And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Sir: I think every year we can reflect on these words penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and see how man’s inhumanity to man continues throughout our world and we all continue to be diminished by it.
This year there are some startling examples of hatred and violence towards our fellow man. This is nothing new it has continued through centuries of progress and plagues civilization today and will for years to come, if history is an accurate indicator of human behavior.
There is, however, peace and solace I take in not only the words from this poem, which became a Christmas carol, but from so many of the Christmas hymns left to us from times when this earth was shaken by terrible wars and devastation. No matter what man does to his brother, no matter how harshly and unfairly we treat each other and surrender ourselves to the deadliest of sins, there is that singular light of hope that lives on and continues to grow stronger than any dictator or any terrorist wickedness can spawn.
This is the perfect time of year to embrace the spirit of faith and of hope and of love towards our fellow man. My wish and fervent prayer is that we will all pause to consider ourselves and our own actions. Peace and love to all men must start within ourselves. I hope we will all take time to enjoy the peace and joy of the season.
Tim Tunks
Chatham
