10am, 1st January 2015!! Wow, not so long ago we were all worried about the 2000 computer disaster that was supposed to arrive 15 years ago! I wish I could just write something happy, about how wonderful the last year has been (and it has, especially since I nearly died half way through it!) and how we blithely wish everyone all the most fantastically good things for the year that has just begun (and we do want to do that too!). But then I think of our daughters best friend and mother of three young children from Ireland who lost her husband this year; and their related family that has greived between Christmas and New Year over the tragic drowning of a two year old in Zimbabwe. I think of friends who I visited many years ago in Syria (when I was arrested for over 24 hours for not having my passport in order) who have suffered indescribable opposition and torture in their homeland and things dont appear set to change in 2015. I remember our trip to Ukraine and the joy of meeting new people who are now in the midst of a terrible, complicated (and dangerous) civil war. I remember multiplie news headlines I have read (and so lightly forgotten so quickly) during 2014 of those who have suffered loss of loved ones through famine, war, road, rail and air accidents, as well as the emails that have just informed us of the personal and painful loss of those who have grown old (like my beloved father-in-law). With such a backdrop of cacophonous news, I feel deep down (possibly for the first time, given my personality type!) that just wishing all our friends a wonderful and prosperous New Year rings rather hollowly in the space called my Facebook status. Instead, I would prefer to pray a prayer for protection for you all: protection from bitterness from those harms that will quite likely come unbidden for some of us; protection from a self-satisfaction that we are doing rather nicely, thank you!; and protection from indifference to what is exploding all around us in our world of 2015. Lets all learn something more about the word that French philosopher Auguste Compte coined to describe the attitude which is the opposite of egoism:- altruism. Thus we may learn to live our lives more from the awareness of the plight of others, and their needs, rather than simply from our own selfish interests. For 2015 then, I pray that this year for you will result in a measurable and positive difference in the lives of as many others as possible. Lets get started (those of you in Samoa and New Zealand have used up nearly a whole day already)!! And thanks for your friendship in 2014! :-)
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 09:57:12 +0000
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