“One love, one blood, one life, you got to do what you should…”

          “One” is a song from the 1991 album “Achtung Baby” released by the Irish rock band U2, which is still a popular song all over the world. The song has always been included in U2's performances, and their final song during their Korea performance in 2019. The song, ranked 36th out of Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time," gives an important message to modern society stained by conflicts over gender, generational differences, religion, and ideologies. The title of the song is “One” and it says we should be together, but the lyrics of the song are not aimed at some blind love, such as “we are the world” or “we are the one.” Vocalist Bono, when discussing the song, said, "It is a song about coming together, but it's not the old hippie idea of 'Let's all live together.' It is, in fact, the opposite. It's saying, We are one, but we're not the same. It's not saying we even want to get along, but that we have to get along together in this world if it is to survive. It's a reminder that we have no choice.” The band sometimes heard that their fans sang the song at their wedding, prompting Bono to respond, "Are you mad? It's about splitting up!"

            When we do not acknowledge and understand each other’s differences, it often leads to conflicts between each other, as well as fears and discrimination against a particular group. Young people and the older generation do not understand each other's values, and many who are classified as mainstream in society do not fully sympathize with the difficulties of the sexual minority or the disabled. Men do not understand the structural inequality that women face in society, and women do not understand the difficulties that men face. Not all of them, at least. However, we no longer need some utopian and pacifist words such as "Do not fight each other" or "We are all one and should love and solidify each other." We can't be one because we're all different. There is conflict among people because everyone is different, and solidarity without conflict cannot exist. All we have to do is just to understand and respect each other to minimize the conflict as we can’t live alone in this world. Understanding and empathizing with each other, and being interested in each other's lives. That's how we can live together in a world where we can't be one. The October issue of the CAH also covered many recent conflicts in society. With this song’s message, we hope the October issue will provide you with an interesting and beneficial time.