Fall of the Berlin Wall: 25 years on, is the world more divided?

Sunday, November 9, marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which was celebrated by a Google Doodle showing clips of West Berliners greeting their eastern counterparts, along with clips of pieces of the fallen wall from across the world, including Berlin London Seoul, Cape Town, Madrid, Moscow, Washington and New York.

The Wall is an enduring memory of many of humanities' most horrendous excesses - the Second World War, the Cold War and the fall of communism and its destruction marked the start of a new era of brotherhood in humanity. So 25 years from that historic event, are we as divided or do we still have the metaphorical wall between us? Are we on the brink of another Cold War that again threatens to tear the world apart? 

Former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev - the man considered by many to be the man who helped end the Cold War - has warned that the world is 'on the brink of a new cold war'. He believes this stems from the West's (other European countries and the United States) behaviour post the fall of the Iron Curtain.  

Like all superpowers, dating back to the age of colonial rulers, the US believes it had the solution to all the world's problems. Since their ascent the numero uno spot, they became self-appointed guardians of democracy. This led to them arming drug lords, terrorist groups, dictators, revolutionaries and any other group willing to fight those they considered a 'threat'. In turn, these allies would turn on their benefactors and give birth to conflicts that would last for years. 

But should we really be that surprised with the US' behaviour? Humans have been killing each other from the beginning of time. Colonies set up by European superpowers were responsible for some of the worst atrocities in history. Self-preservation is the most basic human trait and it often comes at the expense of others. We do things that are good for us. If we were to study the annals of human history, we'd realise we've always been a selfish and violent race. Most of the skeletons found in archaeological diggings show deaths from violent conflict. In fact, Homo Sapiens wouldn't have become the more dominant species if we hadn't wiped out other bipeds like the Neanderthals. 

So, should we just wait around for doomsday? I don't think I am quite ready to throw in the towel for the human race yet. Because, despite whatever the papers tell you, we live in amazing times. Our lives are infinitely better off than our ancestors. We're better fed, more educated, protected against diseases, have the ability to voice our opinion, rebel against tyranny and even spend hours glued to our smartphones without worrying about being eaten by a sabre-toothed tiger.

The Gutenberg Press, the internet and social media, combined with the speed of technological progress have made this world less divided than it ever was. No matter how uncomfortable an opinion may be for the powers-that-be, it does get voiced. Tyrants are fought on social media and even the most powerful individuals come under scrutiny.

There was a time when most people in the world couldn't even afford the basic necessities - food, clothing, shelter and fuel. Now we have hour-long debates about which smartphone is better. There was a time when anyone from a minority religion was hacked to death, now they're just abused on social media sites. I am not saying that the divisions in society don't exist at all. I am saying that with time, like the Berlin Wall, they are going to be torn down. And it's going to happen a lot faster.