Cover Story
Of Love & War
-Sowfia Zafrin Evana & Jannatul Ferdous Lamia
I was walking down the lanes of my colony on one winter evening. It was the time when I first saw her. Without giving much of a stare, as I continued walking, she started to follow me and came nearby. I stopped and looked at her. I encountered the most sparkling pair of eyes ever. She was gazing at me and after a minute I felt something which I now know is called “Love.” I pulled her up onto my arm and took her, and since then she’s with me. My Lhasa dog! My buddy!
There are so many things in this universe that cannot be defined or explained. And that is what love is. And that is the beauty of it. The small story of my Lhasa is a smaller example of love. The simplest of pleasures that surround us, not necessarily that has to be human to human. Love is a feeling, a philosophy that binds the world together. Even when you plant a small flower tree on your terrace and nurture it every day, it is love that you are providing. In the same way, the plant loves you back with its blooming flowers.
They say love has so much power that it can conquer the world with its magic. Yet, love is very fragile to break too. If I now talk about the human love and relationships, nothing amazes me more when I see two persons making the very fragile thing unbreakable. For example a mother and her child and the love that they share, the most beautiful bond on earth.
With so much negativity in this world we still are alive because of the love that exists in our life. Love for nature, love for mankind, love for God. When we share love, it multiplies. In a world full of different races, religions and cultures, people are able to stay together because of the love that they nurture for each other and the nature. Love is the brighter side of life that people look up to in spite of the unpleasant realities of the world. That is what makes love beautiful.
The world that we know and live in is a wonderful place. All that came to be our beautiful existence has been possible due to human intellect and natural blessings combined. Yet, we can savour its sweetness in its entirety because of the devastation that also exists- similar to the other side of a coin.
Throughout the history, human culture and society have undoubtedly been shaped by the great wars of nations worldwide. One of the earliest wars that shook the foundation of religion and developed new philosophy was that of the Crusades. They were sanctioned by the Latin churches during the medieval times- the core purpose being the recovery of the Holy Land from the reigning power of the Muslims. The Crusades led to the death of millions of soldiers and civilians alike, yet helped to improve trade and more accurate map-crafting of the World. Another yet horrendous war that played an important role in shaping the modern world and its technology, literature and life was WWII preceded by WWI. These two global wars were fought between two opposing military alliances- the allies and the axis. More than 100 million people over 30 countries paid terrible price for it. The horrors involved were massacres, genocide of the Holocaust, bombings and even the use of nuclear weapons.
Therefore, we can all see how devastating and terrible war can be- not only for the World, but also for all living beings. The main reasons for it can be eliminated rather easily, if people are to give up the battle for power and wealth, as well as the usage of religion as a front for war, for even though the saying may go like “Nothing is unfair in love and war,” we should know where to draw the line as the destruction of the Mother Earth is not to be welcomed,.
If truth be told, where there is light, there will always be darkness as well. The given laws of nature deem that the sins of our world be tormented or forgiven by their respective ranks or effects. Following the said system, two of the most sacred and vile traits of nature come hand in hand. Love cannot charm without the devastation of war. They work in unison to make the system function.
Indeed, love can be used to conquer all, melt the frozen heart. Yet it is fragile and vulnerable. But it is not a tender affair either, as unfair means can be adopted. Likewise, wars also corrupt and destroy. Leading to the rise of hope and sentiment from the ashes, which slowly build into the pure essence of love. The love that forms coagulates over time and in the tide, grows coarse and rough and controlling- almost unforgiving. It is then that love starts to create conflicting interests and passions. The conflicted love results in clash- the clash leads to bloodshed- such is war. So the cycle is repeated, and the inevitable complement of one for the other is truly understood.
Thus, it should be clear that without war and strife love cannot be cherished, and vice versa. Such is the law- undisputed and eternal.