by Anita Mendiratta | Mar 30, 2013
As differing as the world’s geography, politics, policies and populations may be, there are some things that create a global connection. Faith. This universal connection was recently on display at a level rarely seen – but clearly it is felt.
Throughout the month of March, the eyes, and in many cases, spirits, of the world have been intensely focused on a tiny location on the planet, a place so small that its population does not even reach one thousand inhabitants. Yet, while not actually living in this city, 1.2 billion people worldwide, just over 17% of the world’s population, call this place their spiritual ‘home’. Vatican City.
It all began on the 11th of February, when Pope Benedict XVI announced, to the shock of many within the cardinal community, Catholic Church and across the globe, his resignation for personal, age and health related reasons. The last day of the month would be his last day as the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church.
It was a move that shook the faith, raising the voices of millions to question not just variations on a ‘why did he really‘ theme, but for devotees, an emotional ‘how could he?‘ God only knows.
With his unprecedented departure – the first papal resignation in close to 600 years – Pope Benedict XVI took with him a sense of the end of not just a papal era, but the end of an era of the Catholic Church per se. The College of Cardinals saw the signs, embracing the calling to rise to the challenge, recognising that for the Church to move forward, it was critical to recognise how the world around them – faith and followers – had moved on.
And, importantly, the world’s Catholic population was watching to see if, when, how, the Church would respond to the growing crisis of confidence and conviction, challenging its relevancy and credibility.
But it was not just Catholics keeping vigil. Across the globe, billions were watching the chimney of the Sistine Chapel for Papal conclave voting. Remarkably, in just two days a decision was made.
The sign of change came, not just in the colour of the smoke, but in the speed of the decision making process,
and the choice of a Pope from South America,
and the new Pope’s choice of name – Francis, a humble, compassionate, there-to-serve-the-people spiritual leader,
and the choice of the new Pope’s personal lifestyle as the leader of the Church – from rings to shoes, from vehicles to new home.
Significant decisions of both symbol and substance, critical to the minds and hearts of Catholics worldwide.
But why did, the world, Catholics and non-followers alike, watch the selection process so closely? Why did it matter to billions beyond the official population of followers?
Why did the choice of the next Pope touch so many, so deeply?
Why? Because of a bond that connects billions, regardless of location, language, lifestyles: believing in believing
The Catholic Church getting it right, banishing the ghosts and guilt of the past, matters to more than can be imagined. It is not about the institution, the structure, the face. It is about the need to believe in something better that all that burdens, something that still inspires right when there are so many examples of wrong, something that keeps us waiting for the dawn through the long hours of the dark. It is about keeping the faith.
As said by Ben Wedeman of CNN while covering the election of the new Pope, “Rome was not built in a day, and the Vatican will not be rebuilt in a week.”
Will Pope Francis be able to lift the Vatican, the Catholic Church and the minds of millions, to a higher place?
Insh’Allah.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2013
by Anita Mendiratta | Feb 17, 2013
It was supposed to be a day of love and heart-smiles, not a day of loss and heartache.
It was to be a day to pass by in a blur of warm gestures and words, simple acts of loving kindness.
Yet for tens of millions of South Africans across the southern tip of Africa, and across the globe, Valentine’s Day 2013 will forever be marked as a day when shock united one and all. Hearts were broken as a hero fell, taking with him the pride of a nation, removing the brilliant golden glow from the rainbow.
The tragic events of the morning of February 14th put South Africa’s gold-medal Olympian in the global spotlight once more, just months since medal-winning Olympic glory gripped the nation, yet this time leaving a nation feeling deeply bruised. Millions today are feeling a sense of personal ache, a sense of mourning, a deep loss.
Suddenly, heroic efforts are having to be made by millions to find light in the darkness of possibility, faith in the face of fear of “could it be true?”,and in the case of one lovely South African voice tasked with speaking to the international news world, finding poise, perspective and professionalism in the presence of so deeply felt sadness.
The loss?
The loss is not just for a beautiful woman now departed too soon, or a national hero and role model facing devastating questions that could leave him facing a lifetime behind bars. Tears are falling across a nation for these two losses, but also for millions more. The ’bladerunner’ has fallen, his blades cutting through the cloth of the nation’s flag, his fans and followers once proudly cheering his name and wearing their national colours united in a state of disbelief, now patiently yet painfully waiting to hear the fate of their patriot.
And deep down, they know. Their beautiful flag, the image of the country that so many have worked so hard, for so long, to stand and fly proud for all the world to see, now falls in hurt. At this moment, instead of striking a confident pose, the stance of South Africa has changed. Whether true or not, there is a feeling that the world once again stands in judgment of the nation, each and every one of its people, because of the acts of one person.
