A prayer of hope!!!

Pandora, ‘all- gifted’, was the first woman in Greek mythology. Each god helped to create her by giving her unique, alluring gifts. She was molded out of earth as part of the punishment of humanity for theft of the secret of fire, and all the gods joined in offering her "destructive gifts". According to the myth, Pandora opened a jar- “Pandora's box.” All the evils of humanity escaped into the world, leaving only Hope trapped inside. As a result, the earth and sea are full of evil. Hope is thus preserved in the box as a benefit for humans.

The myth of Pandora is ancient yet addresses the question of evil in the world. Why is there so much evil in this world, so much hopelessness? A daughter brutally killed in Delhi, a son missing in U.K, a man pushed in front of a train in New York; the evil machinations of humanity spinning itself out in different forms. We have been through so much too: an Olympics, a US election, Euro 2012, and finally an end of the world in Dec 2012. Can we still hope for a better year in 2013?

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” This should be the start of every good thing. When man is lost in the wilderness of despair only hope propels him. Napoleon Bonaparte believed- a leader is a dealer in hope. It is that emotion which dredges up belief in positive outcome.

The world out there looks hopeless. Man is caught up in his own petty world. Greed and wickedness is ruling the day. The new born babe is infected as soon as he grows up. The purity of values is not imbibed easily. Parents struggle to instill ideals in their children. Partners struggle to cherish each other. Charlatans make money while Politicians deal in power. Mother sells her baby while father destroys his daughter. Is these for real? Are we waking or asleep? When will we get up and reclaim our real place? When will hope deliver her promise?

Yet, when everything else fails hope remains. The sun will shine tomorrow. The farmer will nurture the soil. The man will protect his family. The woman will be his backbone. The children will be the pillars of society. Hope springs eternal. Every dark night will have a dawn. The daughter will escape the drudgery of home. The son will grow up to be warm. The woman will walk the streets safely. She will find no difference in day or night. The boys and the girls become equal. The boy wields the ladle, the girl brandishes the pen. At the end of the day, they change their roles, each fired by education and progression. Father is part mother and mother is part bread-winner. Family catch up in the night with all the learning they ended up with.

There is serenity, hope and charity, the three sisters, with those who undertake honest journeys, into the heart, and outside of it, in real world. Storms might shriek and roar, real or symbolic but brave hearts will always fight, because they know no other way. They never give up hope. When brave hearts put up a fight, the world responds with vigil of candle light. The youth rise up and fight. The governments sit up and notice. When wheels creak to turn, people hope against hope that things will change. Teenagers sing and adults write. People connect on face book. Messages of hope fly thick and fast. Parents change and children grow up. Tradition passes and new age welcomes. People blend and languages mend the fences. The narrow thoughts fly out of the box, of Pandora, and only the global mind remains. The new human, neither master nor slave, only brave; neither charlatan nor meek, only smart; neither hazy nor lazy, only able and hopeful.

Well, while there is life, there is HOPE!!!