Have you ever, in any situation, pondered over the notion of hope? Since our inception, and since the introduction of philosophical thoughts, poetry and art, this concept of hope has meandered through human civilization like a river. All religions, in one way or another, emphasized and projected it; all of them, to-date, claim their dominance over it. In contemporary world, even atheists disregard the backing of religion for these concept—they are embedded in human nature and persevere without any religious support. Saints, Monks, and Sufis exerted colossal significance on hope. In the light of all this, why one has to bear the traumas of hopelessness and pessimism?
As a nine year old child, in my budding days of life, I lost my father. Was it my innocence or what that I didn’t feel any pain. With the passage of time, and with the dawn of maturity, I sensed a loophole in my life. However, my case was slightly different; there was no financial burden on my feeble young shoulders. For a son, a father is an epitome of life; he is a living testament of life. Apart from this, the natural relation of a father and son was what—as I discerned—missing in my life.
A father is like a cloud, giving you shade in the scorching heat of the Sun.
In the midst of my cognitive development, I saw this love but never felt it. Consequently, an inferiority complex bedeviled me. I, for no reason, despised all this and prefer aloofness and solitude over it. There was no hope. All I could think was partisanship by God, taking the most invaluable possession of mine. I considered myself to be the most dejected person on this planet. This, lamentably, manifested in my personality and thoughts. People, seeing on surface level, considered me as pompous and Inco-operative person. This added further fuel to my scorn for this world.
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There was no hope.
One day, after being exhausted by the perpetuating demeanor of the society, I cried. In that deposition, I grilled God with questions; question that might wear the clothes of blasphemy if uttered in public. There was no answer. Even the skies were closed. Then, from nowhere, a ray of hope beamed on the horizon of my life. Those deep reflections of solitude rewarded me with strength and forbearance to withstand any predicaments of life. I saw an opportunity in all this; it distinguished me from others. We all possess a driving force that shoves us to action. I got mine. The chasm was bridged by the fact that I have a cause to live—to prove my mettle by making my father proud of me. This bestowed hope on me.
In flashback, now, I feel privileged. Had there been no turbulence in my life, I might not have been living with a purpose. Therefore, I bear witness to the fact that there is always hope in every situation. It wouldn’t appear at first instance, but it would appear, not immediately but definitely. Whenever you encounter any ordeal in your life, endeavor to extract opportunity from it. Believe me or not, these ups and downs are there to give you hope and to prepare you for the realities of tomorrow. Allama Muhammad Iqbal classically summed this up:
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Khuda tujhe ksis toofan se ashna kar de,
Ke tere behar ki moujon mein iztarab nahin
God bring you acquainted with some storm!
No billow in your sea break in foam.
I would end this with tranquilizing words of Faiz Ahmed Faiz:
“mana yeh sunsaan gahree sakht ghari ha
Lekin mere dil yeh tu faqt ik hi ghare hai
Himmat karo, jeenay ko tu ik umr paree hai”
Indeed this moment of solitude is extremely harsh
But my love, it still remains one moment of life
Let’s raise effort, there is a long way to life.