******OUR POETRY ARCHIVE******: NILAVRONILL SHOOVRO

LIVE AND LET LIVE

Almost 2500 years before, Sophocles cited the great achievements of mankind in his play Antigone. And he summarizes his amazement thus: “There are many wonderful things, and nothing is more wonderful than man’. Today we are amazed again like Sophocles about the wonderful things we can do. But sometimes we pause in horror when we witness Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnam war, the Afghanistan Iraq war and so many wars where the brutal forces destroy vibrant cities. Not only the killings of innocent people. But also destroying human hopes and aspirations for a better future are also an act of crime. Since the time of Sophocles during the last two and half millennia, we have witnessed both the achievements and tragedies of civilization. We have seen both the good and the worst sides of humans. We have realized both the divine and demonic nature of the human character. It is not a general feature that good will always prevail over evil, but it should be the foremost characteristic of civilization to fight against all evils. And out of this constant struggle to overcome the evils of human nature we should always keep asking a single question: “What is good for mankind”.

Of course, there can be no single answer to this primordial question. Yet we should acknowledge the fact that we cannot inflict any harm to others. Even if we can stick to this single point agenda or principle we can answer that primordial question, what is good for mankind. So, if we can proceed further with our query, we should realize the truth that ‘to live and let live’ is good for mankind. All our works and efforts should be in the direction towards this all-important goal of civilization. To live and let live.

If we sincerely want to achieve this goal. We should reconsider measures and limits. Yes, it is also very true that without limit or limitation, there can be no measure. One can also argue about the contradiction of speaking of progress and limits at the same time. The great German philosopher Ernst Bloch maintained that thinking means venturing beyond. That is thinking, inventing, discovering, researching everything means venturing beyond. That is crossing all limits, dissolving all measures. We even know that every time we cross a limit, we find new limits ahead of us. So, there is no end to crossing limits. But we must have to acknowledge that if we do not want to harm others if we sincerely wish to exercise that principle to live and let live, we must also exercise measures and limits. Especially whenever we try to implement new inventions. Unfortunately, mankind had failed to ensure this all-important measure of putting a limit to implementing new inventions into action. Not all inventions are helpful for the entire civilization, such as the invention of atomic arsenals, etc. So, measures of limitations regarding implementations of breakthrough inventions are most important to ensure the peace and security of mankind. Yes, we need to formulate primary ethical principles for our social life as well as for our political agendas. Cooperation among various factors and interests is necessary to build up a coherent mechanism to ensure human prosperity and to ensure security for each individual. Without this, we can never ensure peace and normalcy in our everyday life. Again, unfortunately, we remain way behind this primary and essential goal of human civilization.

One can now ask, how can we achieve this? I think there are numerous ways to reach this goal. Yet, one of the effective paths is the literary path. Yes, literature can be a great tool to pave the human mind in such a divine manner that mankind can realize the need of the time. As Sophocles claimed, nothing is more wonderful than man. We can also maintain that nothing can extend such wonderful help as literature. Literature and especially poetry can bring serenity to our minds and soul. It can tune us in such a divine manner that we can realize that all-important principle of "live and let live". And without implementing that single principle, we can never be that wonderful, as claimed by Sophocles 2500 years ago.

Literature, especially, poetry has immense strengths inherent within to combat all the evils, reside inside us. It can soothe our ego. It can reshape our nature. It can repair all the abnormalities in our characteristics. It can make us more human towards our relations with others. It can help us to bring the submerged divine strengths of others into action. It can help us to realize that civilization has gone in the wrong direction towards self-destruction. Yes, not only as a simple poet playing with words and emotions. But also, as an individual with an open heart and clear mind, I believe in the immense power of poetry. It can work miracles even among the evil intellects of people holding power to rule and the people in business, even among the evilest of minds destroying all the human fibers of compassion and pity. Yes, we should work in this direction more consciously than ever if we wish to stick to the words of Sophocles that nothing is more wonderful than man. Sophocles is not wrong either. He has realized the immense possibilities of the human power of divine character to fight against all evils. Unfortunately, we didn't follow the right direction so far. We need to amend our miscalculations. We need to reeducate ourselves. We need to reshape our minds and restructure our egos, need to realize the importance of the principle, live and let live. Poetry can help us to achieve all these essential goals of divine life. So, I would like to appeal to all the poets of the present time playing with words and emotions around literature and poetry throughout the world to consolidate their thoughts around these essentialities of life and work, beliefs and faith, hopes and dreams.

With this issue of OPA, October '2021, we have published 79 volumes of poetry since April 2015. This month we are presenting poet Alina Anna Kuberska of Poland as “Poet of The Month”. We are also publishing an interview of the poet and five of her best poems in this present issue. We hope our readers will enjoy both of her poems and the interview.

NilavoNill Shoovro

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