It is that time again when we begin anew! Or at least like to think we can! :) We like to think this year will be better than the previous one; and it is! We like to think that nothing bad will happen; yet it does! But we still look forward to a better future. As a student of theology, I have often wondered if it is our Christian faith that allows us to hope for the better or is it just human nature. I wish I had an answer. However, what I do know is that Christian emphasis on love (beyond those we would normally like to love as humans), faith (beyond reason), and hope (certainly beyond reason and certainly in denial of what history affords) is unique. It is perhaps for this reason that Christian faith allows us to envision a world with peace. It is a very irrational vision. How can the wolf dwell with the lamb, and the calf and the cub eat together and a little child lead them?
In Pakistan, a young boy has been chosen to lead the largest political party in the nations' most tumultuous times. It is irrational. Yet, it is a symbol of keeping the hope alive that the nation once had through his mother's political struggle for democracy. A hope for a secular Pakistan wherein every person will have equal rights; male & female, land owners & laborers, Muslims & Non-Muslims!
At the start of this New Year, I request you all to join me in envisioning for a peaceful world. And if the irrationality of Christian faith allows us to have hope for a better future, and therefore, to work towards a peaceful world, then, Amen (so be it).
Happy New Year!
