Such is the functioning of an irked mind. One which faces questions it has no answer to. One which cannot look expectation in the eye. One which tries to mend one bridge but ends up fracturing another in the process. One which finds peace in only one of two: either the way of the sufis, in solitude or in the way of the colonials, in ‘Divide and Conquer’

In today’s profane world, few would pick the former and most think of the latter as cruel and harsh, yet its notoriety is exaggerated, depending on the context, of course . The truth is, most of our actions would fall into this category, be it knowingly or unconsciously is a different matter.

The brain, in theory, is responsible for an individual’s behavior. Other than the five basic senses, respiration, digestion and other physical functions, its more significant role is the control of the human conscience, the control of complex mental activities such as thought, analysis, abstract and sanity.

But the line between abstraction and breach of sanity is meager, almost invisible. What seems logical to one brain is a sign of insanity to another. What justice is to one brain is a criminal offense to another. Yet, in some bizarre situation, some eccentric location and at some peculiar time, what you once thought was morally wrong and blameworthy suddenly becomes apt and relevant. Only then does this individual comes to the realization that what may once have been a concrete ‘no’ to him, is not only a possible route but an indispensable path. And it is then, at that scene, time and place that the concept of ‘divide and conquer’ becomes evident.

A man struck with the utmost poverty, decides to ‘divide’ his morals and ‘conquer’ his shortcomings by stealing…
A man who’s loved one has been murdered, develops a dividing line between his thought and his emotions to allow grief and revenge to settle in their respective places, grief in the heart and revenge in the mind. In his mind he ‘conquers’ vengeance, and satiates it, which in turn extinguishes his heart’s grief.
A blind man creates a clear ‘divide’ between his emotions of self-pity and his thoughts of achieving what any normal man can do. This drives him to ‘conquer’ the world without ever having seen it, through the eyes of his walking stick.

It is not only in such grave situations that one uses such a measure. In truth, everyone of us is either a descendant of one who once colonized or one who was once colonized. Centuries of intermingling and intermarriage have passed down a trait, a very powerful trait, essentially defining the notion of our very existence today.