The disappointment goes beyond the one. It is the millions of consequences of that one moment in time.
As was the case when the life of a young woman was ultimately taken from her after she boarded a bus in Delhi, leaving Indians feeling shame and outrage.
As was the case when twenty tiny, young lives were taken by the gun-charged hands of a young man in Sandy Hook, leaving Americans horrified and demanding of new debate re. rights.
As was the case when a group of Spanish tourists had their holiday turned to horror in a beautiful Acapulco
beach house, leaving Mexicans once again exasperated as labels of violence once again crept into coverage.
As was the case when a kidnapping of a tourist in the Sinai, leaving hopeful onlookers of the Arab Spring questioning if the nation can indeed move on.
As was the case when the Swiss bank account details were revealed for Grecian politicians, leaving the people of Greece trying to regain national solvency and dignity feeling bewildered and betrayed.
As occurs across the world, especially in (re)emerging nations trying to rebuild their strength of national
identity, image, reputation, and so importantly, strength of spirit.
In our world on the move, through all of the often super-human efforts to break from the pack and move ahead of not just competition, but expectations and stereotypes, it is so easy to forget how much it takes, at so many levels, to remain hopeful, faithful, optimistic, idealistic. Especially when one person, one action, can break millions of hearts.
Yet, as much as in these times it can feel as though God too is crying, stuck in the ‘how could this happen’, it is the few, the few remarkably and fiercely determined, who find the strength to stand up and say through their words and/or actions, ‘this is not who we are’, that inspire a tomorrow that offers not only a Band-Aid, but a hope, to help us get past today.
The tears must fall, the ache must be felt, if we are to move forward with a burning determination to be more than simply this.
– This month’s article is dedicated with immense respect to Robyn, Miller and Jerry. x
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2013
by Anita Mendiratta | Jan 29, 2013
As the last days of the first month of a new year draw near –
WEF delegates now back home facing post-Davos diets,
economic systems re-engineered in 2012 now starting to turn their wheels,
revolutionary aircraft launched to great fanfare now facing groundings that have even competitors respectfully silenced,
legal systems and voiceless citizens now standing up to fight for the protection of those put in harms way by simply being present,
nations of the Arab Spring now facing lightning storms beyond expectation, comprehension and faith in how, oh how, there can be peaceful conclusion,
– first impressions of the year ahead can easily leave one feeling deeply uncertain.
Dreadfully unsure.
Yet, not alone.
For the challenges that are to be faced in 2013, once again, show how borderless our world has become.
One cry out for help now draws the attention of millions.
One world now ties together 7 billion.
2012 was a year of re-building, and re-activating, global economies – global minds.
2013, from what first impressions reveal, will be a year of re-aligning, and re-inspiring, global hearts. Our ability to connect across borders, across systems, and across ideologies, will require a digging deep beyond anything experienced before. Calculations will no longer be about what we can gain – it will be about what we have to lose. And that goes so much farther than commerce, cliffs, commoddities, credit lines and currencies.
The test is clear. The time is now.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2013
by Anita Mendiratta | Dec 24, 2012
A year of love,
a year of loss.
A year of unions,
a year of partings.
A year of commitments,
a year of convictions.
A year of giving,
a year of blessing.
A year of discovery,
a year of seeding future curiosity.
A year of milestones,
a year of miracles.
Most of all, a year never to be forgotten, for all of those moments, memories, people and places, that have embedded themselves into our hearts, into our identities.
As our world moves forward,
may the steps that we take leave only footprints that truly being us closer together.
God bless.
Happy 2013.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2012
by Anita Mendiratta | Nov 7, 2012
November 07th, 2012. Depending on their locations, their times zones, and their levels of excitement, millions of people across the world chose to forfeit sleep the night before to be able to stay awake into the early hours of this new day, whist others were waking up early as the new dawn broke. A new day, and a new time.
Why the lack of sleep? What could possibly draw such global attention?
As the 07th of November tick-tocked into its first minutes and hours across the eastern regions of the world map, polls were closing and ballots were being counted across the map of the USA. It was the morning after the US Presidential Election Day of 2012.
Who would it be? Who would be the leader of people of the US for the next four years? Who, therefore, would be the greatest individual source of influence on the rest of the world?
Who would it be occupying the White House?
And what would be the global implications in homes across the globe?
Throughout the presidential race, the world has watched, and watched, and watched, with unprecedented interest. Positions were learnt, personalities were analysed. Why? Why all of the personal investment in leadership choices when the leader was not to be one’s own?
