TIDINGS OF HOPE

The cold breeze through our streets brought the twilight of 2008.

What a historic, unforgettable year 2008 had been!

Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King was assassinated shortly after giving his now-famous speech, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Once, colored people in the US could not ride the same bus, eat in the same restaurant or drink from the same water fountain as their fair-skinned contemporaries.

Today, the US triumphs against its greatest sin as it readies to swear in its first colored president, a self-confessed "mutt". Some may disagree with his politics; yet no one can dispute the significance of his presence in the White House.

This turn of event brings hope around the world.

Hope that the burka-clad women of Afghanistan who live under the code, "A woman belongs in the house, or in a grave" will one day throw off their yoke of slavery. Hope that the 200 million starved children in Africa will experience bounty and plenty in our lifetime. Hope especially that, one day, integrity will become a driving force in the politics and business of our country.

I, too, have a dream. I have a dream that, one day, we will be a people who speak truth, stand by our word, do what we promise and give wisely to the less fortunate.

It is never easy to do the right thing. If we are lucky, doing right slips by unnoticed.

Otherwise, we are rewarded with trouble for our efforts. Yet, we must persevere.

The world is as we know it because, many years back, people refused to be silent and cower. They fought against slavery; fought for the right of women to vote; fought against child labor laws.

Evil grows when good men stand by and do nothing. But, the world trembles at the feet of men determined to do right.

Apathy and indifference are silent comrades to corruption. If we are not part of the solution, then we are, by default, part of the problem. There is no neutral ground.

Tal pueblo, tal gobyerno. "As the people are, so is the government," said Rizal.

Heaven help the man who dares to criticize the government yet, in the privacy of his own home, carries out his business and personal affairs with no integrity.

History has proven, time and time again, that the world will beat a path to the steps of the businessmen, politicians, athletes and all kinds of people who operate with integrity at their core.

William Colgate pledged to give back ten percent of his income, and increased this steadily until he was giving fifty percent. He went on to become the greatest soap-maker in the world.

Eric Liddell refused to run his best event, the 100 meter dash, during the 1924 Olympics in Paris because it fell on a Sunday. He trained instead for the 400m event, won the gold and made a world record that would not be broken for over 30 years.

Hal Taussig, 82 years old, committed to never having any money in the bank and giving away any left over at the end of the month. He has not owned a car in the last 40 years and rides a bike instead. All profit from his tour agency is used to provide loans to low-income people who want to start businesses. In the last 15 years, he has given away $15 million.

My hope and prayer for our country, as we start a new year, is that we stand up and be a people of integrity and generosity. If our government is corrupt, let us be the light that chases the darkness back. Let us look for opportunities to stir up positive change;

and, if we cannot find them, then let us create them for ourselves and for others.

We cherish the hope that a child's birth two millennia ago still brings to parched hearts today. There is always hope for a better tomorrow, and a better future. That hope is in us.

"I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man.

Between him and every other person in the world
there is no possible term of comparison.

Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I founded empires.

But on what did we rest the creations of our genius?

Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love;
and at this hour millions of people would die for Him."

--- Napoleon Bonaparte