At a time when some are busying themselves trying to determine who leads, it is refreshing to know that the ultimate leader requires only faith.
Numerous generations of men and women deprived of their freedom, almost devoid of hope and denied of their families, were given only faith upon which to build a future and they did.
The belief that there is an Almighty does not require public intellectual debate; it requires only quiet sober reflection on a journey of a people that started with absolute betrayal. From the beginning, the mode was one of recovery in which the focus was on rebuilding self-esteem.
Imagine a lifelong journey of doubting oneself and not being able to trust others; it is a recipe for unhappiness. Now, imagine a year of such a life and we begin to understand the need to have a spirit that allows us to cope. The very thing we yearn for in life – happiness – was never made easy.
Our forefathers spent generations redefining happiness and the inspiration had to be drawn from outside their physical circumstance; it had to be spiritual. So that in the depths of despair, there was hope.
It is the universality of hope and the capacity of hope to travel that created an environment for bonding in the absence of a spoken word. This environment is where man’s collective wisdom – the body, mind and soul – received its relevance. For us, it started with self-preservation.
There is a difference between understanding the journey and obsessing oneself with it. It was always intended for us to learn in the hope of not only pursuing but redefining happiness. The bigger lesson was lost: that what motivated other men to deprive, devoid and deny us was never to be the foundation upon which our happiness was to be built, but we failed.
The simple enduring lesson is that things spiritual are superior to things physical. When there is no difference between the things in these two dimensions, the ultimate would have been accomplished.
 The difficulty in the pursuit of happiness is that over time, increasing emphasis is attached to its physical dimensions. This does not surprise me, because left to man, the less important things in life become more expensive with time as man’s concept of happiness becomes more physical or, alternatively, less spiritual.
Part of what makes this time of year so special is that better than at any other time, there is a coming together of the two dimensions of happiness. For those of us who have something to give, the inspiration comes through the spirit and in this sense, we may be fulfilled.
For those of us who are deprived, devoid and denied, the spirit allows us to receive. While the universal circumstances have changed dramatically since the start of the journey, it is evident that the fundamental issues of happiness have not been resolved. It is idealistic to believe that the issues will be resolved any time soon to our satisfaction.
In essence, notwithstanding all of the material progress that has been made, the fundamental issues have remained. Some have more but are still deprived, while others have less and are still being denied. After all of this time, man has not yet found a universal definition for happiness that is self-fulfilling.
Indeed, there will never be such a definition because such a pursuit starts from within with the spirit. Unfortunately, the individual spirit is increasingly less influenced by the collective wisdom of our people and where better to see this than in the failure of our leadership.
Perhaps, more important, is the nature of those who now set the agenda for those who lead and in so doing are able to set the standards as well. The source of our deprivation is now more spiritual than physical which is a contradiction at this stage of the journey.
If men are allowed to deny themselves, they will deprive others of who they ought to be.
Perhaps the real goal of these men is to blur the lines that permitted us to establish the parameters of our happiness.
Happy Christmas to All!
