I trust everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year? I was delighted to see so much joy around but it was another troubling one for many. For some, the question of why we should be celebrating when there is so much war and sadness all over our planet has been a difficult one.
I mused on this for a while before coming to the conclusion that wars and oppression are happening everywhere, all the time. So, should we never celebrate? Maybe turning a blind eye and carrying on is just heartless and cruel?
It was then that I realised that celebration itself is an act of defiance. What any aggressor wants is for their enemy to just roll over and submit. Celebrations, then, are our single act of contumacy: showing those who wish to oppress us that we won’t go quietly into the night.
In celebrating and bringing joy, we are bringing only frustration and indifference to those who would wish us, or someone we love or we empathise with, ill will.
So, as this new year breaks, I want to wish everyone joy and happiness in 2024. Let us show our resolve to those who would try to control us or make us fear them, by being joyful. Let us be defiant in our happiness and show that an open and happy heart is our weapon of choice. In short: let love reign.