Life is tough! It has been tougher still in these few months owing to the health crisis caused by the corona virus. Almost everyone is gasping for breath, battling with life and struggling to cope with stress created by the pandemic. More than the positive, negative energy seem to be pervading everywhere. The fun, laughter, mirth and cheer seem to have disappeared; the countenances appear bleak as they are deprived of joy and robbed of hope. Amid such gloomy days and scary nights, we have a calling to pull ourselves up and grow into a mountain without shrinking into a grain of sand. We are to enthuse life, add vitality, instil courage, breathe optimism and generate hope. Hope is nothing but being able to believe that there is light despite darkness, that there is still a rainbow in the horizon. What counts at this time is our attitude, our mental ability to adjust our sail!
Viktor Frankl as a long-time prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp, found himself stripped to bare existence. Inside the camp, everything was dark and dull. He lost his parents, brother and wife through the brutal cruelties of the Nazi torturers. He lost all his possession and felt that even his values were being destroyed. Amidst such experience of deprivation, darkness, gloom, hunger, pain, brutality and despair of losing life at any hour, this man found life worth preserving and worth living. He penned down his experiences daily and later published them into a book under the title, Man’s Search for Meaning. In this book he wrote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Still further, he wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances cannot be taken away.” Basing himself on the philosophy of Nietzsche, he convincingly wrote, “He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.”
We are in such a predicament now. It looks as if it is dark and dull everywhere; gloom is spread all over due to the rampant positive cases of the corona and pain and misery is heard from all quarters. In this context, we need to awaken hope that lies dormant and bring to surface the skill of walking confidently amidst the desperate conditions, even the worst. Education in fact is meant to teach us to live confidently and brave any odds courageously. The great American President Abraham Lincoln had realized the essence of education and therefore had instructed the teacher of his son, "My son starts school today. It is all going to be strange and new to him for a while and I wish you would treat him gently. It is an adventure that might take him across continents; all adventures that probably include wars, tragedy and sorrow. To live this life will require faith, love and courage.”
Dear friends, at this pandemic time, the wheels inside us are constantly turning, turning sometimes from sadness to joy and other times from joy to sadness. Let us gird ourselves in faith and courage and accept that in today’s faded flower, there is the seed of tomorrow’s bloom and in today’s sadness, there is the seed of tomorrow’s joy. Let us learn to live in great hope and optimism!
I pray God’s blessings and protection on our students, staff, parents and the whole human race. May God the Invisible Power reveal his caring presence with his immortal words, Fear Not! I am with you.
At this juncture, I am happy to announce to you that Bethany Congregation turns 100 on 16 July 2021. Truly, it is a historical milestone in the journey of Bethany. Congratulations to Bethany! May Bethany see many centuries...
Sr Mariette BS
Secretary, BES Mangalore
