KidSpirit

The Power of Unity

Unity and DivisionGlobal Beat

Unity and division are two opposite and controversial words. Whenever a topic related to these words is raised, big lectures are thrown at us with a handful of heavy words that are also quite easily tossed around. But do we even know what these words mean? Do we know why these words are so important, especially today?

According to the dictionary, unity means the “state of being one” or “many parts together.” According to me, unity is simply inclusivity. To be united we need to be tolerant of others’ beliefs, opinions, and feelings. In my class, we are given constant reminders to include everyone.

There are many instances showing that, even though we are divided in many ways, we are still all humans. For example, in the Amarnath Yatra incident, when a terrorist attack took place on a bus, the driver didn’t care which religion the passengers in the bus were from. All he cared about was getting his bus and the passengers in it to safety. Acts of bravery like this are immensely inspiring and are big acts of unity.

Division, on the other hand, is exclusion. When we exclude someone, we are basically separating the other from us. When we are unable to tolerate the other, we are tempted to simply exclude whoever we disagree with. In our class, even with all the reminders, we sometimes knowingly or unknowingly exclude someone.

On a bigger scale, people sometimes exclude whole communities, with religion playing a big role in this. For instance in our city there are clearly areas where a certain community lives. Also many people are not allowed to be granted property from others because of their religion! I was completely shocked when I found out about this. Often we kids are kept behind a veil that covers us from the reality of the outside world.

It is only us people only who make these differences between us, and only we can eliminate them. We children also need to know what to believe and what not to, and always ask questions when we don’t understand the reason behind something. We are the future of the world and if we don’t learn what’s right and wrong, we could end up doing the same things and make the world an even worse place.

We kids should also all make a constant effort to include everyone. For me, being a sixth grader, I can do simple things like inviting everyone to birthday parties or making sure no one feels left out. This might seem very small, but everything starts small. And if we look carefully, all the division around us must have started out small. In conclusion, I strongly believe that real power is unity and love.

Kushan Mehta is an eighth grader at The Riverside School in India. He enjoys technology, language, design, and music. He has published numerous articles and short stories in online magazines, newspapers, and novels. Kushan tries to fade the lines between the two countries he has been tied to — the United States and India — and hopes to write his own novel one day, too.

Like what you're reading?

Check out KidSpirit newsletters, and get more great content in your inbox!

Which newsletters would you like to receive?

Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn

Like what you're reading?

Check out KidSpirit newsletters, and get more great content in your inbox!

Which newsletters would you like to receive?

Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn