Reasoning Moral Inconsistencies

There once were two friends, two little girls.

Nothing made them happier than being in each other's worlds.

There was no judgment, no resentment in between.

Just open hearts and open dreams

But over time, there grew a darkness;

The rift of a condescending inheritance.

A virus created to control,

A lie fed to those easy to mould.

One's mother said, "She's not good for you.

They're overproud of their heritage, and selfish too.

They worship idols but have no God.

Their morals and values are all wrong."

The other's said, " Look at what they wear.

Five times a day, that's too much prayer. Their women do not work at all.

Stay away from her."

And that's how they grew a wall.

As the years passed, the two grew apart

Though, they learned a lot about humanity.

They saw racism, sexism, discrimination, abuse

And faced nothing but the grim truths of reality.

Those God-fearing men had a psychological effect on them.

They encouraged ignorance and complacency.

They created shame, guilt, and fear

And repressed the womens' sexuality.

Although the two were on opposite sides of the Earth,

Both realised:

Their stolen time and money

had cost them much more than their worth.

They longed for a world without religious violence and war;

For Scientific and Medical progress;

For mending irreconcilable divisions;

Free thought, freedom of choice, and freedom to express.

Searching for answers, the two went back

To their hometown one fine day.

In the garden of their childhood memories, they bumped into each other;

There was so much they wanted to convey.

With just one hug and just one kiss,

They went back to being those little girls

Who now had bigger hearts and bigger dreams

And were the happiest part of each other's worlds. 

      ~ Mariya Chherawala

(Picture by artist Sherree Valentine Daines)