LET'S REMEMBER ALL THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS








“I don’t think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that remains.”
–Anne Frank


My knowledge about the New Zealand was, always, limited to its cricket team. Maybe, to some of her places where a couple of our friends migrated for work or studies. But, nothing beyond that. I think, I am not alone in this… Most of us are aware of what is happening in America, UK, Canada, Pakistan, the Middle East, or even China, Russia and Israel. They are, always, in news - good or bad… But, we do get to know what is happening in these and many other countries around the world…


Not about New Zealand. She has been a very peaceful country… of gentle and tolerant people, who belonged to all kinds of ethnic back grounds… faiths, cultures, languages, food habits… She has been a loving home for countless immigrants for decades. And, despite this multi-ethnic and multi-religious presence on her soil, this nation was never in the news for the wrong reasons…


Yes, for reasons like bloodshed, hatred and terrorism!


So, when the gunman – an immigrant himself – shot down, in cold blood, 50 people and severely wounded many more in the worst terrorist attack as they prayed in the mosque, this gentle nation was shaken to its core…  The ghastly act shook the whole world, too, to its core!


New Zealand, all of a sudden, was in news… For wrong reasons, yes. But, in my view, significantly more, for good reasons…


Let me confess my own ignorance, till the insane act happened, I had not heard of Jacinda Ardern, the young Prime Minister of New Zealand. But, watching her deal with this terrible blow to her peaceful nation – listening to her words, feeling her genuine warmth, the way she went about comforting the bereaved, making them feel she was their own, acting swiftly against the misuse of arms, sending strong warning to the perpetrators of crime and caring and protective message for every peace-loving citizen, regardless of faith, custom and language, to feel safe and not isolated… yes, watching her grace, grit and compassion, I simply began to adore this woman, this leader - Jacinda Ardern!


No wonder, the world has woken up to New Zealand and her Premier, all of a sudden. And, let me repeat, more for good reason than for the wrong one!


Look, in life, love alone triumphs… Life is sustained by it…


Hatred is weak… It looks very, very pale!


Another thing about New Zealand, that I wasn’t aware of, was Haka… Her ceremonial dance (Maori traditional dance) …


Thanks to the deadly act of hatred, and, thanks to scores of young boys and girls who had lost some of their friends in this gory massacre… yes, thanks to that helpless feeling of sorrow, fear and anger – I could know what Haka was… why, when and how it was performed…








Pain, loss and grief are part and parcel of Life. “When a part of the body is in pain, the whole body suffers,” says Jacinda, “It’s Ok (for all of us) to feel this pain, loss… and grieve.”









Pain and loss do not weaken the human soul… They only strengthen it… They refine it…


New Zealand has taught us this truth… Her Premier has taught us this… Her school children have…


As little Anne Frank tells us, (in her diary during the Nazi torture), let’s not think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that remains!


GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.: Newstalk ZB
Videos: World Rugby / 9 News / Global News


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