The Portent of Phagix
‘ The Phagix Subdued! ’ read the headlines of media houses prominent and non-descript, but what was left unmentioned were his accomplishments.
As a historian who serendipitously shared the same timeline with that entity, I write the history not written by the victors and showcase the gullibility of human perception; to believe what suited most.
Serene views that greet us were once a sea of gaunt bags of bones’ that lived life morsel to morsel.
It was from among these masses that emerged ‘Phagix’, a mortal of flesh and blood but able to induce starvation wherever he treads. This wasn’t a titan-shaking power as it was easily snuffed out by an offering of sustenance from a fellow being but nonetheless grew to be the unassailable ‘villain’ the Avengers would face.
Instead of being a problem that could have been terminated, it descended into a slow, snowballing mania that saw violence, in its variegated forms to obtain basic necessities accompanied by the typical, abstract yet concrete walls erected by the higher echelons of society. The portent Phagix bore, seemed to be one of calamity by now.
It is imperative, we first understand that essentially everything in this world is made of nexuses and causal relationships that cannot be ignored. Starvation and poverty become a dynamic duo that effect access to education, deprive us of an equitable society and instead gives us one that is devoid of peace and mercy.
A focus shift from addressing the cause of the problem to one of solving the deluge of problems, spearheaded by the Avengers was the first step to establish land of milk and honey as we know it today.
Instead of cowering behind walls, initiatives and robust actions to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture along with recognizing the inter linkages among supporting agriculture, empowering small farmers, promoting gender equality, ending rural poverty, ensuring healthy lifestyles, tackling climate change and many more finally put us on the path of extricating ourselves from the hole of our creation.
These small but effective steps ushered in a new chapter in our history, a chapter where the ordinary circumstances which give rise to heroes and villains, comorbidities and their cures that led to trials and tribulations we faced would never form, a chapter where hunger, poverty, inequality are but merely relics of the past.
Thus just like the dawn after every dusk, a world no less than a utopia that we live in was birthed and now I say that the portent was one of the opportunities that allowed us to unite and overcome.
As Phagix ascended the platform the world watched with bated breath the onset of the death of a deemed villain but in my eyes an unsung hero. The executioner finally broke the suffocating silence that prevailed and asked if he had any last words, to which he replied with an indiscernible expression, “All I ever wanted was a bowl of piping hot soup.”
~Ameiy Acharya
