A diverse society wherein people with different ethnic backgrounds and subcultures live, it is really difficult to maintain order and tranquility; in fact, it would require a great deal of tolerance and understanding to do so. It is important to see diversity with the perspective of richness of culture and tradition, instead of finding differences and making them the basis of tussles or wars.
All the cultures and subcultures have their particular contexts and it is really vital to comprehend them with the same contexts. The biased and ethno-centric approach towards others is bound to result in clashes and chaos. Such a scenario is really very much detrimental and can be utilized by others for their personal benefits. History approves the fact that the heterogeneous societies that have had clashes among their different groups were dominated by others who have not only strengthened those clashes through political means but have in fact pursued their own motives. In short, the societies that have such clashes are politically utilized by others and they suffer great loss as a result.
It is, therefore, essential for heterogeneous societies to develop a culture of co-existence. A sense of belongingness to a large body; may be a feeling for attachment to some national feelings, can solve the issue to a certain level. Binding themselves to national levels, the heterogeneous groups in the society may give up their trivial matters and start thinking in broader perspective. They have to be taught to understand that it is only through collective efforts that they can make their survival possible in today’s society. Their collective efforts can turn into a synergy that will provide them the possibilities of facing the overgrowing challenges of life with success and dignity.
One of the best ways to coexist in a heterogeneous society is finding out the similarities among different groups instead of identifying the differences and making them the bone of contention. In fact, the similarities among different human groups are always more than the differences. One of the largest similarities among all the groups of human beings is that they are human beings and share the same earth to live on. However, such concepts have been only considered ideal and impracticable. In reality, human beings are divided into different strata and they have so many disparities. There are fights among them and they use lethal weapons in their fights that kill hundreds of people at a time. Every group, in pursuit of proving itself better or correct, makes machinations to annihilate others. Others are aliens, foreigners, infidels and wrong-doers. Religions and social and political ideologies that must bring people together have, in fact, made them stand much apart and divided. This is really pathetic and does not show at all that human beings are the best of creatures and have the intelligence and gumption.
Afghanistan is also one of the societies that are heterogeneous to a certain extent. There are people from different ethnic groups who have their sub-cultures. Though they have embellished Afghan society with variety but at the same time there have been instances when these groups have had clashes among one another. These clashes resulted in civil wars and influenced Afghan society negatively to a great extent. The other countries that had their interests in Afghan society used these clashes for their political purposes and further added fuel to the fire.
However, today Afghan society is standing in a different position. It is in a process of developing a peaceful life for its people. At this crucial juncture, it is really necessary that Afghan society must stand united and face challenges as a strong nation. It must not let the differences among different groups to dominate their national integration. The younger generation can play a tremendous role in this regard. They are educated and they have already experienced the consequences of decades of instability and wars; therefore, they can better decide which way to opt – coexistence or no existence.
It was said by famous English philosopher, Bertrand Russell, “It’s coexistence or no existence.” If Afghan people need to guarantee their national integration in the times to come when they will be tested by the challenges as the international forces are in the process of withdrawal from the country, they need to learn to hold each other’s hands tightly and try to help each other in nation building. They have to understand that the different groups in the country are basically different parts of the same body and without the support of any of them it would not be able to make the body complete and make it work and function properly. Otherwise, the socio-political circumstance may prove to be very much cruel and they may blow away, like light straws, all those who are divided.