Ever since man decided to settle down and start cultivating instead of being a nomad, ‘territory’ has been keeping him to its centripetal axis. And since then, it’s been the prime thing we’ve treasured. Starting from a mere need of food and farming to modern day nation state, all have a ‘territory’ centric to them.
Though land has a very intrinsic value for food and other necessities, but today it has transcended this periphery. Territories are anthropomorphized. They are brought to life in imaginations of the people. Writers have then written lengths about it. From Fatherland to Motherland, it’s become revered. No longer just a piece of land, way too much than that.
People make allegiance to their countries, and this all done around the idol of an alive territory. Then they don’t worry to even jeopardise their lives for its sake, or for that matter jeopardising others’ lives. Territory serves as all. The ‘defended’. The ‘Aim’.
“Man is wolf to a man.”, said some wise man. And this was very appropriately set to tune by us. Just think of the very first war to the very recent one, all were over the territory. Though man will say, “It’s divine to him.” but that’s a blatant lie. It’s just his obsession. And obsessions lead evils. And maybe it’s been the same from even before we evolved to humans, the animal kingdom is a case in point. We are well aware of the rules of the animal kingdom. Aren’t we? And territory is dear to them too. They demarcate it. And expel the ‘intruders’.
This is how nature is, revolving around territories and it’s claimants. And maybe it’s not a thing to be criticised because no one put it this way, it just happens to be so. As far as sad reading is concerned, maybe we’ve grown too noble, indifferent to the harsh realities of existence. But, this is how it is and no change seems to be striking any soon.
The territory it is, it was and who knows will always remain so.
Being Listener 