Imagine a World Without Borders

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That morning, the sky looked like a canvas, reflecting the cheerful colors of the morning. It was under this small sky that my first cry burst into the earth in a small house on the edge of a river that bordered the village across. People usually called it "the border river" even though the water flowed as gently as they wanted, so the question of ownership was really irrelevant I thought.

I can imagine my father prattling on about a time when no one cared about borders. It was a beautiful place, and anyone from one village could always visit another without hesitation. “Can you imagine it, Aidan?” my father asked one evening, “A world without walls. A world where everyone would share the land and the air, like a river.” These words still ring in my head, challenging me to explore a world where diversity is a driving force for unity.

The situation is very different now. The people on the other side of the river are not “our people,” they are “the others.” There is an irrational fear between the two villages because no one is sure where the fear comes from. This fear often creates divisions where there are none.

At that moment the sun made me open my eyes and see a boy on the other side of the river. His jet-black head was accentuated by a bright face with bright red eyes full of curiosity. He seemed surprised to see me, then grinned. It was I who smiled happily at that smile; a small bridge connecting two contrasting villages.

Then the boy held something out to me, a small kite he had made from pieces of paper. I stepped toward the river, a little scared, and let my feet sink into the cold water.

"For you," the boy said as I reached the other side.

I took the kite, soft as silk and fragile, and held it gently as if I were holding a lion cub. The sky, the sun, and a bird were drawn on it.

"Did you make this kite?" I asked.

"I want to cross the border and fly like a bird," he replied.

His words made the hearts of the whole world feel like they were spreading fire. I stared at the kite, while also watching the boy. At that moment, I felt a clear hope and a desire to overcome the limitations that had been imposed.

"Maybe we can fly together," I whispered.

Finally, we played kites on a hill near the river, where we found a blue sky where we could fly without being limited by the barriers that had once held us back. Thanks to the kite, the wind became the carrier of our ambitions, which flew away from the walls that reminded us of our limitations.

"Are you happy?" I asked again.

He nodded. "I want to fly like a bird," he said again.

My mouth closed, I pondered the power of his words and the team-building moment became clearer to me. I had an image in my mind of the kite high in the sky, crossing the river, leaving behind all the differences that had separated us.

"Let's fly together," I finally said.

The boy nodded enthusiastically. We caught a glimpse of the sun, as it rose and the morning breeze blew gently. After a strong push, the kite took off and was bent in the sky by the wind, which made it fly.

We keep doing the same thing, not even realizing that the obstacles, differences, and fears of others are behind us.

“Just imagine,” I murmured, “if humans started treating each other as equals. There would be no more ‘them’ versus ‘us.”

_{John Lennon ~ Imagine [Youtube]}

The boy looked at me and said, “Someday?”

I felt my heart lift as I said, “That’s a great idea.” I knew that under the open sky, a world without boundaries was no longer just a dream; it was something we could start even with a small kite.

However, as we were enjoying our time together, I saw a group of adults from my home village coming towards the river and they looked worried.

"Aidan!" a loud voice called. It was my uncle.

I turned around. The boy remained stiff and looked at them with a pale face.

"They never liked me here," he muttered as if to himself.

I took his small hand. "Don't be afraid. I'll protect you." My strong words didn't save me, but my heart was shaking.

However, my words moved quickly. They ignored the kite flying high and the laughter that had just been heard.

"Aidan, come back now!" my uncle's voice echoed in the air.

I stood up, wanting to harness the little courage that was fading in my chest. "He didn't do anything wrong," I said, though my voice was shaking.

"He was wrong, because he's from there," my uncle replied simply.

The boy looked like me as he stared at him in surprise. What made him different from the other children?

They were getting closer, and I felt like I was no match for them. The boy pulled his hand away and ran toward the forest. "I have to go," he said.

I wanted to call his name, but my voice was muffled. The kite flew high into the air, then slowly fell to the branches of a tree. I looked at it with a sad feeling as if I had lost something I had just found.

As I turned to leave with my uncle, I noticed something on the ground. A small mark on the torn edge of the kite. In barely visible ink, it said:

"If we can fly beyond hatred, the sky will be filled with all good things."

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As I held the broken piece of the kite, I tucked it into my pocket. My uncle never suspected that I had not yet fully returned to them. Part of me remained across the river, with the boy, clinging to a small hope of a world without borders.

Eventually, I vowed to myself that one day, I would make that vision a reality.

~ Love Seha76

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