A Postcard from Japan for Love

I have a death wish—to die in peace during the Christmas celebration. I know you will ask me why. I will tell you this: it is better to die in a festival of peace and love than to die in conflict. I don’t want my head cracked with a blunt weapon and become a content for a viral WhatsApp video. I don’t want to perish in Churachandpur or Kangpokpi. Kill me with love instead.
I live in Japan, and what I have learnt is that this great country does not possess nuclear weapons. In fact, Article 19 of Japan’s Constitution prohibits the maintenance of an army, reflecting a deeply rooted pacifist doctrine. Japan learned, painfully, that violence only begets more violence.
Since Manipur is neither a sovereign country nor a developed state, I believe the Japanese model of peace is suitable for Manipur at this juncture. You cannot resolve conflict by looting arms from the police. When Peter raised his sword, Jesus said, “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Let the Central government protect our borders; let us, instead, do peacebuilding.
My second appeal is simple: let us celebrate Christmas collectively. Invite your friends from other communities and break the ice over lunch or dinner. Sing carols together. I want my brethren from the hill districts to join Yaoshang, play yubi laakpi, and climb the slippery pole. Did not Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners, not because they were righteous, but because fellowship itself was healing?
My third contention is even simpler. Write an email to your colleagues living in the hill districts. Just wish them a Merry Christmas—in bold letters if you want. Use Canva. Use PowerPoint. Use Microsoft Word. Or write it by hand. Just do it. Say, “I remember you.” Say, “Enjoy Christmas.” Even better, say, “I love you,” even though our communities are at war for all the wrong reasons, fueled by fear, rumor, and misunderstanding. For love, as the Bible says, “keeps no record of wrongs.”
Next, say sorry—for we have sinned. The parable of Jesus saving the woman who was about to be stoned comes to mind. “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Who among us has not sinned? I, for one, have sinned. Yesterday, I killed an ant. That counts too. You know your own darkest secrets. Remember them before you judge others.
Jesus also spoke of the Good Samaritan—one who helped a wounded man not because they shared tribe, religion, or identity, but because he was human and suffering. Today, Manipur lies wounded on the road. Will we cross over to the other side, or will we stop, bind wounds, and show mercy?
Finally, the world does not identify us by our ethnic groups. They know only Manipur. Shall we destroy that identity for our myopic hostilities? When I introduce myself to foreigners, I am an Indian or a Manipuri. In the global village, I am just a Manipuri yokel—not Meitei, Kuki, or Naga.
We owe something to this great state called Manipur. Let us inculcate that mindset and manifest it through our actions that unity is stronger than conflict. Unity always wins. Conflict only deepens hatred. There are no winners—only resentment that breeds future confrontation. Even the Bible warns that a house divided against itself cannot stand.
There is no winner in war. You are either a victor or a future target for retaliation. A pyrrhic victory is not a victory at all—it is merely a postponement of the next tragedy. I do not want that future.
Did I say, “I wish you a Merry Christmas”?
Merry Christmas.
Love—and spread love.