By - Akangjungla
Though the doctrine of Jesus Christ and his birth prominently occupies the central theme of Christmas season, the spirit of the celebration cut across different faith and denominations. One of the first messages received by the main character in the story of Christmas is the message of the angels to the shepherds as recorded in the book of Luke where it says… “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” As the city lights have illuminated and the churches and streets have been decorated with Christmas decorations, the same message needs to resound in the Land. In a bewildered and anxious world, where fear dominates the individual and collective, the message “Do not be afraid” needs to be heard.
Today the Naga society is infested with fear- fear of other people, other community, other church and other political groups. In the common environment, the bigger fear is that of losing the Naga identity and essence of brotherhood. During an interaction with a young group of people, in response to question of tribalism and disunity among the Naga people, Naga theologian, Rev Dr Wati Aier insisted, “Naga uniqueness can never be expressed or achieved at the expense of the others.” He had maintained that the Naga peoples are a cultural groups and the Naga identity is a ‘shared awareness.’ “Do not be afraid” is a good message for the Naga people inorder to retrieve this ‘shared awareness’ and break the grip of fear.
Peace is another Christmas message which resonates globally. Peace is the most sought-after wisdoms of life. In a general sense, peace represents the absence of conflict or war. A good dictionary like the Cambridge defines peace as ‘freedom from war and violence, especially when people live and work together happily without disagreements.’ The classic explanation of peace comes from the perception of attaining a common goal for the entire world and therefore, it is very often characterized taking into context the state or the country. Concurring to multiple definitions, Vocabulary dictionary says, ‘peace is a stress-free state of security and calmness that comes when there’s no fighting or war, everything coexisting in perfect harmony and freedom.’
Humanity is relentlessly pursuing the concept of peace – be it for security, diplomacy or cordial relationship. People are in search for a place free from violence and hostility; a place of rest, harmony, totality, fulfillment and well-being and therefore, this point to the presence of something more than just signing treaties or initiating negotiation for reconciliation between warring parties. The truth about peace is that it does not limit to mere human efforts and when acquired, it surpasses human understanding and is unrelated to outside circumstances.
The difficult question is where can men find this peace that calm the mind in the midst of the conflict-driven world stricken by hunger, climate disaster, epidemic, injustice and multiple misfortunes. To begin with, taking on the journey of an experiential and personal peace that does not sympathize with the victim mentality can possibly address the issues which emerge from antagonistic and alienated minds. Holding on the guilt of the past with the attitude of a wounded community and with no reconciliation within the self visibly builds the obstruction for the right presences to persuade peace. To be able to lay hold of this presence for peace, perhaps, embracing the values of common love, compassion and respect are the unending source of strength mankind needs for freedom from all that is conflicting to harmony.
Christmas is also called as the ‘season of giving.’ Besides material gifting and sharing, may this Christmas be a season of shared love that cuts across tribal distinctions, socio-economic status, religion and all factors that divide one person from another.
Comments can be sent to akangjungla@gmail.com