One simple reason: borders and ballot boxes no longer separate people. While an event of north American geography, the far reaching implications of this one nation’s political leadership race was clear. If the choice was red, a new path would be taken – dramatic policy positions would shift, relationships with global leaders be altered, and international markets would recalibrate. If the choice was blue, the four years ahead would be continued careful journey on a path of known direction, with the destination a continued source of hope and faith – for Americans and the rest of the world.
Aside from the remarkable, often shameful levels of attacking campaign commentary and rhetoric, and of course funds, what has been astounding to see has been the levels of global interest in how America casts its vote – global interest wide and deep enough that the watching world spent the day hiding yawns from sleep deficit. From well known world leaders to unknown nations from regions beyond America’s borders, the final count brought a cheer of victory as though these foreign hands had themselves ticked the box for their preferred candidate.
America has cast its vote, the people of the USA have chosen, the Empire State Building is illuminated in blue, global headlines are expressing excited announcement of President Obama’s four more years, and the people of the world are now ready to walk with America into the next stage of shaping a collective, interdependent future.
With a sense of relief in the minds and hearts of millions across the world, it is safe to, for the moment, shut their eyes and get some sleep. Hope endures.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2012
by Anita Mendiratta | Oct 19, 2012
As occurs every year, on the mid-October day of the announcement of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Peace, audible speculation occurs around the globe. Who will it be? Who would be called out as the exemplary manifestation of all that the concept of peace represents. Who, or what? And why?
How does one decide? How does one possibly identify a single individual or entity that can be praised for peace?
Since 1901, on an annual basis this question has been posed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee as they judge nominations from across the globe for those deemed to have “done the most or the best work for the fraternity between nations.” (Nobelprize.org)
The winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Peace, announced on October 12th, was in the end more reason for pause and appreciation than actual celebration.
Why? Because the winner – the European Union – acts as a powerful reminder of what so many across the globe have forgotten – that peace is a process of continuous commitment and effort, not an assumption.
As eloquently expressed by CNN’s Jonathan Mann, who has covered the Nobel Peace Prize for 17 years, when asked in an interview minutes after the announcement by the Nobel Committee what the Nobel Committee was thinking when awarding the EU the prize for peace?
“Peace“.
60 years of peace through tireless efforts for unification across European nations.
In these times of aggressive economic, social and political change, times that see:
- a young Pakistani girl fighting for her life as a result of a gunshot wound to punish her for her quest to allow girls to be educated;
- the endless horror as Syria’s leaders seemingly defy all sense of civility against its own people, sending refugees fleeing to neighbouring nations facing their own challenges;
- two powerful Asian nations flexing their political muscles and verbal threats of war over one disputed island;
- iconic sports heroes falling from well engineered and embedded pedestals;
and
- presidential candidates in the US intellectually fighting it out in town hall debates and investing an estimated US$ 2 billion in the quest to secure the nomination for president of the United States of America in 2013,
the connections of our world today – Damascus a mere 9187 km away from Washington DC where global Ambassadors to the UN struggle to secure a lasting peace, Karachi a mere 8499 km from Birmingham where young Malala now fights for her life, Senkaku island and Diaoyu island the exact same coordinates – often reveal the sadness of how far apart we can be, despite being just a flight, boat trip, or thought away. Hot spots remain, fear remains. the risk of life being taken, unjustly, unfairly, and unexpectedly, remain.
And yet, through the noise, peace is able to prevail.
Because of efforts – often intense efforts – to sustain prevent outbreak of war during times of potential clashes within or across borders, as a result of economic crisis, lack of natural resources, political clashes or other threats to stability of psyche and nations, billions are able to look on, safe and secure in their corners of the world, viewing conflict through the screen of a television, computer or mobile phone.
In many parts of the world peace, living within a peaceful society, has become an assumption.
Such is the case in the EU.
As expressed in the official announcement of winner of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize:
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 is to be awarded to the European Union (EU). The union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.
“The EU is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to focus on what it sees as the EU’s most important result: the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights. The stabilizing part played by the EU has helped to transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.
The work of the EU represents “fraternity between nations”, and amounts to a form of the “peace congresses” to which Alfred Nobel refers as criteria for the Peace Prize in his 1895 will.” http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2012/press.html
The Nobel Peace Prize has always been awarded on the basis of the bigger picture. Standing back, looking at the world map as it appears today, there are clear, constant conflict zones which continue to ache. And then there are those that, through a shared quest for peace, remain connected as communities.
As was expressed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu during different times yet with enduring sentiment: “When God looks at —, he shakes his head and cries. And then he looks at (the EU), and he smiles…“
During these ever-changing times – times of crisis at natural, political, economic, environmental and social levels – ‘peace‘ should be seen and appreciated as a verb, not a noun.
And a blessing to be able to feel when we shut our eyes at bedtime.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2012
