Leaving A Trail of Hope
What
do you do on the days when a student comes in with a heavy heart because his
village has been taken over by the Taliban and his parents are stuck there?
What do you do when one of your girls has gone missing because her family
doesn't want her to continue school? What do you say when your driver's
relative has been killed by a blast? What do you do when 2 million people are
facing a spring and summer without
harvest because of the drought? What do you do when your driver doesn't turn up
because he's stuck in a fighting zone while on his way? These absurd realities
are what's happening in Afghanistan daily. The news can barely keep up with
what is actually going on. I write this because I recall the Afghan proverb that
says, “when the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled”.
While
nations war and terrorist networks send their deceived pawns to play someone
else’s game, the weak and widowed suffer and children of the next generation
lose their identity. While self-seeking men tussle for ill-gotten power, the
powers of darkness cheer gleefully at their division.
The
words of Jesus never fail to offend my sensibilities and yet arrest my heart
with wonder: "Love your enemies. Love your neighbour as you love yourself.
Do good to those who persecute you." What? Is that possible in this world
that promotes the very opposite?
What
would happen if we took his words seriously? Perhaps, like those brave souls
before us, we will die. But will our death be in vain if our actions have
overturned hatred through self-giving, and with glaring light shine against
darkness? Won’t it leave a trail of Hope for those who are looking for such an
example to follow but have never seen it before? So, is the only way to secure
‘peace’ through the might of guns, bombs, and money, or one of those useless
‘peace talks’ that are often a farce anyway because most of the time, behind
the scenes, the peace-talkers are really simply preparing for war? I beg to
differ. There's a better way. And while I live, I pray to be bold to embody it.
When
in Afghanistan, you cannot escape these thoughts because without them, your
inner convictions will crumble.
[Cover Photo: AP Source, Artlords painting in Kabul, Afghanistan]
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