This year has started with many natural disasters - floodings in Brazil and Australia; earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan; and man-made disasters - people fighting for their freedom from oppressive regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Libya where violent clampdowns are taking place. All these made me reflect - "What is happening to our world?"
These past few weeks, a couple of friends overseas asked me the question - "Are these signs our world is coming to an end? We better get ready for it." I have been getting emails about the signs of the End Times and prophecies. Well, my answer was that I am not too worried about the world ending - it probably will one day. What I have been very conscious of is to try to live every day as if it is my last. After all, anything can happen to me suddenly and I will not be around anymore! Even if the world does not end, my life on it would have! Am I ready to meet my God?
I shared with my friends my deeply-felt belief - "I cannot live in fear or worry. I have to continue to live with hope and to ensure my life has a "divine" purpose." I cannot do much to reach out to the millions of people suffering. In fact, I do not watch too many of the videos on the Internet on these disasters because I find it numbs my senses - and it becomes unreal. But I read a lot of what is happening online.
The one thing I do is to pray. I pray for the innocent children and families and animals who have faced incredible tragedies and trauma - people who have lost everything and no one knows when or where they can rebuild their lives. I pray for my fellow brothers and sisters in these countries to have faith and not to despair and give up all hope. May all who can lend a helping hand reach out in love as we are world citizens and we must care. Every little bit helps - in acts of love or in prayers for them every day.
We must look beyond ourselves - it is no point worrying only about what our future is. Frankly, our future is what we human beings make of it. Now is the time for each of us to take a deep, hard look at our lives - "Is my life superficial? Am I just running after material wealth, success and status OR am I doing something tangible to make a DIFFERENCE in this world?"
I believe now is the time for each of us to stop waiting for someone else to make the difference in this world. Why not me? Let us be people who love and respect our fellow men and women of all races and faith. Let us live to do good - by learning not to have prejudices or suspicions of people and cultures we do not fully understand. It is time we look at each person and know we are all childen of God and learn to live in love and harmony. We must also stand up for what is right - every human being has the right to live in freedom.
This is my dream for what our world could be...and I refuse to believe it is impossible to achieve. I will continue to pray for love, peace and understanding. I will pray that God will first and foremost make the 'CHANGE" to begin with me. I cannot expect others to change while I remain the same.
Please do take a few minutes and listen to the music video, "THE PRAYER" a hauntingly beautiful duet by Celine Dion and Josh Groban.
Let us live in faith, let us pray for each other and may God's Grace be upon the world!
"Never get tired of praying, and never miss a chance to give to the poor."
(Sirach 7:10)
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