Time has walked down the lane of life before we came to this planet. It bore witness to some of the most incredible incidents that happened here.
Time walked on when Noah’s ark was set to sail and his very own son and wife refused to board it, hence drowning in the flood. Time was right in doing so. Hope led it to the future and there it witnessed the stand of Abraham against Azar.
Tragedies have struck our world, our country, our community and ourselves and yet we stand here talking about it. It is only because we had the hope to move on, just like time. We put the past behind us and welcomed the new and the better day when we saw it coming. Then why is it that we are again finding ourselves in an abyss of darkness? It is because we are facing a crisis. What we have forgotten is that it too, like the ones in the past, has an expiration date. Effort and hope can lead us to that date. Then we will again revel and indulge in the new and bright rays of a dawn that will relieve us from this dementing crisis.
“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope.”
Only one protector stands between the light and the darkness. Only one feature determines the attainment of success or failure. This, I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear, is hope!
From the dawn of civilization to the present day, it is only through hope that humanity has risen from small pockets of rather unimpressive mammals to the dominant species of our planet, inhabiting almost every landmass and with technology far superior to that of our animal counterparts. But, by the same token, the rise of our society has not been peaceful; it has instead been clouded with destruction.
Many scientists believe that there is an ever-increasing hole in the ozone layer. Over half of the world’s forests have been cleared away to make room for our burgeoning population, and the depletion of nonrenewable resources is on the rise. The questions remain: Is there hope for future generations of the human race? Are humans a disease, a virus sapping the lifeblood of a once-healthy planet? Can there ever be world peace, or is the human race destined for self-destruction?
The world survived two great wars. Our country survived the earthquake and devastating floods within a period of 5 years. Terrorism, sectarianism and ethnic conflicts are the main issues of today; yet we are brave enough to discuss upcoming elections.
“Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.”
This is why I insist that not all is lost. We still have hope. There is light at the end of this dark period. All we need to do is to muster enough strength to get up and seek it.
Those who persevere in the toughest times are the ones who are blessed to see the dawn. The suffragette movement, the battle of the black people for their rights in the west and the Pakistan movement are all examples of how people reached salvation after they experienced hell-like circumstances. Had they lost hope or lacked perseverance they would not have become success stories. I therefore strongly recommend continuous optimism, hope and unmitigated hard work to overcome our problems. Right now, as a nation we have had enough pessimism; it is time to turn over a new leaf!