KEEP SINGING MY SOUL-THE SONG OF HOPE

The definition of faith is, to hope for something and more importantly, to be certain that what we hope for, we will surely receive. Hope is a song that our hearts can sing without stopping. Hope is the voice of one who believes in love, and that voice can never be crushed with the noise of hate.

“ ‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers/ that perches in the soul/ and sings the tune without the words/ and never stops at all.” Emily Dickinson.

Today, my world family is in a critical situation. They are all trying to preserve the most precious and worthwhile thing called Life. Seven years back in the year 2008, the streets of Mumbai were washed with the blood of the innocents; the same blood is flowing everyday in Palestine and Syria, and now the same has happened in Paris. But then and now, the wounds are suffered by all of humanity. This is a situation which is difficult to fight with, for we can only fight with an enemy. But our problem is to recognize our enemy. If our enemy is our brother, how will we recognize the negativity he bears against us in his heart and even if we do, how will we fight our own blood?

‘Your blood of theirs/they wound the spirit of life after all/ life sheds tears on death after all’. Sahir Ludhyanavi.

If I, as a child of my father, having recognized his oneness in the creation of my family, am led into a battle with my brother because he believes that my father is not his too, how helpless and sorrowful will my household become?

Time and again many of my brothers have disbelieved in this oneness of our father and to prove their point, they have continued to shed the blood of my family members living all over the world, believing them not to be their own. Time and again, this strange belief has wounded every brother of mine settled in every part of the world.

I only hope that soon someday, my estranged family will get united and sing just one song of praise for our father calling him in unison, my Jesus, my Allah, my Krishna, my Ram, my Buddha, my Mahavir, my Zarathustra, my God, my Father.

No solution can come out of hatred; no road of blood can bring joy to the traveler, for what else are we, just passing by after all.

So, till I finally pass by this journey, I will keep urging all my brothers to hold on to this hope of love, in faith.

‘To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.’ Hebrews 11:1

How can my father have a plan of murder for some of his sons? He loves even those who do not believe in him. How then can a father instigate some of his children to kill his other unbelieving children? After all, they are all his. He has great plans for sure, for all of us but needs our help to accompany him in love (mind well – not in hate) to get them fulfilled. Our father has promised all of us a share of his heavenly best, but only in the act of love towards one another. A part of my family has always pleaded to the other, to allow this promise to be fulfilled using a spray of love in worship, instead of one of bullets. I hope that those, my brothers blinded with hate, will wash off the mud of revenge from their eyes and recognize the vitals they have shed, which is none others but of their brothers only.

‘Yet they did not receive what God had promised, because God had decided on an even better plan for us. His purpose was that only in company with us would they be made perfect.’ Hebrews 11:39,40

Today I pray that my brothers will understand that hate is too powerful a weapon to play with, and that only love will fetch each one of us a paradise. Only love then, will keep us firm and unshakable.

‘Let us be thankful, then, because we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe.’ Hebrews 12:28

Till our lost brothers, moving in the dark alleys find light of understanding, we will keep burning candles, symbolizing the essence of life; the light of life which has to be kept burning despite all adversities. Only a wounded can wound another. The candles will create an eternal flame of prayers to heal the living and the dead lost ones.

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