if these differences were accepted and embraced, and all men lived to achieve happiness, would there still be anything to fight for? But there are downfalls to this theory because men have begun to have a natural flair to cheat a fellow human out of his rights.
We need to savor our freedom and recognize the right of another man to savor his. We need to erect boundaries not between countries but between individuals, so that no man can ever have the audacity to violate another. We need to stop evaluating the economies of the countries and start evaluating ourselves. God save us if all the Connor's of this world are sacrificed, for who will inspire us then?
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