What is the cost of a living soul?
In movies, a single soul is given so much importance that one starts to trust the humanity. The culprit is looting a bank, there are hostages, the state institutions are at the spot. Every wish of the culprit is being accepted, just to get the hostages alive, and of course, the money too. There is thrill, drama, emotions, and most importantly, there is this beautiful thing called “HUMANITY”.
However, the reality does not follow the same script. The emotions are there, but there is a concept of ‘us’ vs ‘them’. The price of some is in infinite; while the majority is treated as dry leaves - meant to be crushed. There are 195 countries/states, and without any second, all have the humans residing there. But the value of life differs - and recent wars, massacres, genocide are the living example of it.
But I have a strong argument, humans were way more barbaric than of now.
There used to be: crucifixion, drawing and quartering, impalement, beheading, stoning, burning at the stake and public flogging. Or more recently, there used to be slaves and the rational beings used to believe in witchcraft. Perhaps, the real problem was not merely the brutality of the punishments, but the fact that they were turned into public spectacles - cruel circuses where human suffering became entertainment for the crowd. Maybe Hobbes was right when he said, “the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”. Man, throughout history, has been brutal. Fun part is they used to fight for honour, for Valhalla, for a piece of land.
Modern Man is the Same
Although the tactics and mode of combat has changed, but the ideology remains. The punishment system persists, just in different format. The modern man still fights with the same motives. The only difference is the change is vocabulary: honour is now treated as nationalism; Valhalla is the Heaven; and piece of land is the peace.
Nationalism
For historians, its roots lie in the French Revolution. So, what is nationalism? In simple term, it is the feeling of strong loyalty, pride, and devotion to one’s nation and the desire to protect or promote its interests. Before nationalism, there were so-called religious obligations i.e. the Thirty Years War. The mode changed and concept of superior nation arose - the rise of Hitler and Mussolini. The wrath world wars brought was forgotten, and Cold War era began. And more recently, the champions of democracy were seen paying condolences for the genocide.
Among these new gods,
The greatest of them all is the nation;
The garment it wears
Is actually the shroud of religion.
-Iqbal
Valhalla is the Heaven
This concept is the most disturbing one, at least for me. Like the maximum gain of my afterlife is attached with the concept of inhumanity; rather than, the concept of humanity. We, humans, are fighting each other so that we can go to heaven? A dystopia is being created for the sake of utopia? Ironical, isn’t it? However, on basic searches one finds out that every religion in the world talks the same - the importance of a living soul.
“Whoever kills a soul… it is as if he had slain all mankind; and whoever saves one, it is as if he had saved all mankind.” - Quran
“Whoever destroys a single life is considered as if he destroyed an entire world; and whoever saves a single life is considered as if he saved an entire world.”- Mishnah
“Thou shalt not kill.” - Exodus 20:13
Mahabharata says:
“Ahimsa Paramo Dharma.”
Non-violence is the highest duty.
Piece is the real Peace
Although the borders are defined, institutions like United Nations exist, but still, one is ready to kill another one - for a mere sake of piece of land. This 21st century mankind has achieved such vast advancement in technology, but at the same time, it has become inhumane or more like a machine itself. Everyone is willing to wage a war against the other – the US for Greenland, China for Taiwan, India and Pakistan for Kashmir. On the other hand, some has already begun: Russia’s desire for land in Ukraine, Israel’s urge for land in Palestine.
It is time humanity finds its true measure.
Yet, in the end, all the wars, all the ideologies, all the borders and flags, come down to one simple truth: the value of a single human life. Thinkers like Dostoevsky often reflected on this duality, humans being capable of both extraordinary cruelty and extraordinary compassion. Every life carries within it the weight of a world’s memories, dreams, families, hopes and the potential for kindness.
And yet, as Friedrich Nietzsche warned: “whoever fights monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster”. History reminds us that in the pursuit of nationalism, honour or conquest, we often blur that line.
Perhaps the greatest progress we can make is not in armies, technology or treaties, but in forming a world where saving a life matters more than conquering a land, where humanity triumphs over lust for power, pride or ideology. Because when we start seeing every human as irreplaceable, when we treat a single life as sacred, the dark cycles of history - barbarism, cruelty, and endless war - begin to lose their ground.
And maybe, just maybe, that is the true measure of civilization: not the borders we draw or the victories we claim, but the lives we choose to protect, the humanity we refuse to sacrifice and the compassion we extend even in the face of monsters.
......
Peace 🕊
