The message of the text is a powerful call for unity and understanding in the face of increasing global divisions.
Faglig kvalitetssikret av lærere og toppstudenter · Følger læreplanen (LK20) · Sist oppdatert 2026-10-03
Read the text below and write your response to the task.
The world is yet again at a critical crossroads. The future of our earth, our existence and our wellbeing hangs by a very thin thread. Whether this thread breaks and we collapse into chaos depends on which road we choose to follow.
The imminent threat that is bringing us to the very brink of destruction can be summarized in one word: DIVISIONS. East–west, north–south, poor–rich, liberal–conservative, climate change denier–green crusader, socialist–capitalist, political party–other political party, believer–nonbeliever, optimist–pessimist, race–other races, unfortunately the list of walls of division that we are building and fostering goes on and on.
The most worrisome and depressing fact is that many of us seem to be cultivating a taste and passion for division. It has become an acceptable political approach, an internet disease and ultimately justification for so many evil and devastating crimes against humanity. Is this the road we want to follow?
It seems that we no longer listen to people outside our own echo chambers. We no longer try to understand others, or empathize with their fates, feelings and fears. We just settle like concrete into one immutable position. This is the greatest malaise of our modern society; we are stubbornly trying to force our square vision of the world into the round reality of who we are, and when this, inevitably, INEVITABLY, fails, then our response is dismay, disappointment, disdain, and often violence and unlawfulness. Following this road will only lead to destruction. And we will not be able to honestly look at each other on the day of Armageddon and say, “well, it wasn’t my fault”.
Have we forgotten the lessons that previous generations have learned from their mistakes? We have certainly forgotten what literature has taught us, like the prescient words of the Irish poet W.B. Yeats who wrote over a century ago that “the best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity”. Today it appears this brilliant and so profound insight has abandoned us as we rather seem to prefer to embrace passionate intensity; we point fingers, accuse, refuse to see, or see only what we want to see. We construct the walls of division with our rhetoric, our bias and our blindness, even when history has taught us time and time again that division leads to hostility, misery and suffering.
So, we seem to be charging down the road to our own destruction, each of us convinced in our own righteousness, our own cause, dangerously blind to any and all others and their sense of righteousness and cause. Somehow, we end up feeling validated and vindicated when our insistence on division leads to more hate, more fear and more misery. And we are the less for this.
Is there a solution to this? Can we find a way through the fog of division and bridge the great gap between us? The answer MUST be yes. What other alternatives do we have? The road ahead is to learn from history, from past mistakes, and turn the tide against the charge of the raging bull of intolerance.
We, and that is an important pronoun, WE must learn to see the world from each other’s valid perspectives. There we will find our salvation; learning to understand and accept and finding passion in compassion. That is the road we must follow.
- Herbert T. Turntide
The message of the text is a powerful call for unity and understanding in the face of increasing global divisions. The author argues that our world is on the brink of destruction due to the many divisions we have created—social, political, economic, and cultural. These divisions are deepened by stubbornness, lack of empathy, and an unwillingness to see things from others' perspectives. The text suggests that this growing trend of division, fueled by political polarization and social biases, is leading us toward chaos and destruction.
The message is communicated through a series of contrasts that highlight the negative consequences of division. For example, the author compares different societal divides: East–West, rich–poor, liberal–conservative, and so on, illustrating how these walls of division have become more entrenched and dangerous. The text also references historical lessons, particularly W.B. Yeats' words about how those with the most passionate intensity often create the most harm. The author suggests that the solution lies in compassion and mutual understanding, urging us to listen to each other’s perspectives and learn from past mistakes.
The tone of the text is urgent and reflective, with an emphasis on the need for change. The rhetorical questions and references to historical consequences serve to provoke thought about the path we are currently on and the potential for a better future if we choose empathy and unity over division. The message ultimately suggests that the only way forward is through compassion and understanding, which are essential for overcoming the walls that divide us.