If you are reading this blog, it means you are most likely among those few who have been blessed enough not only to enjoy privileges of modern-day science but also to be safe from atrocities of humans and nature alike. Its inherent in our nature, that in our fight to survive and win the battle of supremacy we always look high at sky and wish for all what we see and beyond. Yet more often than not we fail to realise that few of us have been a winner right from the time of our respective birth. And I am not talking about being a millionaire from birth, as that would be too cliché. I am just referring to not being born in worst of situations. I should make it clear that I am not being a pessimist here, and neither am trying to deviate from saying that “We make our own fortune…”. My intent is to be just a realist and make others few realise and respect the gift they received at the time of their birth.
Its not very often, when in this busy competitive world, we get time to sit and ponder what would have happened had we not born in the city…or in the state… or in the country we were actually born. And that’s the reason why we don’t realise the fact that how much of our individual identity gets shaped just on account of geographical location we were born.
While as per science we all are nothing but some form of energy, yet for a while lets assume we have a real soul within and, as presented in recent animation movie “Soul”, at the time of birth these souls are dropped to earth from one specific point of entry. Now, given that earth makes a complete rotation in twenty-four hours, our birthplace could change to other end of globe in matter of few hours delay in our birth time. From developed city of New York to jungles of Cambodia or from scaling heights of Europe to marshy lands of Africa… we could have been born in any part of this world, as completely different looking race representing spectrum of economic privileges or religious inclination. And each of these hold equal merit for discussion in current times.
Economic Luxuries
If we go by IMF’s estimated per capita GDP for various countries, Luxembourg ranks among the highest where as Syria is right at the bottom of the list. Distance between them… just around 3000KMs or around couple of hours considering earth’s rotation… so jump from sky a bit late or free surf in sky for couple of hours and you might find your self away from exploding rockets or various human rights violation and right amongst the serene landscape of Luxembourg with all luxuries of developed society. Hence, it’s safe to say that on earth that’s the distance between heaven and hell.
We don’t even have to travel around the globe to find what it would mean, as we have various examples of neighbouring countries, representing contrasting lifestyle. For instance, there can’t be a better contrasting example than South Korea and North Korea, one represents success and aspiration while other cant even guarantee the basic necessities of life. While most of the kids born in South Korea, will take basic education, food and shelter as its basic right to live, same cant be said for those born in Northern peninsula. With hunger and illiteracy spread evenly throughout the country, access to two meals a day, would classify one to be amongst the luckiest few in the country.
Religious inclination
Stroll across the globe and we will find various religious preachers and their respective ardent followers being the flag bearers of their religion and its supremacy. Well, few of the religious preachers may be exempt as there are always few who really understand the path they have chosen but for the rest it’s just follow what’s being told. An individual born in a partisan society, is more likely than others to know more about the religion preferred by society, as against any other religion. What he perceives as his religion of choice is for him to grow and decide, yet what he grows understanding more about is definitely guided by the society. And this is similar across the globe, even in so-called atheist society, you grow learning about the fact that there is no religion to follow. There is no fault of that individual, other than being born in that society and rest is stuffed in by respective societies, which literally decides inclination for rest of that individual’s meaningful life.
Racial Discrimination
One may say economy as well as religion are both product of society which you are born in, and hence one way or the other result of centuries of human intent and actions. Yet there is something which is not defined by society yet integral part of it and that’s one’s physical build. Racism is neither new nor scarce, history has been built around assumed white supremacy and consequential discrimination. Worst of all no fault of the ones being discriminated, other than mistiming their jump up from heaven. From shade of skin to shape of eyes and to height and strength of bones… all gets decided right at the time of birth. And unfortunately these physical traits are the reason behind prevalence of wide spread racial discrimination across the globe.
While I do believe that one’s future is in one’s own hand and with hard work and dedication nothing is impossible, yet being a realist, I prefer to take it with a pinch of salt. Hence all I can say is that our efforts and dedication guide our future... Only what is left to be decided by our place of birth. Every developed city has both slums and sky scrappers and its needless to say that standard of living for families in both will be miles apart. While those in sky scrappers deciding on which car to buy or which exotic diet plan to choose or which country to go for higher education might cause headache. For those in slums, how to survive the day or provide a glass of milk to new-born or how to maintain a roof over head for each night causes headache. For one its about choice of luxuries and for others its fight to survive.
Above mentioned information validates the disparity as almost 43% of the global wealth is with mere 1% of the global population. Reason being while working for luxuries fortunate ones never direct their efforts for sheer survival, thereby increasing the probability of success which others who are less fortunate might not even dream of. This difference between necessity and survival is good enough of an eye opener on how fortunate few of us have been through out our respective lives.
I am well aware that its not our fault or effort that we were fortunate to be born in a place we were, it’s just that we fail to realise that it’s not even fault of those who were born in a place where survival would be their only concern right from the time of birth. Despite being obvious, yet most of us fail to realise this blessing in disguise and often end up misconstruing this as something deserved or achieved thus entitling one to discriminate others.
Conclusion
In past there has been various success stories, of individuals going from rags to riches, which have inspired humankind and instilled confidence of pursuing our dreams with earnest efforts and dedication. And I sincerely believe that such instances will keep presenting itself in future too. Yet these exceptions can’t be generalised and used as an excuse to continue living the life of indifference. Discrimination has always been regarded as an evil, yet I believe we need to discriminate these two factions and provide support wherever we can to uplift those who are less privileged by birth, or at least be sensitive to their struggles
Struggles of those who have been less fortunate needs to be recognised by others who have won at least half of their battle purely by virtue of their birth.
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