Life is not even a slice from eternity. Not a window, it is so much smaller. And therefore, infinitely precious. We lost a family member last week. 42 years is not a long life at all. A loving father and what someone described as a prankster friend, and generous to all he knew. For us who saw his babyhood, he was the sweetest infant, calm, fun loving and a bringer of joy. Memories are beautiful things but transient as mist. No one is replaceable. Not a single one. ‘The wind passes over it and their place knows them no more.’ And their place will not see the likes of them again. Because there just is not another person exactly like them that we could bring in as a replacement. Not even all the money in the world can pay for that. Our loved one is gone forever, as far as this side of eternity is concerned. We live with the hope of reunion after this life. That is the hope that strengthens the ones left behind. And the lessons we have learned from this bereavement are many. The reminder to love more, love unconditionally, love without expecting to be loved back in return, and seek ways to show love to each other. It does not have to be a special occasion, or a birthday or Christmas or any special day. Love can be any day of your choosing. Give each other kind words. Appreciate each other. Do not look for faults. Do not look for bad habits. Look for what the other person needs, because we all have the capacity to give affection, care, prayers, and all the creative ways in which love can be expressed. It does not matter if you do not have money to give. In fact, money should be the last thing. People need things last of all. It is when we have given love that we fulfil life. There are no regrets when the only thing that was exchanged was love. And if there are regrets, love covers it all.
As for the world, it goes on, oblivious to human grief. And there are wars and rumours of wars that make the pain of individuals pale by comparison. The war in Gaza now and the older war in Ukraine shows another weapon of war – words. Apart from heavy artillery, modern warfare includes a war of words, or to be more accurate, a war of lies. One side states their facts and the other side immediately refutes it. The amazing thing is the manner in which people living far from the war zone, want the lies to erase the facts. No one in their right mind wants war. There are Palestinian civilians who are protesting the war because they, like their Israeli counterparts want peace for their children. And there are forces that can only talk about death, destruction, annihilation of a people to a demonic extent. As for us, it is not our war, but we are citizens of the same world, the same planet, and it is our moral responsibility to pray for the end of all wars, and the protection of innocents on either side. Why should civilians suffer, be tortured, be abused and babies be massacred? A father whose daughter died said that death was better than to be abducted by the enemy. How ghastly that such a situation should even exist. It is not our war, and yet it is our war because we can protest the brutalisation of fellow human beings; as humans, we are not powerless. Guns do not have to be more powerful. Love humanity, love life, let it always be more important.
