This first reflection on humanity was sparked from a visit to the BBC News website. Whilst reading, I found a section by presenter Mishal Husain, who was retracing her grandfather’s involvement as a soldier in World War Two.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of World War Two formally coming to an end. South Asian soldiers, in particular the British Indian Army, were instrumental in facing the advancing Japanese forces. No more so than in Burma.
In an interview, one ex-soldier recounts how the Japanese surrounded the city of Rangoon and blocked essential road connections. Gridlock ensued and created a forty mile tailback column. Steadily, supplies began to dwindle leaving thousands of civilians marooned without food or water. As the crisis intensified, financial norms and purchasing power no longer held sway and the value of what we now consider as basic necessities became astronomic. At one point, the soldier recounted, a fistfull of rubies was exchanged for a fistful of rice.
In this case, I realised how high-end and low-end resources were juxtaposed but somehow illustrated the underlying commonality in humanity. I believe recognising our fundamental needs informs our understanding of human rights. With modern technology and a “can do” philosophy, there is no excuse for not providing clean drinking water and nutrition for everyone. The most affluent members of society should not lose sight of our intrinsic interdependence. We’ve put man on the moon but we cannot, will not, sate our planet’s thirst
I’m D.B.G (Dan Barnaby Goddard), a writer and recording artist based on Dartmoor in the West of the U.K. My songs are musical poems reflecting things I have seen and felt throughout my life and I’m always on the lookout for stories which reaffirm my trust in humanity and the human spirit.
In this Buzz column I seek out instances to fill in the spaces left by an increasingly corporate world, commenting on the unpredictable and heart warming gems which are created as the wheels of power keep turning round.
