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This, too, shall pass...
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The Little New Year
One cold morning Maurice awoke from his dreams and sat up in
bed and listened. He thought he heard a knock at his window; but
though the moon was shining brightly, Jack Frost had been so
busily at work that Maurice could not see through the thickly
painted panes. So he crept sleepily out of bed, and opened the
window, and whispered: “Who is there?”
“I am,” replied a tinkling voice. “I am the little New Year, ho!
ho! And I’ve promised to bring a blessing to everyone. But I am
such a little fellow I need somebody to help me distribute them.
Won’t you please come out and help?”
“Oh, it’s so cold!” said Maurice; “I’d rather go back to my warm
bed;” and he shivered as Jack Frost, who was passing, tickled
him under the chin with one of the frosty paint brushes.
“Never mind the cold,” urged the New Year; “please help me.”
So Maurice hurried into his clothes, and was soon out in the
yard. There he found a rosy-cheeked boy a little smaller than
himself, pulling a large cart which seemed to be loaded with
good things. On one side of this cart was painted the word
“Love,” and on the other “Kindness.” As soon as the New Year saw
Maurice he said, “Now please take hold and help me pull;” and
down the driveway and up the hill they traveled until they came
to an old shanty.
“Here is where I make my first call,” said the New Year. Maurice
looked wonderingly at him. “Why, nobody lives here but an old
coloured man who works for us; and he hasn’t any children!” “He
needs my help,” said the New Year; “for grown people like to be
thought of just as much as children do. You shovel out a path to
his door, while I unload some of my blessings; and the little
hands went busily at work, piling up warm clothing, wood, and a
new year’s dinner, the New Year singing as he worked:—
“Oh, I am the little New Year; ho! ho!
Here I come tripping it over the snow,
Shaking my bells with a merry din;
So open your door and let me in.”
Old Joe, hearing some noise outside, came to the door, and when
he saw all the nice gifts the tears ran down his cheeks for
gladness; and as he carried them into the house, he whispered:
“The dear Lord has been here to-night.”
“Where are we going now?” asked Maurice, as they ran down the
hill. “To take some flowers to a poor sick girl,” answered the
New Year.
Soon they came to a small white house, where the New Year
stopped. “Why, Bessie, our sewing girl lives, here,” said
Maurice. “I didn’t know she was sick.” “See,” said the New Year,
“this window is open a little; let us throw this bunch of pinks
into the room. They will please her when she wakes, and will
make her happy for several days.”
Then they hurried to other places, leaving some blessing behind
them.
“What a wonderful cart you have,” said Maurice; “though you have
taken so much out, it never seems to get empty.” “You are right,
Maurice, there is never any end to love and kindness. As long as
I find people to love and be kind to, my cart is full of
blessings for them; and it will never grow empty until I can no
longer find people to help. If you will go with me every day and
help me scatter my blessings, you will see how happy you will be
all the long year.”
“A happy New Year!” called someone; and Maurice found himself in
bed, and his sister standing in the doorway smiling at him.
“Have you had a pleasant dream, dear?” she asked.
“Why, where is the little New Year?” said Maurice; “he was just
here with me.”
“Come into Mamma’s room and see what he has brought you,”
answered his sister. There in a snowy white cradle he found a
tiny baby brother, the gift of the New Year. How happy Maurice
was then! But he did not forget his dream. Old Joe and Bessie
had their gifts, too, and Maurice tried so hard to be helpful
that he made all his friends glad because the happy New Year had
come.
Source: Ellen Robena Field
The Human Odyssey...
The earliest remains of the Homo
sapiens yet discovered dates back to 300,000 years.
We probably evolved in the
African region,
but then migrated to the rest of the world. Although our
physical appearance changed over time, our race didn't: we
remained human beings.
Remains of the world's
earliest religious worship site
have been discovered in Botswana, where our ancestors performed
advanced rituals, worshipping the python some 70,000 years ago.
So many religions have emerged and disappeared that no religion
can claim superiority over other religions. Religion is only one
of the
means to realize God, but
it is not an end to itself.
The central problem facing our planet is human overpopulation.
Today there are over
8 billion beings on Earth and the
population is still growing. There are too many people and
not enough resources for all of us. Yet,
we are not addressing this
problem responsibly. Do you really think your life will be
better if there are more people of your colour,
caste or creed on
Earth?
Initially used as fire for light, heat, cooking and for safety,
energy has been harnessed by humans for millennia. Today, fossil
fuels have become our main energy sources. This is leading to
climate change and global warming.
The Earth has entered a new era called
anthropocene, which marks
the beginning of the
sixth mass extinction. Many species have already disappeared
from the planet and our own days, as a species, are numbered.
Artificial intelligence has surpassed human intelligence. While
humans think they will be using
AI to win wars against other
nations, AI itself has outwitted human psychology to make us
lose each and every war. Warfare has never been a solution to
human problems...