Viewfinder : The New Year 2010..

Another new year. How many millions of us are already perched in front of the screen, the magic mirror, hoping, perhaps naively, that we can make the world a better place to live in, adding our grains of white sand to the idyllic beach before the next turgid tidal wave? But even if we are deluding ourselves, the hope in itself is positive enough.
Especially for those who are risking everything in order to tell us what's happening. The least we can do is pass their message on, continue to let the world hear their cries of anger and pain.

I had prepared several paragraphs for this post. New year wishes covering almost everything that I consider important. But the beauty and simplicity of what I saw yesterday, persuaded me to condense it to what seems to my mind the most essential.

I would like to think that the new year will inspire and encourage the highest and most respected Muslim authorities to stand up and clearly declare to the world, once and for all- assuming that the following is indeed the case- that there is no justifiable connection between Islam and terrorism or tyranny. That nothing is more blasphemous and false than to use God one claims to worship, as a pretext to practice brutal repression and perpetrate heinous crimes.

Let's wish for greater understanding between all peoples. We already have fabulous means to accomplish this, but time, like natural resources, could become more precious and essential. We need greater understanding and awareness to make the necessary commitments, develop the necessary means and concert our efforts to nurse the world back to good health, in good time.

Yesterday, driving up to a village in the mountains, I passed through a thick layer of cloud to find the sunlit sky. The view of the sea of cloud enveloping the mountains below and making them look like enchanted islands, was a wonderful sight...