A Hopeful Flame Amidst the Storm

Author: Naima (Founder RootsAndRoutesMag.com)

This past year has been a journey through stormy waters. Extreme challenges, both internal and external, have shaped every moment. Each day has felt like a struggle to maintain balance, to survive, as uncertainty and the hostile shifts in the world weigh heavily on the mind. Anxiety, depression, and despair linger as silent companions, ever-present reminders of the world’s fragility.

It’s not just personal struggles; the broader mismanagement of the world looms heavily over us all. Poverty, wars, racism, and oppression, these systemic failures and structural violence touch our lives in ways both direct and indirect. They create divisions, breed suffering, and rob countless people of the dignity and peace they deserve. How can one find solace when the world feels so deeply fractured, when the gift of life seems more like a burden and threat for so many?

One hopes that with the years, with experience and maturity, life might become easier to navigate

That adversities might feel less insurmountable, more manageable. But the truth is often more sobering. As the years pass, strength, both physical and emotional, wanes. The peace and stability one longs for seem increasingly elusive, often disrupted by circumstances beyond one’s control.

There is a particular pain in placing hope in others, in trusting that people or systems will offer the support or change one so desperately seeks, only to be met with disappointment. The weight of that betrayal is profound, leaving a sense of loneliness and a realization that, more often than not, we must bear our burdens alone.

Amidst all of this, it becomes impossible to ignore how fleeting our time on Earth truly is. Life is a gift, yet so often we squander it, on conflicts, on destructive wars, on greed, on things that divide rather than unite us. We forget that our shared existence demands a simple, profound ethic: to live and let live. To find joy where we can, and to allow others the same possibility and freedom.

Yet, even in the face of such hardships, a stubborn little flame of hope refuses to be extinguished. It burns for a better world, one where compassion triumphs over cruelty, where understanding replaces hatred, and where every person is free to live with dignity and purpose.

As we look toward the future, may we strive to do better, not just for ourselves, but for those who will come after us. May we remember that even in the darkest times, we have the power to create light. May we choose kindness, fairness, and peace.

Goodbye to the chaos of 2023-24; may 2025 bring the peace we’ve been yearning for, and may we each do our part to create it.

Naimaste!